Will Ferrell Dresses Up as Ron Burgundy on 'Conan,' Mocks Toronto Mayor Rob Ford (VIDEO)
Actor Will Ferrell dressed up as his famous character Ron Burgundy to pay a visit to talk show host Conan O'Brien on the Wednesday airing of "Conan" on TBS. Ferrell was there to promote his upcoming movie "Anchorman 2," performing a comedic song in which the actor showed his support for the embattled mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford.
"He's a dear, dear, dear friend," Ferrell told host O'Brien, adding that the mayor is only controversial "because he's so honest." Ferrell showed up to the show dressed in his classic Rob Burgundy wardrobe of a turtle neck, vest and vintage leather jacket layered on top.
Ferrell joined the show's house band to perform a re-election song for Mayor Ford, who was recently stripped of most of his power in Toronto after he admitted to smoking crack cocaine and drinking heavily. In the song, Ferrell warned Ford to not "do anything stupid" to the tune of 1981 Loverboy hit "Working for the Weekend." A jazz flute interlude was even part of Ferrell's comedic performance.
"My dear, dear friend Mayor Rob Ford of Toronto is running for re-election," Burgundy explained before diving into his song. "I hold him in the highest regard. He is the best."
Ford even took Ferrell's jabs at him in stride, tweeting after the airing of "Conan" on Wednesday: "I had to laugh at my friend Ron Burgundy & his take on my 2014 re-election campaign song."
Ferrell has been making the rounds dressed as Ron Burgundy to both promote his upcoming film "Anchorman 2," which comes out in mid-December, and to promote his mock-autobiography, Let Me Off At The Top. Ferrell showed up at a Los Angeles book signing Wednesday in his full Burgundy getup, never breaking character as he posed comically with copies of his book.
"I've been asked to talk about why I wrote my highly highly anticipated autobiography: Let Me Off At The Top," Ferrell said in a promo for the book last month. "Well, for one thing it turns out I'm a great book writer."