You know those clips that just keep surfacing on your feed no matter how many years pass? The ones where a late-night host completely loses their cool because the guest is just... a lot? That is exactly what happened when Irina Shayk met Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show.
It was July 2014. Shayk was there to promote Hercules, her big-screen debut alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. She walked out in this white, long-sleeved dress that—honestly—had more cutouts than actual fabric. Within seconds, the famously quick-witted Craig Ferguson, a man who usually thrives on chaos, was basically reduced to "uh" and "um."
He actually admitted it. He told the audience he usually can speak, but not that day. It was one of those rare moments where the host becomes the one being interviewed by the sheer gravity of the guest's presence.
The Interview That Broke Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson was always the king of the "flirty" interview style, but usually, he was the one driving the bus. With Irina Shayk, the wheels kinda fell off.
Right out of the gate, they had this back-and-forth about her name. Most people know her as Irina Shayk, but she challenged him to say her full Russian surname: Shaykhlislamova. He tried. He failed. She made him say it again. It set a tone where she was firmly in control of the room's energy.
"I love your blue eyes. I love everything about you," Ferguson blurted out at one point.
His sidekick, Geoff Peterson (the robot skeleton voiced by Josh Robert Thompson), even piped in to say he was falling in love too. It was chaotic. It was peak CBS late-night. But beyond the flirting, the interview actually gave us a tiny glimpse into her life before the global fame.
From Yemanzhelinsk to Paris
Irina actually talked about her origins during the segment, though it was buried under all the banter. She mentioned her sister and how they originally went to a beauty school together. A manager from Russia spotted her there and asked if she wanted to go to Paris.
Her first answer? No.
Eventually, she changed her mind. She moved to Paris, then New York, and by 2007, Sports Illustrated had discovered her. By the time she sat across from Craig, she was already a household name in the fashion world, but the Hercules role was her attempt to pivot into acting.
Why the Irina Shayk and Craig Ferguson Clip Stays Viral
If you look at YouTube or TikTok today, these clips have millions of views. Why? Well, late-night TV has changed a lot. Nowadays, everything feels heavily rehearsed and "safe."
The Irina Shayk and Craig Ferguson dynamic felt dangerous. Not actually dangerous, obviously, but unscripted. Ferguson was genuinely flustered, and Shayk was incredibly playful with that fact. She wasn't just a "pretty face" sitting there waiting for questions; she was actively poking fun at the host's inability to keep a straight face.
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- The Dress: Let's be real, the wardrobe choice is usually the thumbnail for every viral version of this video.
- The Rapport: They had an instant chemistry that didn't feel like a forced PR junket.
- The Humor: Shayk's dry delivery caught Ferguson off guard.
What We Learned About Irina That Night
Most people see a supermodel and assume there's not much "there" there. But in this segment, she showed off a pretty sharp sense of humor. When Craig joked about Dwayne Johnson being a "lovely man" but admitted he wasn't seeing the movie for him, Shayk didn't miss a beat. She leaned into the absurdity of the "Hercules' wife" role (she played Megara), acknowledging it was a small but vital part of the film.
She also admitted she preferred St. Petersburg to Paris. It was a small detail, but it humanized a woman who, at that point, was mostly known for being on the cover of magazines and dating Cristiano Ronaldo.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans of Late-Night History
If you're looking to dive back into the "Golden Age" of The Late Late Show or just want to see more of Irina's early career, here is how to find the best bits:
- Search for the full 2014 episode: Many clips are edited to just show the "flirting," but the full 15-minute segment (which included Regis Philbin earlier in the night) shows the full transition of Craig's mental breakdown.
- Check out the "If You Only Knew" segments: Craig did a few follow-up interviews on other platforms like Larry King where he discussed his favorite guests; he often alluded to these types of high-energy, unpredictable encounters.
- Watch the Hercules press tour: If you want to see how Shayk handled herself without the "Craig factor," her interviews with Dwayne Johnson show a much more professional, structured side of her media personality.
The interview remains a masterclass in how a guest can completely flip the script on a seasoned host. It wasn't just about beauty—it was about who had the bigger personality in the room. That night, it was definitely the girl from Yemanzhelinsk.
To see more iconic moments from this era, look for the "Craig Ferguson Rizz" compilations that have taken over social media; they almost always lead with his encounter with Shayk.