‘Ted Lasso’ Star Jason Sudeikis Explains Sweatshirt Supporting Black English Soccer Players
Jason Sudeikis stopped by The Late Show on Tuesday night and was asked by host Stephen Colbert about the significance of the “Jadon & Marcus & Bukayo” sweatshirt he wore to the recent Ted Lasso Season 2 premiere.
“Well, Jadon, Marcus and Bukayo are three of the English footballers from their national team,” explained Sudeikis, referring to Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, and Bukayo Saka. “Yeah, they’re the last young fellas that took the penalty kicks. They didn’t turn out the way that certainly England would have hoped, certainly a lot of us here in the States would have too and people worldwide.”
Italy defeated England in a penalty shoot-out at the Euro 2020 final on July 11, with Sancho, Rashford, and Saka each missing their penalty kicks. In the wake of England’s defeat, the three men, all of whom are Black, received disgusting racist abuse online.
“They caught a lot of guff online, the three young Black men. And our show is rooted in both, you know, despising things like bullying and racism or whatnot, but it also is rooted and takes place in London in England,” continued Sudeikis. “And so yeah, it was just our way to use this big fancy premiere to spotlight them and let them know we got their back.”
Images of the Saturday Night Live alum wearing the sweatshirt went viral last week, though he made it clear he didn’t want praise or applause for his action. “I don’t mind taking claps for the show, you know,” he said after The Late Show audience applauded his act of solidarity. “But like taking claps for that, that’s nothing like what they’ve gone through and what they do.”
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In regards to the shirt design, Sudeikis stated, “It was just a way to humanize and personify those three fellas … their surnames are on the back of their kits, you know, they’re uniform, so that’s why I use the first names, the names their parents gave them because they’re kids, they’re young men and they should have the opportunity to succeed and fail and tie like everyone.”
Ted Lasso Season 2, premieres Friday, July 23, Apple TV+
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