New Girl: Jess & Nick's S3 Love Story Was Orchestrated By Prince (Yes, Prince)

When it comes to the hilarious, day-to-day goings-on of Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel), "New Girl" was littered with plenty of surprising appearances, often resulting in some of the show's greatest episodes. She had a romantic meal cooked for her by Gordon Ramsey and even crossed paths with NYPD's Jake Peralta in a fun but fine ("it's just ... fine") crossover with "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." However, all of them pale in comparison to the time "New Girl" was blessed with the presence of a legendary musician and, apparently, massive fan of the show, Prince.

During the show's third season, in which Jess and Nick (Jake Johnson) gave into their feelings and became an official item, their declaration of love reached an impressive high when the "Purple Rain" man himself got involved as a relationship counselor. Understandably, for those involved who weren't responsible for some of the greatest songs ever released, it was a pretty strange experience that Johnson himself attested to while appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show. According to Johnson, his first encounter with Prince came when he was talking to his co-star. "I saw him look at me, and he said to Zooey, 'I would like to meet Nick now.' And Zooey looked at me and — obviously, whatever Prince wants. So I was like, [nods head] 'Yeah.'"

It turns out, however, that Prince's love for the show stretched beyond just wanting a cameo. The musician also wanted to play a key role in keeping the two lovebirds together.

Having nothing but praise for the late rock star, Johnson revealed that Prince was far more invested in the world of "New Girl" than any of the cast had anticipated. He explained to Clarkson that Prince "wanted to live in the reality of the show, and he wanted Nick and Jess to be together." This became a significant stipulation in his involvement, with Johnson adding, "So, he said he'll do the show if he could help them get together, and he got to live the whole fantasy." As Johnson described it, it was key to getting him on board. "He wanted them together, and we wanted Prince! Prince is the best."

Even with that minor but massively impactful input to the show, this was, after all, Prince we're still talking about. It's no surprise, then, that Johnson acknowledged that this guest wasn't just musical royalty but a legend that Johnson was still in awe of years later. "Honestly, I'm such a fan that he could have called me anything, and I would have responded," Johnson admitted. "He could have called me, 'Shut up and get me my coffee,' and I would have been like, 'You got it!'"