Freddie Highmore recalls being shoved into a ‘broom closet’ to avoid talkshow host

Freddie Highmore, of The Good Doctor fame, detailed a bizarre experience on the set of a talk show where he was shoved in a broom closet.

During his interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Monday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Highmore praised the host for having the “best backstage” compared to the more “challenging” environments he experienced on other sets.

He then went on to recall an incident that happened on the set of an undisclosed talk show, where he was tossed in the broom closet by the producers in order to avoid running into the host before the show.

“I’m trying to avoid saying the name, but this host doesn’t like seeing guests beforehand,” Highmore shared. “So, I was coming backstage with a couple of the producers and they looked up and they saw the host at the end of the corridor and they were really, really scared.”

He narrated that the “terrified” producers stuck him in the first door that was in the hallway to get him out of sight until the host had passed.

“They grabbed me and they threw me into the next door that was right by the hallway and it was a broom closet. A dark broom closet,” he said. “I was there for about a minute and they were like these sort of secret service agents on their phones like, ‘Are we clear? Are we good? Have they gone? Can we bring him out?’ Terrified.”

At this Kimmel was surprised, to which Highmore responded, “And then just walked out as if nothing happened!”

He then went on to compliment Kimmel that his show was a “much more pleasant way of spending my evening” these days, adding, “Thank you for being a decent human being.”

In an attempt to get Highmore to name-drop the host, Kimmel joked, “Kathie Lee Gifford did that to you?” The actor simply quipped, “Close.”