If there’s one thing we didn’t expect, it’s to learn that Donald Trump inspired Ted Lasso’s character. When it comes to feel-good television, Ted Lasso is in a league of its own. The show restores faith in people and uses athletics as a positive force. Despite his weaknesses, Lasso is still the show’s most beloved character because of his genuine warmth, enthusiasm, and loyalty.
The shock was, therefore, inevitable when Jason Sudeikis revealed that the rise of Donald Trump to political prominence inspired his award-winning creation of Ted Lasso. But before anyone freaks out, Sudeikis provides in-depth insight into how the former president of The United States shaped one of television’s most endearing personalities into what he is now.
The actor told The Guardian that the political climate of 2015 influenced his decision to humanize Lasso, who was initially more “belligerent.” Sudeikis told the newspaper:
“I’m 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… I hated how people weren’t listening to one another. Things became very binary and I don’t think that’s the way the world works.”
And so Ted Lasso was born: the American coach with no experience who, despite his shortcomings, is easy to root for. While everyone else can think less of him, his secret weapon is that he can “believe,” and he never gives in to his self-doubt.
Seven Emmys and twenty nominations later, fans and critics alike have enjoyed the Apple+ series now in its third season and loved Jason Sudeikis’ comedic performance as Ted Lasso, for which he won two Golden Globes.