It's hard not to love Craig Ferguson. There's something so deeply honest in the way he conducts himself, especially in an industry filled with false people. Because of the clarity of Craig's gentlemanly persona, the man has been able to get away with a lot. His jokes could be borderline offensive and he could make statements without being crucified in the press for it. Then there are all the times he shamelessly flirted with his female guests on The Late Late Show when he hosted between 2005 - 2014. However, most of the women he was unabashedly affectionate with were his friends.
While Craig is far from the Hollywood-type and doesn't spend a great deal of time with the rich and famous, he does have a few celebrity friends. Many of the people on this list were brought into Craig's life thanks to his late night show. Others he met when he was climbing up the ranks as a stand-up comedian and an actor. But each and every one of these icons (alive or dead) spent time with Craig when the cameras weren't rolling. Here's who has been part of Craig's inner circle...
15 Kristen Bell
Few actor celebrities have appeared on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson as many times as Kristen Bell. The two built a strong friendship after spending so much time together on the show and their bond has extended to their partners, Craig's wife Megan and Kristen's husband, Dax Shepard.
14 Gerard Butler
Craig and Gerard share a Scottish bond. The pair have spent a lot of time together on The Late Late Show and making the How To Train Your Dragon films. Because of all this, the two became "good buddies". Their chemistry is truly magnetic.
13 Drew Carey
"Carey! You're fired!" was Craig's catchphrase when he played the comedian's boss on The Drew Carey Show. This was the show that made Craig famous but it was also brought he and Drew together. Their friendship has lasted to this day and Drew was even asked to fill in for Craig on The Late Late Show when he had to take time off.
12 Stephen Fry
Craig adores actor, comedian, author, and acclaimed philosopher Stephen Fry so much that he changed his entire show just to interview him. However, his hour-long sitdown with Stephen was far from the only time they spent together. Stephen and Craig actually knew each other when Craig was "a sad drunkard" climbing up the ranks as a comedian.
11 Peter Capaldi
"I've actually taken acid with my next guest," Craig said when he introduced The Doctor Who, Suicide Squad, and Thick Of It star, Peter Capaldi. The two actually grew up in the same community in Scotland and were even in a band together called "The Dreamboys", originally called "The Bast*rds from H*ll". They remained friends even as Craig got sober and they both became famous.
10 Mila Kunis
Mila quickly fell in with Craig after her first appearance on the show in 2009. She said it was the "best" talk show she'd ever done. Over the course of a few appearances, their chemistry developed. They really started to enjoy one another personally when Mila flew to Scotland to appear in Craig's week-long Scotland special.
9 Michael Clarke Duncan
The Green Mile actor, who passed away tragically in 2012, was a good friend of Craig's. In fact, Craig was one of the only people who could make fun of Michael and get away with it. The two spent a lot of time together on The Late Late Show and Michael even went to Scotland with Craig for his hometown shows. But so much of Craig's relationship with Michael was revealed during Craig's heartbreaking tribute to the Daredevil star after he passed. It's clear that Craig just adored him.
8 Kathie Lee Gifford
After Craig Ferguson co-hosted the Today Show with Kathie Lee for a week, the two became fast friends. They even decided to co-star in a movie called Then Came You. Their chemistry was so electric that Kathie had to tell USA that there was nothing romantic going on between them. During an interview on The Today Show, Craig stated, "We are great friends ... we kind of have nothing in common except that we adore each other and we're friends. I can't explain our friendship more than she can. But I think what it is, is if you genuinely adore someone, you just do."
7 Eddie Izzard
Eddie was a comedian that Craig respected long before the two became friends. But it was The Late Late Show that brought them together. Eddie appeared on the show a whopping 16 times and even traveled to France to join Craig for his Paris shows.
6 Rashida Jones
Rashida and Craig had a one-of-a-kind chemistry. Fans loved seeing it during her many appearances on the show, including her time in Scotland with Craig. The two became fast friends and clearly loved making each other laugh.
5 Billy Connolly
Like Gerard Butler, Craig and Billy share a bond because of their homeland of Scotland. But Craig has always looked up to Billy as a comedian. In fact, he has stated that Billy is his "favorite" comedian of all time. But the affection goes both ways as Billy has never shied away from praising Craig.
4 Maria Bello
Craig has known Maria Bello for a long time, far before her first appearance on The Late Late Show. He even knows her kids. During one of their many interviews together, he even claimed that she was "a good friend".
3 Josh Robert Thompson
Not only did Josh work with Craig for the years on The Late Late Show as the voice of his gay robot skeleton sidekick, Geoff Peterson, but he even became his opening act for his stand-up show. Craig and Josh's friendship developed as they bantered back-and-forth every night on the talk show but it's carried over into recent years. The pair just can't stop spending time together. They really are close friends.
2 Robin Williams
In an interview with QCOnline, Craig admitted that he developed an off-screen friendship with the late Robin Williams after his multiple appearances on the show. Few people could make Craig laugh as hard as Robin did. Following his tragic death, Craig stated that he was "sweet, generous and kind as well as a comedic genius".
1 Carrie Fisher
Like Robin Williams, Craig claims he actually built a personal friendship with the late Star Wars actor thanks to her appearance on The Late Late Show. She even gifted him a pair of Kangaroo testicles which he kept on his desk throughout the run of his show. After her tragic death, Craig stated that she was "the kindest and coolest and most encouraging person [he] ever met in Hollywood" and said that he "adored her".
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