Prince’s Best Cameos Included Spots on ‘New Girl’ and ‘Muppets Tonight’
Prince had such an ethereal and magical presence that it seemed as though he was made for the stage, glowing in every performance as though he emitted his own light. So, of course, he had to lend a little of his sparkle to the big and small screens, popping up in various TV shows and movies throughout the years. Perhaps his most famous cameo was his 1997 Muppets Tonight appearance, on which he wrote ideas for songs in a cafe (“I can get them anywhere,” he said), sang his kids’ song “Starfish and Coffee” and delivered a pitch-perfect tune about bears.
Most recently, Prince appeared on New Girl, which was by far the best episode of the series. A lot happened in this episode, which you can watch sometime when you’re done re-watching all of the best Prince performances ever, but the best part was when Prince popped up and introduced himself, and Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) lost it. And Nick fainted. Which is probably a pretty accurate representation of what most of us would’ve done if Prince had come along and said hello IRL.
You can always watch Purple Rain or Graffiti Bridge, but definitely don’t forget that Prince starred in Under the Cherry Moon in 1986 (technically not a cameo, but—whatever). If you somehow missed this, all you need to know is that Kristin Scott Thomas, playing a snobby trust-fund baby, is a target of sorts for Prince, who prances around the Rivera trying to get her money, and then falls in love. Divine, in the campiest way possible.
