Cornforth was the focus of a skit on an episode of Comedy Inc., whereby a fictional Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? contestant (played by Genevieve Morris) is asked "Which Australian scientist won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1975?" for the million-dollar question. As it happens, the contest gleefully claims they are second cousins with Conforth (despite being nearly 50 years his junior) and knows Cornforth is the answer, confidently rattling off a bunch of highly specific and esoteric facts about Cornforths life and achievements, all the while the host (a satirical portrayal of Eddie McGuire) stubbornly and continuously stalls her for dramatic effect, asking her for several minutes if shed like to think about it more to an absurd degree.
On September 7, 2017, Google celebrated his 100th birthday with a Google Doodle.