Overview

• Helen Mirren interrupted Jimmy Fallon’s salsa segment on August 11 to demonstrate a delicate trembling motion that she said prompts tomato fruit to form.
• The Oscar-winning actress revealed she “looked it up” after encountering problems with her own plants and described tomato flowers as “bisexual” to emphasize their complete reproductive structures.
• Studio audience members gasped at the unexpected gardening lesson, leading Fallon to express mock discomfort and Pierce Brosnan to tease the host.
• Entertainment outlets and botanists have confirmed that tomato blossoms contain both stamens and pistils and often self-pollinate when shaken by wind, insects or a gardener’s touch.
• The clip has since gone viral, blending practical plant advice with late-night humor as Mirren promotes her film The Thursday Murder Club.