Jason Sudeikis' Sneaky Nod to Olivia Wilde You Missed on Ted Lasso
Fans are left to decide whether this was out of pure gratitude, or a dirty trolling move, themselves.
Jason Sudeikis has always been very open about the origins of Ted Lasso and the empowerment he felt from his then-partner Olivia Wilde.
Back in 2015, when the iconic show that many viewers now adore was just a concept and Sudeikis was just having fun writing it down, his ex-wife was the one who pushed him to move forward with the idea.
"So, one day in 2015, my partner came up to me one day and said, 'You know, you should do Ted Lasso as a show,' and I said, 'I don't know,' but then after marinating on it, I thought maybe this could happen," The actor told on his interview for Sports Illustrated.
He shared a similar sentiment in his acceptance speech for the 2021 Critics' Choice Awards.
Although both Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde have suffered a lot of bad press these days due to their messy divorce proceedings, it's nice to see that he continues to acknowledge her contribution to the show.
At the very least, fans will believe that a coincidence they got to see up close thanks to the 60 Minutes episode was nothing more than a genuine nod to a person who once inspired him to pursue his dream project.
Sudeikis gave journalist Norah O'Donnell a tour of the set, focusing on the famous locker room.
Letting the camera get up close and personal with the jerseys hanging on the walls, he explained how each of them has the name of someone personal to the show's writers.
Be it a friend, family member, former mentor, or perhaps a source of inspiration? As it turns out, one of the jerseys has Olivia Wilde's last name printed on it.
As of today, the actress goes by the last name Wilde in honor of the writers in her family. However, this wasn't always the case, as her surname at birth was originally Cockburn.
And if the public doesn't necessarily know that, her ex-husband surely does. It feels like a nice acknowledgement gesture, even in the midst of harder times for both of them.
If you want to catch up with the latest Ted Lasso episodes and tune in for the new ones, stream the show on Apple TV Plus, and let us know if you'll be able to catch this jersey shirt yourself.