Jimmy Fallon ruined a date with Nicole Kidman by playing ‘Mario Kart’

Jimmy Fallon has revealed that he ruined a date with Nicole Kidman by playing Mario Kart.

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Back in 2015, Nicole Kidman appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she brought up their previous meeting.

“I liked you, so our mutual friend says Jimmy wants to meet you, go over to his apartment. I was single, so sure,” explained Kidman, with Fallon shocked by the revelation. “Did I date Nicole Kidman?!” He went on to say he assumed the meeting was a chemistry test for a role in Kidman’s 2005 movie Bewitched (that ultimately went to Will Ferrell).

“I go over, you’re in a baseball cap, you wouldn’t talk,” continued Kidman. “Then you put a video game on, and it was so bad. About an hour and a half, I figured you had no interest and left. It was so embarrassing.”

The clip has been viewed more than 63million times on YouTube and has been described by Fallon as “the most embarrassing thing” to ever happen to him.

Last night (May 20), The Last Of Us star Isabela Merced appeared on The Tonight Show where the pair started talking about video games. “The Last Of Us is the scariest video game I’ve ever played in my life,” admitted Fallon, to which Merced replied: “Was that the game you were playing when you bombed your date with Nicole Kidman?”

Once the audience finally settled down, Fallon revealed the video game that ruined his date with Nicole Kidman was Mario Kart. “Thanks for bringing it up.”

.@isabelamerced asks Jimmy if he was playing The Last of Us when he bombed his date with Nicole Kidman #TheLastOfUs #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/RFuLHI8MGs

— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) May 21, 2025

A new Mario Kart game is set to launch next month alongside the Nintendo Switch 2. Mario Kart World will introduce Free Roam to the franchise, allowing players to drive off-road and explore the various worlds and levels that Nintendo has created without having to worry about racing.

While exploring the open world Mario Kart World, players can visit Yoshi’s Dinner and collect a drive-thru meal, which will then unlock a themed outfit. There are also a number of other secrets to discover.

As for the races, players will be able to drive along walls and dodge enemy attacks by jumping, while secret passageways can be uncovered by stringing tricks together. And if you mess it up, you can “rewind” to give it another go – but other karts won’t be affected.

Nintendo received backlash for charging £75 for the new game, but the company defended the price tag by explaining they were using “variable” pricing, with the RRP decided by how much time went into development and how replayable the games are, amongst other factors.

In other news, the brilliant soundtrack to Assassin’s Creed Shadows is being released on vinyl later this year, via Laced Records.

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