Nfld. & Labrador

'My people,' Jimmy Kimmel says to N.L. family wearing Dildo shirts in NYC

During their visit to New York City, Roxanne Harnum's family had no idea Jimmy Kimmel was going to be on Live with Kelly and Ryan, but knew they had to wear their Dildo Brewing shirts once they realized the American talk-show host would be making an appearance.

The Harnums met the American talk-show host, honorary mayor of Dildo, outside Live with Kelly and Ryan

Trevor and Roxanne Harnum got a quick chance to meet and take a photo with Jimmy Kimmel, the honorary mayor of Dildo, N.L., while the family's in New York City. (Submitted by Roxanne Harnum)

A Newfoundland family made sure to pack the essentials for a vacation in New York City: a provincial flag and their Dildo Brewing shirts, which led to them getting to meet Jimmy Kimmel.

Kimmel is the honorary mayor of Dildo — the culmination of a summer-long obsession with the town that saw his sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, visit for live segments on the American talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Roxanne Harnum, along with her husband and daughter, are vacationing in New York City, and decided to stand in line for a chance to get tickets to morning TV talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan earlier this week.

They didn't know until the day before that one of the people on the show that morning would be Kimmel.

I think this might have been the best selfie my husband has taken.- Roxanne Harnum

While standing outside during the show, Harnum said their Dildo Brewing Co. shirts were getting attention.

"Some of the crew came over and of course they noticed the shirts and said, 'We were some of the crew that was filming out there when Guillermo was out there,'" she said.

They all started chatting about how much they loved visiting and filming in Dildo and the surrounding area, and how beautiful it was, Harnum said.

Guillermo Rodriguez poses in Dildo in August ahead of a live spot on the Jimmy Kimmel show. (Jimmy Kimmel Live/Twitter)

Harnum said the crew wanted to get photos of them in their shirts, in case the family didn't get to meet Kimmel, which at that point didn't seem likely.

Toward the end of the four hours they spent outside, the crew told the Harnums that Kimmel, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest were coming outside for a brief segment.

Harnum's husband Trevor took cellphone video of the talk-show hosts, which itself would have been enough, Harnum said.

"Our little girl was so excited, and toward the end, when they were finished, they were kind of rushing everybody inward toward the studio, and my husband kind of called out and said, 'Hey, Jimmy,' and he said to look at our shirts," Harnum said.

Kimmel's reaction was to shout, "My people."

"We could see the expression on his face. He was smiling from ear to ear," Harnum said.

With the TV production crew trying to rush all of the hosts back into studio, the Harnums had just a second to snap a selfie with the honorary mayor of Dildo.

"I think this might have been the best selfie my husband has taken," Harnum said with a laugh.

"We're very lucky to get to see him, get a picture with him. Our little one was so excited."

The Harnums live and work in Mount Pearl, so they didn't get out to Dildo when the Jimmy Kimmel Live crew was in town, but their friends and family were all there.

Still, the Harnums are some of the small number of people from Dildo who have actually met their honorary mayor in person.

Kimmel has plenty of marketing ideas for Dildo. (Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube)

"It was just completely random," Harnum said.

"We thought we'd go to the show, give our little one just the experience of seeing the taping of a show in New York, and we didn't dream Jimmy would be there until we checked the day before. It was fantastic."

The family is still touring New York City, and said they make a point to wear their Newfoundland and Labrador gear.

Jimmy Kimmel Live's Rodriguez puts up the sister cities sign in Hollywood during one of the many Dildo segments over the summer. (Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube)

It's a great conversation starter, Harnum said, and a chance for them to be almost ambassadors for the province.

"We decided to take some shirts … to kind of represent Newfoundland while we were in New York, take a few pictures, show our family and friends."

The family hopes to get into a showing of the Broadway musical Come From Away, about Gander's role in welcoming people on planes that unexpectedly landed in the Newfoundland and Labrador town because of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Harnum also said the family will be sure to wear the shirts and bring their Newfoundland and Labrador flag with them while in the Big Apple.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

With files from The St. John's Morning Show

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