On July 20, 2006, Jay Leno welcomed Colin Farrell onto The Tonight Show for what both of them were likely expecting to be a pretty straightforward interview. However, at some point during the taping, a woman—later identified as Dessarae Bradford—walked on stage and accosted Farrell while reportedly throwing books into his lap. One of those books was entitled Colin Farrell: A Dark, Twisted Puppy, and had been self-published by Bradford.
In response, Farrell was said to have calmly escorted Bradford off the set, after which she allegedly shouted, “I’ll see you in court.” According to those in attendance, Farrell simply replied, “You’re insane.” The actor then returned to his seat and joked that he’d just met his “first stalker.”
The incident was initially believed to have been a gag, but the footage didn’t end up making it to air.
The Wild Colin Farrell ‘Tonight Show’ Incident That Ended With a Three-Year Restraining Order
Though Farrell claimed to have never met Bradford prior to that, she’d evidently filed “numerous harassing lawsuits” against him (all unsuccessful) and left “threatening voicemails” with his lawyer. “I am concerned for the safety of my family, given Ms. Bradford’s ongoing course of conduct escalating unwanted personal contact,” Farrell wrote in a petition filed the next day. The following month, Farrell was granted a three-year restraining order.
While appearing in court that September, Bradford swore she wasn’t a stalker in an attempt to get the order lifted—as one does. The judge ultimately decided to uphold it, despite her insistence that she’d only approached Farrell on the show to try and serve him legal papers. Farrell, on the other hand, wasn’t present that day and his lawyer, Jeffery McFarland, declined to comment, telling the press, “When she speaks, it speaks for itself.”
Ironically, a review of Colin Farrell: A Dark, Twisted Puppy from 2005 suggests that people get their copy “before the restraining order kicks in.” Bradford’s previous book, by the way? I F—ked Alec Baldwin in the Ass. Seriously.
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