The Best Cameos by Famous NBC Personalities in ‘30 Rock’

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The Best Cameos by Famous NBC Personalities in ‘30 Rock’

If 30 Rock taught us anything, its to trust in the enduring power of synergy, not just because of Jack Donaghys admiration for Liz Lemons half-assed Miami = Synergy presentation —

— but also because the series frequently boasted cameo appearances from famous personalities known for other NBC programs, ultimately benefiting NBC and, by extension, the Sheinhardt Wig Company. But since were suckers for corporate self-promotion when its in the service of comedy, here are some of our favorites…

Al Roker

Roker popped by 30 Rock as the host of Jacks TV brainchild: a three-hour Salute to Fireworks. Of course, it soon became apparent that staging massive explosions at a Manhattan skyscraper in the early 2000s on a day that's not the Fourth of July would scare a lot of people, so Roker casually backed away from the stage like Homer Simpson disappearing into some bushes.

Conan O’Brien

Shortly before leaving NBC for some reason we can’t quite recall, O’Brien cameoed in the 30 Rock episode Tracy Does Conan, which memorably featured a flashback to the time when stabbing robot Tracy Jordan nearly shivved the talk show host to death. There was also a brief scene that hinted at Conan and Liz’s romantic past, which was later fleshed out in another, unconvincingly green-screened cameo.

Brian Williams

Former NBC news anchor Williams appeared in a few episodes of 30 Rock, but perhaps the best and most memorable cameo was when he auditioned for TGS with an awkward routine about refrigerators and his original, potentially offensive New Jerseyan character.

Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford

The hosts of The Today Show were briefly forced to contend with Liz’s ex-boyfriend Floyd (Jason Sudeikis), who drunkenly ruins the show with his fiancée in tow — and ultimately vomits all over the set. Still, he somehow wasn’t the worst dude hanging around The Today Show offices circa 2010.

NBC

Jimmy Fallon

After two celebrities kick the bucket, Tracy worries that he might be next due to the so-called Rule of Three. So in order to make sure that doesn’t happen, he tries to scare Betty White to death over the phone (which is, admittedly, less funny now) and attempts to bludgeon then-Late Night host Fallon to death with a hammer — which, to be fair, is how we all eventually felt during that "Bored Ape" segment with Paris Hilton.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time you’re reading this). 

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