In a delightful turn of events, George Clooney and Noah Wyle, stars of the iconic series ER, found themselves reunited at the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, a ceremony that took place on Saturday, January 10, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. The occasion was made even more special as Wyle, now 54, took the stage to present his old friend Clooney, 64, with the Best Actor (Movies) Award for his performance in Jay Kelly.

Amid the applause and excitement, the two former co-stars shared a warm embrace, a moment captured and shared by The Hollywood Reporter. Clooney, known for his charm and wit, didn’t miss the chance to inject a bit of humor into the proceedings. As he approached the microphone to accept his award, he quipped about the age demographics of the award’s recipients, poking fun at the AARP’s criteria.

“Well, thank you! Thank you to the AARP,” Clooney began with a smile. “I have to say, Movies for Grownups just means, you know, old people.”

Reflecting on his storied career, Clooney shared a candid memory from his early days in Hollywood during an interview with W Magazine, revealing a tense incident that could have derailed his path. “About 10 years in, I got in an argument with an executive producer. I was the third or fourth banana on a TV show, and I had to leave,” he recounted, shedding light on the challenges he faced before becoming the celebrated actor he is today.

George Clooney is recalling a tense on-set showdown that nearly lit his early career up in flames. “About 10 years in, I got in an argument with an executive producer. I was the third or fourth banana on a TV show, and I had to leave,” Clooney, 64, shared in an interview with W Magazine […]

He then quipped. “I realized now that the only way I was going to win anything is that Timothée Chalamet is too god-damned young! Put that in your pipe, Mr. Timothée!”

With Chalamet, 30, definitely out of the running for AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Clooney triumphed in the Best Actor (Movies) race over Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon) and Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine).

It was a big night for both former ER cast members as Wyle won the Best Actor (TV) Award earlier in the show for his gripping portrayal of Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch on The Pitt. Wyle was nominated against Walton Goggins of The White Lotus, Stephen Graham (Adolescence), Slow Horses star Gary Oldman and The Last of Us’ Pedro Pascal.

Clooney was chosen to present Wyle with the award. From the podium, he joked that AARP should create a “sexiest man alive” list for people over 50.

“I would nominate Noah Wyle as the first guy,” Clooney declared.

Wyle recently hinted at an awards season reunion with Clooney while he was chatting with Access Hollywood on Wednesday, January 7, at the Los Angeles premiere of The Pitt season 2. (The second season of the medical drama launched on Thursday, January 8, on HBO Max.)

“We’re actually going to be reunited the night before [the Golden Globes] as we give each other AARP Awards,” Wyle said with a laugh. “I think [that] speaks more of the test of time.”

Wyle was asked how it felt to have forged such a close friendship with Clooney in the years since they worked together on ER. (Clooney played Dr. Doug Ross on ER from 1994 to 1999 while Wyle portrayed Dr. John Carter from 1994 until 2005.)

“I think [Clooney] is a lot of where I learned my perpetual gratitude,” the Pitt star explained. “He’s never, ever forgotten where he comes from and he’s never taken anything he has for granted.”

Wyle went on, “Anytime you’re around [Clooney], you can still see the enthusiasm for the work, for the storytelling, hasn’t diminished over the years. When I think of the two of us still doing what we love to do 30 years later, it’s like, they ain’t caught us yet!”

Clooney heaped his own praise on Wyle last summer when he told Late Night With Seth Meyers that Wyle’s current medical drama, The Pitt, is “so good.”

Julianna Margulies had to congratulate her former ER costar George Clooney on his latest career milestone. Clooney, 63, is set to make his Broadway debut in the play Good Night, and Good Luck when the play hits the Great White Way in spring 2025. Ahead of the play’s premiere, Margulies, 58, told People that she […]

“I have to say, we’ve been really dear friends since [ER] — since we did the pilot of the show,” Clooney added. “He is just the most honorable, talented young man, [which] I get to say because I’m an old man. I cannot be happier for his success on the show. The show is just a beautiful show, and he does just a great job with it.”

Looking back on their ER years, Clooney remembered that he often struggled to remember the medical jargon in his dialogue, whereas Wyle “never had trouble.”

“He always could do it, and I hated him for that,” Clooney teased.

The Pitt shares connective tissue with ER beyond Wyle’s involvement. The five-time Emmy Award-winning series was created by R. Scott Gemmill, a former supervising producer and writer on ER.

The Pitt season 2 is streaming now on HBO Max.