The study investigated the moderating role of ethical leadership on the relationship between knowledge management and emotional labour in the Nigerian hospitality industry. The theories that underlined the work are the knowledge-based theory and emotional regulation theory. A cross-sectional research design was used, and primary data was obtained for the study, which was purposively drawn from 250 workers across a unit of hospitality firms. The data were analysed with partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLSSEM) V4.1. The findings revealed that knowledge management correlated with emotional labour. However, it was also found that ethical leadership does not significantly moderate the relationship between the constructs. The study recommends that managers need to encourage the acquisition, sharing and application of knowledge to solving workplace problems.