Jason Sudeikis Says Ted Lasso Was Originally ‘Belligerent,’ but Donald Trump’s Behavior Prompted Changes

Jason Sudeikis affable football coach in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso would have had a very different demeanor if it wasnt for Donald Trump.

While speaking with The Guardian, Sudeikis dished on the early origins of Ted Lasso. He revealed that the character was initially conceptualized to be much more belligerent, but that observing the behavior of Trump forced a change.

It was the culture we were living in, Sudeikis said. Im not terribly active online and it even affected me. Then you have Donald Trump coming down the escalator. I was like, OK, this is silly, and then what he unlocked in people.

He continues by explaining that he didnt want to portray Lasso in the way that he was originally conceived: I hated how people werent listening to one another. Things became very binary and I dont think thats the way the world works. And, as a new parent we had our son Otis in 2014 it was like, Boy, I dont want to add to this.

Ahead of the premiere of the third season of Ted Lasso, Sudeikis and his fellow castmates visited the White House to discuss the importance of mental health to promote overall wellbeing.

Id been in a fake Oval Office a number of times, Sudeikis said of his visit to the White House. Theres a little bit of me thats nonplussed by it and just holding my shit together. And Id met the president when he was vice president and hes a very warm guy. Its like meeting your good friends father or your young friends grandfather. He just makes you feel at home and that home just happened to be the White House for that afternoon.

Season 3 of Ted Lasso debuted on Apple TV+ on March 15, with no official announcement of a fourth season being revealed yet.