Robert De Niro stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a relaxed conversation that moves between comedy sequels, restaurant empires and the kind of career stories only De Niro can casually drop into late-night television.
The interview touches on Focker-In-Law, the upcoming fourth film in the Meet the Parents franchise. De Niro returns as Jack Byrnes, the permanently suspicious father-in-law whose lie-detector energy helped turn the original film into one of the most memorable comedies of the early 2000s. This time, the family dynamic shifts to a new generation, with Ben Stiller’s Greg Focker facing his own version of parental panic.
That full-circle idea is part of what makes Focker-In-Law interesting. The franchise has always been about family pressure, awkward introductions and the nightmare of trying to prove you are good enough for someone’s inner circle. Now, with Ariana Grande joining the cast and the next generation stepping into the chaos, the setup gives the series a fresh reason to revisit its most uncomfortable comic territory.
De Niro also talks about Nobu, the restaurant and hospitality brand he co-founded with chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper. The story has become almost as famous as the restaurant itself: De Niro became a fan of Matsuhisa’s Los Angeles restaurant, saw something special in the food and kept encouraging him to open a New York location.
That persistence eventually led to the first Nobu in Tribeca in 1994, and from there the brand grew into a global name in restaurants and hotels. It is a fun reminder that De Niro’s instincts have never been limited to acting. Whether choosing roles, backing film festivals or supporting a chef before the rest of the world caught up, he has often had a sharp eye for cultural momentum.
For fans of De Niro, this interview is a charming mix of movie promotion and personal history. He may be there partly to talk about another Focker family reunion, but the Nobu story adds a different layer: one about taste, trust and recognising talent before it becomes obvious.
Focker-In-Law opens in theaters on November 25, 2026.
Video source: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
