While in Toronto during production, Ricky Gervais donated a personally owned guitar used in the film to the Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary. Gervais posted two links to the eBay auction for the guitar during the period he was hosting the Golden Globes in attempts to help the sanctuary raise funds for much needed extension work. The guitar was purchased by Danny Young, a well respected musician in the guitar industry, who used the guitar to help the sanctuary with further fund raising. Gervais is well known on social media for animal welfare activism.
The scenes behind the anchorman of "Oh Really? The facts" are in fact real protests in Quito. The protests took place in 2015 against the administration of President Rafael Correa.
When the 24h News anchorwoman is first reporting about the fictitious Ecuatiorian rebel leader, after the scene with the Secretary of State, the news coverage of police officers fighting rebels behind her is actually archive footage of the 2014 Mexico City riots of against president Peña Nieto's administration. The protest erupted after the forced disappearance of 43 students in the small town of Iguala, Guerrero state.
In the Q365 office, there is a wall of employee photos with Finch's (Ricky Gervais) picture being a headshot of David Brent, Gervais's character in The Office (2001).
When Frank (Eric Bana) is in Ian's apartment, he sees Ian's "collectibles". They include a Marvel figurine of the Hulk, who Bana portrayed in Hulk (2003).