Jamie-Lynn Sigler Says She Regrets Sharing James Gandolfini Story on Late-Night TV

Jamie-Lynn Sigler says she regrets sharing a behind-the-scenes story about late Sopranos costar James Gandolfini during a past appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

In her new memoir, And So It Is… A Memoir of Acceptance and Hope, Sigler recalls feeling unprepared for the interview when producers pressed her for a funny story from the Sopranos set. She ultimately revealed that Gandolfini would sometimes make animal noises before scenes to help himself get into character as Tony Soprano.

At the time, Sigler said she viewed the behavior as part of his creative process and “didn’t think it was a big deal.” But afterward, she felt she had crossed a line.

“Looking back, however, Sigler wasn't thrilled with herself for revealing that intimate information,” she writes, calling it “a betrayal of Jim’s trust.”

Sigler said she left the show feeling guilty and worried she had made a joke at Gandolfini’s expense. The two never discussed the incident.

Elsewhere in the memoir, Sigler praises Gandolfini, who died in 2013, as a generous and deeply caring presence on set. She also revealed he was the only Sopranos cast member who knew about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis before she made it public years later.

“He pulled me aside one day and he said, ‘Jamie, what is going on?’” Sigler recalled on Justin Long’s podcast Life Is Short in 2024. “I just fell in a puddle in his arms.”

According to Sigler, Gandolfini promised to keep her diagnosis private and later quietly donated to multiple sclerosis charities.