When someone important dies, all you long for is just a little more time with them. Famous Last Words gives audiences around the world the opportunity to hear from a cultural icon after they’ve died. These intimate, in-depth interviews are recorded with the understanding that they would be kept secret and only be aired posthumously. Helmed by Emmy Award winner Brad Falchuk, the series most recently presented an interview with the prominent writer and feminist organizer Gloria Steinem, who died on Sept. 2, 2026. Earlier interviews include beloved Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star Eric Dane, who died on Feb. 19, 2026, and the ethologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, who died on Oct. 1, 2025.
This series of long-form interviews is based on the notable Danish TV show of the same name, Det sidste ord. Each interview is conducted with extreme discretion — conversations that are so private that only the interviewee and interviewer are present. At the end, subjects look directly into the camera to deliver their final words. These sessions are recorded by remotely operated cameras and are then preserved. This ensures an environment that allows for frankness, vulnerability, and freedom of expression.
As Brad Falchuk tells Krista Smith on Skip Intro, “Famous people are ordinary too. The obituary makes them extraordinary. The obituary talks about the monuments they’ve built. This conversation is supposed to be […], ‘Talk to me about the ordinary things.’ Most [famous people] have had to guard that in some ways. They happened to have accomplished a lot or achieved some fame, but they suffered, and they loved, and they celebrated. My job is to make them ordinary.”
Famous Last Words is executive produced by Falchuk and Mikkel Bondesen (through the Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision banner), along with BSNA, a Banijay company, with David Goldberg and showrunner David Friedman.
Watch the video above to hear from Falchuk about how the series is made.
Gloria Steinem, the remarkable writer, lecturer, feminist organizer, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, spent more than half a century at the heart of the global struggle for equality. With good humor and candor, she reflects on her early childhood and family, navigating oppression under the “made-up” patriarchy, her career as a journalist — from going undercover at the Playboy Mansion to the publication of her bestselling books — as well as the importance of community and cherishing one’s own unique personhood. Read Gloria Steinem’s last words here.
On screen, Eric Dane radiated confidence and charisma. Off-screen, he was far more complex, but just as loved — a self-described rascal who was also lonely, detached at times, yet deeply sensitive, empathetic, and resilient. He saw himself as a devoted dad and someone passionately in love with acting, his family, and his friends.
Facing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive disease that weakens muscles and impacts physical control, Dane reflected on his life with striking honesty. “There’s no reason for me to be happy in any individual moment, but I am.” Read Eric Dane’s last words, here.
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE was the pioneering ethologist and conservationist whose work with chimpanzees reshaped how we see other animals and ourselves. Loosened up over a small pour of whiskey “for her voice,” she reflects on her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees, her childhood, regrets she’s never voiced publicly, and who she hopes will welcome her in what she calls “the cloud contingent.” Read Dr. Jane Goodall’s last words, here.
