Here's Your Chance to See Ted Lasso's Coach Beard Without... Well, Beard
'You should go and love yourself,' sang Sudeikis as Brendan Hunt was being trimmed.
Summary
- On November 11, a benefit concert was held in Kansas City, featuring actors from Ted Lasso.
- Brendan Hunt, who played Coach Beard, appeared as part of the event.
- Hunt shaved off his beard while Jason Sudeikis sang a Justin Bieber song. The result shocked fans!
It's only been six months since Apple TV+ wrapped its iconic sports drama Ted Lasso, the story of a humble and optimistic American college football coach who leads the AFC Richmond soccer team to the top of the English Premier League. The show was funny, uplifting, and, despite a number of flaws, incredibly profound, touching on themes of psychological trauma, unhealthy attachments, relentless hope, and finding family and true friends.
Such was the hype surrounding the series that fans are still speculating whether a sequel, or at least a spin-off, is possible, despite co-creator and co-star Jason Sudeikis' repeated statements that he wanted to tell the story in three seasons.
And while there have been no new announcements regarding the show, that doesn't stop fans from rejoicing every time the cast reunites in public. Just a few days ago, the stars of Ted Lasso performed a charity concert in Kansas City, where Sudeikis has become something of a native to the community. Not only was it a great opportunity to see our favorite actors, but also to see Coach Beard lose his... beard!
Ted Lasso Cast Reunites for Charity Benefit Show
The seventh annual Jason Sudeikis musical event Thundergong! took place on Saturday, November 11th at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Missouri. The event is a fundraiser for the Steps of Faith Foundation, which provides uninsured and underinsured amputees with financial and emotional support, prosthetics, and community reintegration.
During the concert, something happened that stunned the Ted Lasso fans in attendance: Sudeikis and his Saturday Night Live co-star Will Forte were about to sing Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga 's song from A Star is Born, 'Shallow.' Except when Gaga's lyrics began, Forte was playfully pushed away by Hannah Waddingham, who started singing instead!
But that wasn't the only surprise in store for fans.
Brendan Hunt Puts His Beard Up for Auction!
After that, none other than Brendan Hunt took the stage. Hunt is best known as the co-creator of Ted Lasso and for his much-loved portrayal of Coach Beard, a football coach and Ted's laconic close friend from Illinois. Within the first few seconds, Hunt began jokingly lamenting the fact that everyone sees him not as himself, but as Coach Beard because of his trademark beard.
'My own son [have] never seen me without a beard before,' he complained in jest.
After encouraging his friend to 'love himself' by shaving off his beard, Sudeikis sat down to sing Justin Bieber's song Love Yourself. At that moment, during the actor's empowering musical performance, Waddingham reappeared on stage holding a trimmer and a bowl to shave off Hunt's beard.
Hunt sat with a dead expression on his face the whole time, occasionally glancing at his beardless self in the mirror. He didn't seem to expect such a drastic change as he was used to facial hair. Let's admit it, we weren't ready for such a transformation either. But regardless of whether we like Hunt's new look, the main thing is that he loves himself!
It's worth noting that Brendan Hunt has never worn a beard before, and only grew one for NBC Sports' coverage of the 2013 English Premier League, where he played a homeless man. Since then, he has never parted with the crowning element of his appearance. As part of Thundergong, Sudeikis auctioned off Hunt's beard to the audience, starting the bidding at $1,000. No word on how much it sold for, but the crowd clearly went crazy hoping to buy what made Coach Beard a real Coach Beard.
As a result, an impressive $800,000 was raised for Steps of Faith during the concert!
Source: Steps Of Faith Foundation.