Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell perform a late night guest spot switch, 'filling in' for one another

Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds swap late night guest spots.
Who wore it better, Ryan Reynolds as Will Ferrell, or Will Ferrell as Ryan Reynolds? The Hollywood friend duo pulled a fun switcheroo on their late night guest spots, reminding us once again that they are national treasures.
The plan was: Reynolds would appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to promote his new Netflix movie "Red Notice." Ferrell would be plugging his new Apple TV+ series "The Shrink Next Door" on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon. You know, standard protocol.
Reynolds and Ferrell had something different in mind. They each told their respective hosts that, unfortunately, Ryan-slash-Will couldn't make it, but that they would each "fill in" for each other and of course promote each other's projects.
As Jimmy Fallon introduced Will Ferrell, Reynolds waltzed out as "Don't Fear the Reaper" played (cause, you know, more cowbell). He "just happened" to be walking his dog near the studio.
After calling Ferrell a "late night talk show slut" and assuring us all that his sex life with Blake Lively is "totally normal," Reynolds adamantly warned Fallon that he would not be talking about "Red Notice." He even threatened Fallon with a backhand if the title were mentioned.
He instead pushed to play a clip from "The Shrink Next Door." After calling it "something like an Ant Man sequel … it's Ant Man adjacent." I mean, the series does star Paul Rudd as well. So maybe Reynolds is spot on.
Meanwhile, Ferrell strolled up to Jimmy Kimmel sporting Star Wars pajama bottoms, mentioning that he too lives close to the studio. Inside Hollywood's Magic Castle, in fact. And then he proceeded to fail hilariously at a magic trick.
Ferrell chatted with Jimmy Kimmel about everything from Halloween costumes for his (Reynolds') three daughters to Canadian politics. Oh and let's not forget about the lovely bit where Kimmel showed a picture of Reynolds' ripped physique, and Ferrell lifted his own shirt to compare.
Audiences also got to find out that Blake Lively is a "great cook," capable of making oatmeal and "killer nachos."
While talking about "Red Notice," Ferrell noted that everyone was wearing suits, so you at least knew the movie was going to be "classy." Though Ferrell said he hadn't yet seen the movie, he still gave it a plug joking that "I think it's gonna be good. I mean, we hope, right?"
Ferrell went on to say, "God, I could eat that Ryan Reynolds up with a spoon." Find yourself a friend who has that kind of passion for you.
Because Reynolds is a master at authentic and savvy marketing, I'm guessing that this idea was at least partially his. His genius has been behind other clever marketing moves for "Deadpool," Mint Mobile and Match.com.
And it's not like this is the first time a Ferrell-Reynolds comedy combo struck viral gold. Remember earlier this year when they had their own rendition of Grace Kelly on TikTok? If you somehow missed out on this delight, watch below.
Though (sadly) there is no future project slated that has both Reynolds and Ferrell starring, you can watch their Christmas movie musical "Spirited," which they made over the summer. Yes, you read that right. Ryan Reynolds. Will Ferrell. Singing. Together. The world is once again a beautiful place.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."