Noah Wyle got a ‘hall pass’ for skipping the Jennifer Hudson spirit tunnel. Here’s why
Noah Wyle will get into character to portray a doctor on “The Pitt,” but he won’t pretend to be a dancer.
The actor made an appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” and opted out of the famous spirit tunnel — but he had a good reason.
The talk show is known for its guests dancing down one of the backstage corridors while two lines of people cheer them on with chants before they make their way to the stage. Aaron Pierre, who voiced Mufasa in 2024’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” even went viral for his “That’s Mufasa” spirit tunnel moment.
Wyle, however, didn’t feel comfortable getting his groove on backstage.
“Well, it would’ve triggered a bigger breakdown that I had on this show two weeks ago if I had done it,” Wyle said, after host Jennifer Hudson asked him to elaborate. “I’ll tell you a little story.”
The actor shared that in 1984, he was at a classmate’s bar mitzvah and he “fancied myself a break dancer.”
“I went out and I heard Herbie Hancock’s ‘Rockit’ playing in front of all my classmates,” he continued. “And I attempted the worm and I got into some kind of inverted position and it all collapsed on me.”
Wyle said that he then tried to “stick” the landing — “and I didn’t stick it.”
Ever since that moment, he said, he’s “opted out of the public dance.”
Wyle added that he’s watched the show and guests going down the spirit tunnel before. However, he joked that he would have walked down the hallway saying, “No, no, no,” and cringing.
“And nobody needs to see that,” he said, adding that perhaps next time he makes an appearance, he could “baby step it.”
“Only if you’re comfortable,” said Hudson. “We’re just happy to have you here.”
The talk show’s Instagram shared video of their conversation and captioned it, “We’re giving Noah Wyle a hall pass for skipping our Spirit Tunnel.”
Many people in the comments section praised Hudson for being understanding and not pushing the actor to do something that made him uncomfortable.
“Love that she respected his boundaries,” one person wrote, while another added, “I love that she was so compassionate. Everyone doesn’t like this type of hyper focused attention. Even actors. It’s a lot of pressure for those who know it’s not their thing. As the very old saying goes, everything isn’t for everybody. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.”
Another person wrote that they loved that people “can choose not to do the spirit tunnel. It wouldn’t be a spirt tunnel if it was forced upon people. I love the respect for ppls triggers and comfort zones.”
“This gentleman is such a sweetheart, and Jennifer is an angel for protecting boundaries,” one person commented.
One person called it a “roller coaster” of emotions, writing, “At first I was annoyed he turned it down. Then…I felt saddened by his experience. Last…I was happy his wishes was Respected by JHud.”
