Long before he became a household name on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and the Emmy-winning star of Ted Lasso, Jason Sudeikis almost passed on auditioning for the iconic sketch comedy show altogether.
Speaking with WNBA superstar and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart on The Hollywood Reporter’s Game Recognize Game series, the 51-year-old actor opened up about his early skepticism toward SNL during his initial improv days.
Sudeikis recalled how Jeff Richmond, a director at Chicago’s Second City and husband of Tina Fey, first asked him if he had ever considered auditioning for SNL. At the time, Sudeikis was hesitant. “No way, Jose. I don’t like that show. I ain’t that,” Sudeikis remembered replying.
“It was mostly me being a 22-year-old dickhead that was like, ‘I don’t want something that would never want me,’” Sudeikis explained in the video interview. “But I auditioned for it in, like, 2003, and got hired as a writer.”
Comparing the comedy scout system to the professional sports scouting process, Sudeikis noted how he moved from premier improv theaters into television.
“It’s not too dissimilar from the journey of a blue-chip athlete on the way in,” Sudeikis told Stewart. “There are different places that they come and scout. There’s The Groundlings in Los Angeles, that’s where Will Ferrell started or Kristen Wiig. UCB here in New York, where Amy Poehler came from, and a bunch of people behind the scenes.”
Before landing his writing gig at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Sudeikis performed on Second City’s touring company after Richmond spotted him performing in Las Vegas.
Sudeikis’ journey from SNL to Ted Lasso took years to unfold
Sudeikis transitioned from writer to featured player in 2005, ultimately spending nearly a decade as one of SNL’s central cast members before departing in 2013.
That same year, Sudeikis debuted the character of Ted Lasso in a series of promotional commercials for NBC Sports’ coverage of Premier League soccer. The popularity of the ads eventually led Sudeikis to partner with veteran sitcom creator Bill Lawrence in 2017 to realize the character into a full narrative series.
Ted Lasso premiered on Apple TV+ in August 2020 and became an instant hit, sweeping the Emmy Awards across its first two seasons. After wrapping its third season in 2023, the series was officially revived for Season 4 in August 2026, with Sudeikis returning to executive produce and play the character.
