Emmys: Jason Sudeikis Thanks Second City, ‘SNL’ Mentors in ‘Ted Lasso’ Best Actor Speech
The actor beat out fellow nominees Anthony Anderson for ‘Black-ish,’ Michael Douglas for ‘The Kominsky Method,’ William H. Macy for ‘Shameless’ and Kenan Thompson for ‘Kenan.’
Jason Sudeikis won best actor in a comedy series for Ted Lasso at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night.
Upon accepting his award for portraying the titular character in the Apple+ series, Sudeikis expressed that it has been a “heck of a year.” He shared how Ted Lasso is really about family, mentors and teammates. “I wouldn’t be here without those three things in my life,” said the actor. He thanked his parents, sisters and children, as well as mentors at improvisational comedy troupe Second City and Saturday Night Live, including Lorne Michaels.
Sudeikis gave a special thank you to co-creators Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly and Bill Lawrence, as well as the “incredible” cast and crew of the comedy series.
In the Warner Bros. Television-produced series, Sudeikis plays an optimistic coach of a struggling college football team who goes to London — despite having no experience with British soccer — to try his hand with a European team.
Sudeikis co-developed Ted Lasso using a character he first portrayed in a series of NBC sports promos in 2013 as a baseline.
The show, which is currently in season two and has already been renewed for a third, received 20 Emmy nominations overall, including best comedy series.
Among its wins so far, Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein were recognized for their supporting performances.
Hosted by actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer, the 2021 Emmy Awards were held at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS and Paramount+.