The mood was somber on the talk show circuit Monday, with Jimmy Kimmel, James Corden, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien and Ellen DeGeneres taking the first moments of their programs to remember late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others in Calabasas, California.
Fallon recalled going on a beer run with Bryant when he was just 17, Kimmel told a heart-wrenching story of how Kobe visited his son following his heart surgery, while O’Brien described him as “naturally very funny and charming.”
Fallon got choked up as he told the story of the first time he met Bryant back in 1996. As he told it, he was 21 and “just starting out” in the Los Angeles comedy scene when he found himself at a party, where he started randomly talking to a young man he quickly learned was then-rookie Laker Kobe Bryant, who was 17 at the time.
“When we ran into each other over the years, we’d laugh about the time that we first met. We’d laugh at all the good things that have happened since. And we’d laugh about how much fun it was to raise kids, all the stupid mistakes we made trying to figure out how to be good dads,” Fallon said, tearing up.
“Kobe had four daughters and I had two daughters, and today he and one of his daughters are gone,” Fallon continued.”But I think I knew Kobe well enough to know that he rose to any challenge by digging deeper and getting back to work. So let’s honor Kobe, Gianna, and the other lives that were lost yesterday by following his example. Love your family, love your teammates, and outwork everyone else in the gym.”
Watch Fallon’s tearful remarks below.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Kimmel described Bryant’s passing as a “punch in the gut,” and remarked that the Lakers legend was a hero “in the way that Superman is a hero.”
“Kobe was — and I know this might not make sense — but he was just the last person you could have ever imagined something like this happening to,” Kimmel said. “He was so strong, and handsome, and smart, and energetic …he was a hero. I know there are more important things than basketball … but Kobe was a hero in the way Superman is a hero. He was so big and full of life, it was almost like he was a fictional character.”
Kimmel went on to recall how the father-of-four visited his family after their eight-month-old son has heart surgery. “When my son had heart surgery, Kobe checked in with me, repeatedly. He made a point, once Billy was out of the hospital to meet him. He wanted to meet him. And from time to time, he’d check in on how he was doing,” the late-night host recalled.
Watch Kimmel’s teary-eyed tribute, and some clips of Bryant’s appearances on the show, below.
“The Late Late Show with James Corden”
“It’s still so hard to fathom the news yesterday that we lost Kobe Bryant,” James Corden said at the beginning of the “Late Late Show” Monday.
“Since the news broke, I keep finding myself thinking about the last time Kobe was here on the show. He was freshly retired, and I remember him saying to me he couldn’t stop talking about how excited he was to have all this free time to devote to his family and to coach his daughters,” he said. “And I remember loving hearing him talk like that. A man who had achieved so much in his life was so excited to get to be a dad for a while.”
“Many of the people who work here at our show have grown up in this city. Kobe was their hero. I’ve been talking to a lot of people on my staff today who are just devastated. Just listening to the coverage, so much is rightly being said about Kobe’s incredible gifts as an athlete and his prowess on the basketball court,” O’Brien said.
“But what I wanted to do was take a moment here, at the top of the show, to highlight another aspect of Kobe’s talent. He was naturally very funny and charming, he really was. Terrific guest. A superstar does not have to be a great guest, and he just was. Whenever he was on our show, he was a joy to talk with, and he always had the audience in the palm of his hand. That’s the guy I’ve been thinking about these part 24 hours, and it’s that memory I would like to share with you tonight.”
Watch Conan’s remarks and some clips of Bryant on the show below.
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show”
DeGeneres also took time out of her show to remember Bryant.
“As you all know, it was a very tough weekend here in Los Angeles,” DeGeneres said. “Kobe was a legend who will always be a legend for what he accomplished on the basketball court, but also remembered for his kindness and the times he helped us give back to deserving people on our show.”
Watch DeGeneres’ remarks and some clips of Bryant on her show below.
Grammy Awards: Inside the Star-Studded Parties (Photos)
A week of singing, dancing and partying up to and after the 62nd Grammys turned Los Angeles into a mega-celebration spot.
Perhaps no one embraced the week more than Billie Eilish, seen at the Spotify party for Best New Artist nominees on Thursday, before taking that trophy (as well as Album, Record, and Song of the Year) on Sunday.
Crazy clothes, wild hair and sky-high heels for both women and men marked the festivities; see how she and others celebrated Grammy week.
Photo credit: Getty Images
It helped to be a Citi cardmember during the week leading up to the Grammys, as Coldplay, Britney Howard, Brandi Carlile and the Jonas Brothers (pictured) took over the Hollywood Palladium and did packed-house shows for lucky members who snagged tickets via the Citi Sound Vault promo.
Spotify celebrated all eight best new artist nominees with a huge bash Thursday night (Jan. 23) at the Lot Studios Hollywood, where Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish got friendly. They performed, as did Lizzo, Black Pumas, Tank and the Bangas, Maggie Rogers, Rosalia and Yola, while Kate Beckinsale, Heidi Klum, Ashlee Simpson and Billy Porter prettied up the rapt audience.
Lizzo did double duty Thursday night, also performing at the Warner Music Group party held at the Hollywood Athletic Club, along with Burna Boy, another of the org's nominated artists, to the delight of the crowd. On hand for the Absolut-fueled celebration were an eclectic mix, from Naomi Campbell and Delilah Belle Hamlin to Big Freedia, Gary Clark, Jr. and Gwen Stefani along with Blake Shelton.
Despite the sizzling controversy over the ouster of Deborah Dugan as head of the Grammy's Recording Academy and her claims that the org is a "boy's club," Instagram's Grammy Luncheon on Friday January 24 at Ysabel celebrated women in music. Which meant honoring powerful women in the industry including (clockwise from left) Ethiopia Habtemariam, Gail Mitchell, Jacqueline Saturn and Sylvia Rhone.
Friday night at the Dream Hollywood hotel's Highland Room Lincoln brought their new Corsair SUV to the party, as well as the four finalists of their Chart Your Course songwriters contest. Spearheaded by Grammy winner Jon Batiste, who told TheWrap that "I wanted to be a part of something different than just a singing contest, we already have plenty of those," the winner was chosen by viewers of the Grammy Awards show. Texan Cas Haley took home the gold, including a talent contract and a Corsair of his very own.
John Legend, Alice Cooper, Melissa Etheridge, Dave Grol and the Foo Fighters, the Jonas Brothers, Yola, Johnny Depp and a slew of other really famous faces filled the West Hall of the L.A. Convention Center to celebrate Aerosmith at the annual MusicCares benefit gala, where once-in-a-lifetime moments like Depp and Aerosmith's Joe Perry doing dueling axes happened all night long.
At Clive Davis' elite Pre-Grammy Gala and Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Sean "Diddy" Combs (quite a mouthful of a title), it was a Saturday night of superstars, both onstage and off. Janet Jackson hit the stage at the Beverly Hilton, as did Lil' Kim, Wiz Khalifa, Usher, Cyndi Lauper, Brandy Carlile, John Legend, Carlos Santana and Cynthia Ervio, while Nancy Pelosi, Billy Porter, Joni Mitchell and Jay-Z and Beyonce looked on.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Sir Lucian Grainge's 2020 Artist Showcase made Milk Studios the place to be on Saturday, as UMG brought out its favorite sons and daughters to put on a big show. From Billie Eilish, Maggie Rogers, Anthony Ramos and soulful crooner Gregory Porter to Da Baby's lively performance, everyone on stage seemed to have a blast. Hollywood's famous faces showed up here, too, with Mandy Moore, Howie Mandel and Spike Jonze part of the packed crowd.
Triumphant Billie Eilish did a quick clothing change (but kept the two-tone hair) after the Grammy Awards and headed to the hottest after-party in town, as UMG took over Rolling Greens in DTLA. Lots of photo/video booths and DJ tunes kept partygoers busy and bopping, while top company execs shared air kisses with everyone from Hailee Steinfeld and Beck to Trombone Shorty, Lewis Capaldi, Heidi Klum and AnnaSophia Robb.
Sony Music picked Neuehouse Hollywood as their Grammys 2020 after-party spot, and all the cool kids showed up, with John Legend, Chrissy Teigen and Cyndi Lauper leading the charge. Usher caused a stir when he turned up, after his Grammy show tribute to Prince drew raves; and Diplo, H.E.R., Camila Cabello, DJ Khalid, Little Nas X and head honchos Clive Davis and Rob Stringer joined in the celebration of numerous Grammy 2020 wins.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Billie Eilish had a party-filled week culminating with her sweeping the top awards
A week of singing, dancing and partying up to and after the 62nd Grammys turned Los Angeles into a mega-celebration spot.
Perhaps no one embraced the week more than Billie Eilish, seen at the Spotify party for Best New Artist nominees on Thursday, before taking that trophy (as well as Album, Record, and Song of the Year) on Sunday.
Crazy clothes, wild hair and sky-high heels for both women and men marked the festivities; see how she and others celebrated Grammy week.