Jeff Bridges Just Brought Back The Dude to Tell America to “Calm the F-ck Down”

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Jeff Bridges recently surprised fans by appearing as his famous character, The Dude, on Jimmy Kimmel Live! While Bridges has had a long and successful career – starring in films like The Last Picture Show, Tron, True Grit, and Iron Man – he’s still best known for his role as The Dude in the 1998 movie The Big Lebowski. Though it didn’t do well in theaters at first, The Big Lebowski quickly became a beloved cult classic and is often considered the most memorable film for everyone involved.

Jeff Bridges recently appeared on *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* to talk about his new movie, *Tron: Ares*. Kimmel started a conversation about current events and jokingly asked what Bridges’ famous character, The Dude from *The Big Lebowski*, would say. Kimmel then playfully produced a cardigan and sunglasses – The Dude’s iconic look, but without the bathrobe. Bridges happily played along, accepting a White Russian to fully embody the character before speaking to the audience as The Dude.

Hello everyone, it’s The Dude. Look, can’t we all just relax? I’m talking about all the conflict – the wars, the arguments, the constant outrage. Let’s just take it easy and calm down. Things are way too heated right now – we need to dial it back to zero, or maybe just a little over. Let’s focus on ice in our drinks, not on the streets. This constant hostility isn’t acceptable. Let’s just live and let live, get along, and abide together. I truly believe we can do this. That’s just my take on it, but I think it’s a pretty good one, don’t you, Jimmy?

‘The Big Lebowski’ Legacy

Released in theaters on March 6, 1998, *The Big Lebowski* wasn’t initially well-received, especially compared to the Coen Brothers’ previous success, *Fargo*. However, despite failing at the box office, the film gained a huge following on home video. It became a cult classic and eventually entered mainstream pop culture – so much so that Jeff Bridges can casually mention his character on TV and most people will understand the reference. Over the years, *The Big Lebowski* has inspired an annual festival, Lebowski Fest, and even a religion called Dudeism, which centers around the laid-back philosophy and lifestyle of The Dude.

Although *The Big Lebowski* hasn’t had a traditional sequel, the story has continued in a couple of smaller ways. Jeff Bridges brought back his character, The Dude, for a Stella Artois Super Bowl commercial in 2019. John Turturro also returned as Jesus Quintana in a spin-off movie called *The Jesus Rolls*, which he directed himself. However, the Coen brothers weren’t part of that film, and none of the other actors from *The Big Lebowski* appeared in it.

Jeff Bridges, playing his iconic character The Dude, recently appeared on *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* at a fitting time. The appearance came after a difficult period for Kimmel, who was briefly taken off the air following a disagreement over a comment he made about Charlie Kirk. Disney, the network airing the show, faced significant backlash and protests – and reportedly lost millions of Disney+ subscribers – for seemingly complying with pressure from the White House regarding the situation. Kimmel has since returned to ABC and is doing well.

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2025-10-10 03:11