Seventh Annual Red Nose Day Campaign to End Child Poverty Raises Over $32 Million

With support from partners — Walgreens, NBC, Mars Wrigley — and the generous public, the 2021 campaign leveraged the power of entertainment to drive social change

New York, NY, June 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Across TikTok, Twitch, Twitter and Tiltify; on NBC and YouTube; within thousands of Walgreens stores and by supporters unlocking a Digital Red Nose, *the seventh annual Red Nose Day has already raised more than $32 million in 2021* *to help end child poverty*. Money raised will support programs to help address the urgent needs of children living in poverty and foster work that creates long term change. More than one year since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the work Red Nose Day funds support is more crucial than ever, with social and economic ripple effects having hit underserved communities the hardest — children in particular.

After pivoting to its first-ever fully Digital Red Nose in 2020 in response to COVID-19, this year marked the evolution of Red Nose Day to a year-round, multi-channel movement to end child poverty.

“Red Nose Day is an opportunity for people to come together to turn hope into action and tackle the urgent crisis of child poverty,” said *Alison Moore, CEO, Comic Relief US*, the nonprofit organization behind the Red Nose Day campaign. “The team at Comic Relief US are amazed and deeply grateful by the level of support and generosity from our partners and the public. Children have been especially vulnerable to the widespread effects of the pandemic and many lived through an indescribable year. We can’t slow down now. We must continue our important work throughout the year, because until there is an end to child poverty, every day is Red Nose Day."

Red Nose Day 2021 featured some of the biggest names in entertainment coming together to help end child poverty, including an exclusive four-song performance by *Coldplay*, marking their first-ever live concert on TikTok. A star-studded multi-platform livestream, *Red Nose Day LIVE*, featured some of the world’s most popular creators, gamers and celebrities including Jack Black, Jennifer Garner, Tony Hale, Joel McHale, Jason Alexander, Justin Long, creators MatPat, Ethan Nestor, Lizzie and more.  

*NBC*, along with the network’s talent roster, supported Red Nose Day with promotion and programming features throughout the campaign, capped off on May 27th with a Red Nose Day-themed episode of *The Wall*, hosted by Chris Hardwick. Kristen Bell made a guest appearance to test Chris’s own skills on the wall, while viewers were invited to join the fundraising from home. Hollywood favorites Connie Britton, Courteney Cox, Susan Kelechi Watson and Mandy Moore narrated short videos within the episode showing how Red Nose Day funds can help change the lives of children living in poverty. 

In partnership with *Walgreens*, through June 11, the public can donate online or on the Walgreens app to unlock a digital version of the iconic Red Nose and share across Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram to show their support. Walgreens also activated full store support for Red Nose Day, igniting its thousands of team members in more than 9,000 locations to support the campaign, and announced an incredible $20 million donation to this year’s fundraising efforts.

“This year Red Nose Day is an urgent call to action to support children who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and to help drive meaningful change in our communities,” said *Pat McLean, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Walgreens*. “Walgreens is honored to be a longstanding partner of Comic Relief US, as we continue to innovate together to extend Red Nose Day from inside our 9,000 stores to a dynamic online movement that allows customers to support such an important cause however they prefer.”

“This year’s Red Nose Day reminded us all that we must work together as a community, especially during the toughest of times,” said *Doug Vaughan, Executive Vice President, Special Programs, NBC Entertainment*. “Through our NBC programming and with the support of our talent roster, we take great pride in our responsibility to shine a light on the issue of child poverty as we work with our friends at Comic Relief US to raise funds for life-changing programs around the world.”

In addition to Walgreens and NBC, Red Nose Day 2021 was supported by partners at *Mars Wrigley* and the *Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation*, as well as millions of individual donors. Money raised for Red Nose Day will help provide food, shelter, medical care, and most of all, hope for underserved children across America and around the world. 

To learn more about Red Nose Day, visit www.rednoseday.org.

*About Red Nose Day*

Red Nose Day USA is a fundraising campaign run by the non-profit organization Comic Relief US, a registered U.S. 501(c)(3). Red Nose Day started in the U.K. in 1988, built on the foundation that the power of entertainment can drive positive change. To date, it has raised over $1 billion globally. Since its US launch in 2015, Red Nose Day has raised over $270 million and positively impacted over 25 million children in the US and around the world. Money raised supports programs that ensure the children who need it most are safe, healthy, educated and empowered. For more information about Red Nose Day USA and its impact, visit www.rednoseday.org. Follow @RedNoseDayUSA on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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CONTACT: Brooke Wood
Comic Relief US
b.wood@comicrelief.org