Oct 1, 2026 · 1h 24m
Jason Sudeikis traces Ted Lasso from Kansas hoops to Apple
You’ve NEVER Seen This Side of Jason Sudeikis
Sudeikis connects an unconventional basketball background and years of comedy apprenticeship to the creative judgment behind his most personal project.
- 1Sudeikis’s Kansas basketball path and Chicago training shaped a career built on repetition, collaboration, and creative risk.
- 2Ted Lasso became personal because Sudeikis carried its development from an unlikely premise through pandemic-era success and Apple’s backing.
- 3The conversation weighs representation, streaming, women’s basketball, and the discipline required to separate substance from entertainment-industry noise.
Don't miss
Sudeikis reveals that he sold Bulls tickets featuring Michael Jordan to pay rent but never saw the game.
The brief
Jason Sudeikis begins with the unlikely route from Fort Scott Community College and Kansas basketball culture to Second City and Saturday Night Live.
He describes Ted Lasso as his most personal project, shaped by pandemic timing, soccer immersion, and a focus on the work he could control.
The conversation treats Chicago comedy and SNL as apprenticeships: live audiences, repetition, collaboration, and mentors such as Lorne Michaels made the craft durable.
Sudeikis recalls selling Bulls tickets featuring Michael Jordan to pay rent, then never seeing the game—a perfect collision of basketball obsession and practical struggle.
The discussion widens to representation, streaming, women’s basketball, and the responsibility to distinguish genuine creative substance from hype and outside noise.