Jason Segel has never been afraid to be the butt of the joke, but even he didn’t anticipate how one of his boldest on-screen choices would land at home. The actor recently revisited the now-legendary moment from one of the best comedies of the 2000s, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, when he appeared in full-frontal nudity. What he expected to be a harmless prank on his parents turned into something far more awkward.
While talking with Hot Ones host Sean Evans, Segel explained that he thought surprising his parents at the film’s premiere with his nudity would be hilarious. Instead, his mom’s reaction caught him entirely off guard, and her response ended up being just as memorable as the scene itself. He revealed:
I thought it would be a really, really great — like one of the great practical jokes — not to tell my parents that I did full-frontal nudity in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and then take them to the premiere. This was like a really thrilling idea for me.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall centers on Peter Bretter (Segel), a TV music composer who tries to heal a brutal breakup by escaping to Hawaii, only to find his ex, TV star Sarah Marshall (played by Kristen Bell in one of her best roles), vacationing at the same resort with her flashy new rock star boyfriend. Equal parts painfully awkward and surprisingly heartfelt, the film balances big laughs with genuine post-breakup clarity about moving on and growing up.
Segel’s prank on his parents feels like a setup to a joke that sounds better in your head than it plays out in real life. He described sitting in his usual spot, wedged between his parents, as the movie rolled on. When the infamous scene approached, the star of The Muppets (streaming with a Disney+ subscription) knew exactly what was coming and braced himself for laughter. What he got instead was something quite different:
And so we go to the premiere, I have my dad on one side and my mom on the other, because I always sit in between them. It's like five minutes into the movie when my dick comes out and I'm like, 'Here it comes.’ I turn to my mom expecting her to be laughing hysterically and her face is beet red, and there's a tear coming down her face. And I said, 'Are you okay?' And she said, 'Why didn't you tell me?' And I said, 'I thought it would be a funny joke.' And she said, 'It's not a funny joke.' And then she got up and left the theater, and then she came back in and she'd, like, put herself together.
The moment didn’t end at the theater. Later that night, the How I Met Your Mother veteran star said his mom, determined to head off any family gossip, sent out a carefully worded email. He continued:
Then, that night, she sent out an email to the entire family that read, 'I would like to inform you that Jason has chosen to do full-frontal nudity in his newest film. However, I'd like to assure you that it is not gratuitous and [is] essential to the plot.
Jason Segel Has Revealed A Forgetting Sarah Marshall 'Secret,' And I Need To See It Now
A walkout during a movie is awkward under any circumstances. When it’s your own mother standing up and leaving the theater, that sting might linger a bit longer. Still, parental disapproval aside, Forgetting Sarah Marshall has endured as one of Segel’s most iconic projects.
With some distance from the moment, the Freaks and Geeks breakout can laugh about it now, even if it was deeply uncomfortable at the time. Segel has also been clear over the years that the nudity was never meant to be a cheap gag. In his view, the scene worked because it was vulnerable, awkward, and honest, even if it horrified his mom in the process. The moment has since become inseparable from the film’s legacy, and as his mother so brilliantly pointed out, “essential to the plot.”
Jason Segel’s latest project is Shrinking, which is heading into its third season. The Emmy-nominated comedy returns Wednesday, January 28, 2026, and will stream for everyone with an Apple TV+ subscription.
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