Craig Ferguson reveals his two favorite guests ever — and both showed up in his final weeks as host
With extensive experience in show business, Craig Ferguson is the perfect person to reveal the nicest person in the entertainment industry. Ferguson, who hosted 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson' from 2005 to 2014, welcomed bigwigs of Hollywood on his hit talk show. However, the host has a clear favorite, and it's not one but two guests. Ferguson not only shared his picks but also showered heartfelt praise on these fellow entertainers.
While promoting his book, 'Riding the Elephant,' Ferguson opened up about sobriety and Princess Diana on PEOPLE Now. In the interview, when the interviewer asked Ferguson about his fondest memory from the 'Late Show,' he replied, "Oh, anything involving Betty White because Betty is such a lovely person." However, Ferguson had another favorite in his mind as he added, "Or Henry Winkler; he's the nicest person in show business." Ferguson continued showering praise on Winkler, saying, "I mean, it's 50 years since he played the Fonz, something like that... People still say to him, Ay, Fonzie, and he always goes, Aaay, to everybody."
Reportedly, during Ferguson's last three weeks as host of 'The Late Late Show,' both White and Winkler made appearances, as the duo were two of his most frequent visitors. Tim Meadows topped the list with 41 appearances, which was followed by Thomas Lennon's 30 appearances, and White secured third place with 23 appearances. On the other hand, Winkler secured the fourth spot for most appearances with 22 times, as per The Hollywood Reporter. While Winkler made his appearance on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, White, however, graced the talk show on Wednesday, December 17.
This is not the only time when Ferguson showered praise on White; in an earlier interview with The Flagship, the comedian fondly recalled his early experience working with the actress, calling her "a fantastic person" who was "very kind" to him. "My first job ever was working on the TV show Maybe This Time with Betty White and Marie Osmond," he shared. Ferguson shared that, despite White's legendary status, she took Ferguson under her wing. "Every day we would have lunch in her trailer; we would tell stories, and she was so supportive and kind. I'll never forget it. She did not need to do that," he noted.
Years later, when White was honored by the Television Academy, she asked Ferguson to speak at the event. "Before me was the entire surviving cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It was like the Beatles, and I had to go after it." He further shared, "Billy Crystal did the movie Mr Saturday Night and he was that person on The Ed Sullivan Show who had to go on after the Beatles and he said, 'You're excited; I just bought a house.' So I used that line." Reflecting on White’s character, he said, "Betty was the kindest, most gracious person. I thought everyone in Hollywood was going to be like that." However, he admitted, "There are a lot of unsavory types of people in Hollywood... but there are some cool ones as well."
