WATCH: Jason Sudeikis’s Emmy Speech for Ted Lasso and His Lorne Michaels ‘Taking a Dump’ Zinger
Jason Sudeikis won the Emmy award for Best Actor Sunday night for his starring role as Ted Lasso in the breakaway hit for Apple TV.
His acceptance speech reminded viewers that the former SNL actor’s homespun wit and midwestern charm are not far off from the character he plays, dedicating the award to his family, mentors, teachers, and teammates.
Ted Lasso tells the story of a Kansas City-bred American football coach who finds himself managing a newly regulated AFC Richmond soccer club, though it is far from a fish out of water story. It is a surprising, smart, and, yes, sweet show that somehow sends an optimistic message without being cloying or predictable. Watch it.
“This show is about family, this show is about family, about mentors and teachers, this show is about teammates,” he opened, dressed neatly in a Tom Ford tuxedo. “And I wouldn’t be here without those three, you know, things in my life.” He then name-checked the family members, mentors, and teammates in his life that helped him get to the Emmy stage to accept this award.
One such mentor he named was Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels, and as Sudeikis turned to his table as he thanked him, he noted Michael was suddenly absent from his chair.
“I want to thank folks at SNL, I want to thank Lorne who went to go take a dump now, perfect,” he joked. “He is going to get home; he’s going to watch it. He loves watching the Emmys at home,” Sudeikis continued, joking about Michaels’ notable irascibility. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Which home is the big question?”
Sudeikis’s speech was delightfully earnest and entertaining, not unlike the character in his Emmy-winning show show. All of which is stunning, given his high school education at an inferior Shawnee Mission West High School, and not the far superior rival Shawnee Mission South, but all in all? An excellent day for Overland Park, Kansas.
Watch above via CBS.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
