Awkward moment Richard Wilkins is mistaken for Hollywood star while reporting in London – and you won’t believe his response

By JIMMY BRIGGS FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 01:32 BST, 31 May 2025 | Updated: 01:37 BST, 31 May 2025

Richard Wilkins was left frustrated this week after fans interrupted a live field report he was conducting and mistook him for his famous Hollywood lookalike.

The veteran Today show reporter, 70, was covering the Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning premiere in London, when some locals enthusiastically greeted him – but confused with a Baywatch star.

‘Hey, it’s David Hasselhoff!’ the fans yelped.

An annoyed Wilkins did not mince words when reprimanding them for interrupting his report.

‘Hey, will you give us a break for five minutes, please?’ Wilkins asked.

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Richard Wilkins was left frustrated this week after fans interrupted a live field report he was conducting and mistook him for his famous Hollywood lookalike 

The fans later shared the clip to social media and captioned it with: ‘Best feeling in the world meeting your idol.’

The clip caught the attention of Wilkins himself, who responded with a cheeky comment. 

‘Don’t hassle the Hoff,’ Wilkins commented.

‘Midnight live crosses can be challenging!’ 

Wilkins and David Hasselhoff, 72, share a striking resemblance, with both sporting tall frames, broad shoulders, and trademark coiffed brunette hair.

They both share a charismatic on-screen presence and showbiz longevity into their 70s. 

It comes after Wilkins shared a very surprising photo with notorious fan of heights Tom Cruise.

The Channel Nine entertainment reporter shared an image of himself posing alongside the Hollywood superstar in London as they discussed his latest film Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning.  

The veteran Today show reporter was covering the Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning premiere in London, when some locals enthusiastically greeted him – but confused with Baywatch star David Hasselhoff

The clip caught the attention of Wilkins himself, who responded with a cheeky comment

What caught the eye of many is the size disparity between the two men, with Wilkins appearing to tower over the 62-year-old Cruise.

The perspective of the photo, with Wilkins more in the foreground, does exaggerate the height difference between the two, although the Today star is quite a bit taller.

Richard cuts an imposing figure at 1.88m (or 6’1″) while Tom stands at a reported 1.7m (5’6″).

‘Tom looks like he’s come out of a Kinder Surprise egg,’ one follower joked.

Alluding to the strange perspective of the image, another offered: ‘That photo doesn’t look right – I know Tom Cruise is short but the photo looks distorted somehow?’

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Awkward moment Richard Wilkins is mistaken for Hollywood star while reporting in London – and you won’t believe his response

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