Nicole Scherzinger Reveals How She Kept Celeb Friends from Getting ‘Drenched’ in Fake Blood When They Visited Sunset Blvd.

Nicole Scherzinger figured out the perfect way to pose for photos while wearing her most viral look from Sunset Blvd.

The 47-year-old Pussycat Dolls alum starred as Norma Desmond in the Broadway production, which closed on July 20 after 20 previews and 312 regular shows at the St. James Theatre.

While on stage, Scherzinger wound up drenched in fake blood. Photos of her in the look drew attention online and even sparked a trend around Halloween 2024.

During a Wednesday, July 30, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the star reflected on taking pictures with celebrities who would come to see her perform.

Her list of celebrity fans included the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Glenn Close and Heidi Klum.

Of course, posing with someone when covered in fake blood presents a unique problem — Scherzinger risked getting blood on the other people in the pictures. To avoid that, she told host Jimmy Fallon that she’d “developed my own method” of keeping the stage makeup to herself.

“When I take pictures with people, I don’t want to get my blood all over them. So I say, ‘Give me your hand.’ And I just… We hold hands so it creates, like, a barrier,” she explained. “So then it doesn’t look like we hate each other because I’m just standing in the picture without touching them.”

One star was not concerned about getting covered in blood. That was Winfrey.

“Oprah wanted it all. She was like, ‘Give it ot me.’ So I, like, tackled her, and I drenched her in blood,” Scherzinger recalled. “Babe, I got it on the Bottega, the Hermès,” she said.

She continued, adding, “I got it on everything. And she didn’t care. I loved it.

Winfrey would go on to present the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical to Scherzinger when she won the prestigious honor during the 2025 Tony Awards.

“Growing up, I always felt like I didn’t belong, but you all have made me feel like I belong and I have come home at last,” Scherzinger emotionally told the audience while accepting her award at the June ceremony. “So if there is anyone who feels like they don’t belong or your time hasn’t come, don’t give up. Just keep on giving and giving because the world needs your love and light more than ever. This is a testament that love always wins.”

Reflecting on the awards show, where she also performed the acclaimed song “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” Scherzinger agreed with Fallon that it was a “high pressure” moment.

“People don’t know that you’ve done a show right before the Tonys. You have to do a show the day of the Tonys,” she said.

Regarding her performance, Scherzinger recalled, “I stared straight at Ben Stiller, LaTanya Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson. I sang it to them.”

Her performance of “As If We Never Said Goodbye” went viral over the course of the year that the singer was on Broadway, thanks in large part to an extended note that comes during an emotional moment.

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It earned her a six-minute standing ovation when the show opened on Oct. 20.

Scherzinger said that “on average,” she held the note for around 23 seconds. However, she continued saying, “I did, on my closing night, break my record, and I did 29 seconds.”

“In the West End, when we started, the orchestra would make a joke out of it because they have to hold the strings, and they’re just like… They’re kind of making fun of, like, ‘Oh my God. They’re gonna go to the bathroom, come back, she’s still holding the note. Take a shower.’ And so the orchestra started timing me,” she explained.

Although she wrapped the show several days earlier, Scherzinger belted out the moment once more during her late-night appearance.