Comic Relief, Inc.. - Wikipedia Comic Relief, Inc.. This article is about the current American charity. For the former American charity, see Comic Relief USA. For the UK charity, see Comic Relief. For other uses, see Comic Relief ( disambiguation ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2016 ) Comic Relief USA Genre Telethon Based on Comic Relief Country of origin United States Original language ( s ) English Production Camera setup Multiple Running time Various Release Original network NBC Original release May 21, 2015 -- present Chronology Related shows Comic Relief ( UK ) External links Website Comic Relief USA, previously known as America Gives Back Inc., is an operating 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) American charity. It is an independent sister organization to the UK charity Comic Relief and is not connected to the former American charity Comic Relief USA. Comic Relief USA is notable for the 2015 US launch of Red Nose Day, a telethon hosted by NBC based closely on the UK example of the same name, Red Nose Day. Contents 1 History of Comic Relief and Red Nose Day 1.1 Red Nose Day USA 1.1. 1 Red Nose Day 2017 2 References 3 External links History of Comic Relief and Red Nose Day In 1985, as a response to famine in Ethiopia and other poverty stricken areas of the world, British comedy scriptwriter, Richard Curtis and British comedian, Lenny Henry co-founded and co-created the British charity, Comic Relief. On February 8, 1988, Lenny Henry went to Ethiopia and celebrated the very first Red Nose Day Telethon. Over 150 celebrities and comedians participated. The event raised £ 15 million and attracted 30 million viewers on BBC television. The highlight of Comic Relief is Red Nose Day which raises funds for children in need, poverty alleviation and worldwide charities. Red Nose Day USA Starting in 2015, Red Nose Day is celebrated on the last Thursday of every May in the U.S. Multi-year funding grants have been given to organizations that help end child poverty such as Feeding America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Save the Children and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. In its first four years, the U.S. Red Nose Day raised more than $145 million. Red Nose Day 2017 In 2017, Facebook used its new fundraising platform to help users raise money for Red Nose Day. Anyone who created a Red Nose Day event could add a donate button to any post. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matched up to $1 million of donations raised on Facebook. The NBC Telethon for Red Nose Day included special episodes for American Ninja Warrior, Celebrity Ninja Warrior : Red Nose Day ; Running Wild with Bear Grylls with Julia Roberts ; featuring celebrities and corporate sponsors for their activities, as well as standard telethon show hosted by Chris Hardwick. References Jump up ^ RedNoseDay.org, About Red Nose Day. Retrieved 13 May 2015 Jump up ^ Roberts, Aniston ( 7 May 2015 ). `` Roberts, Aniston, Mann added to ' Red Nose Day ' special ''. The Detroit News. Retrieved 13 May 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Our History ''. Comic Relief. Retrieved 21 May 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Do You Know What Red Nose Day Is ? ''. NPR.org. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Giving : Red Nose Day teams up with Facebook to boost donations ''. Biz Women. The Business Journals. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Red Nose Day ''. rednosedayusa.org. 25 May 2017. 1 - 800 - 500 - 4373. Jump up ^ `` Celebrity Ninja Warrior : Red Nose Day ''. American Ninja Warrior. 25 May 2017. NBC. Jump up ^ `` Red Nose Day with Julia Roberts ''. Running Wild with Bear Grylls. 25 May 2017. NBC. Jump up ^ `` 2017 ''. Red Nose Day. 25 May 2017. NBC. External links Official Comic Relief USA website Official Comic Relief UK website Red Nose Day USA web site NBC.com page for Red Nose Day This article about a philanthropic or charitable organization in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Comic_Relief,_Inc.&oldid=845861607 '' Categories : Charities based in New York ( state ) United States philanthropic organization stubs Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from May 2016 All articles needing additional references All stub articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 14 June 2018, at 17 : 07 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did red nose day start in the usa
Answer: 2015