Jason Sudeikis Reveals How Olivia Wilde Convinced Him To Create 'Ted Lasso'

Jason Sudeikis has had a tumultuous 2021, filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. His split from Olivia Wilde has attracted numerous headlines, but many haven’t noted her connection with critical darling Ted Lasso. Gossip Cop has the story.

A Lasso Refresher

Sudeikis is the co-creator and star of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso. The feel-good show about an American football coach tasked with coaching a British football (soccer) club has won legions of fans and scored a record 20 Emmy Nominations. The series has been a boon and career highlight for just about everyone involved.

The series features the character of Lasso in the midst of a painful divorce. Life has sadly imitated art for Sudeikis, as his split from Wilde has been all too public. Wilde isn’t just dating a new boy, she’s with former One Directioner Harry Styles. This has manifested in loads of paparazzi photos of Wilde and Styles together, which cannot be easy for Sudeikis.

Wilde Partially To Thank

To promote the second season of Ted Lasso, coming to AppleTV+ on July 23, Sudeikis sat down with GQ. He explained that Wilde pushed him to create the show in the first place. Sudeikis explained that during a dinner in 2015, “Olivia was like, ‘You should do it as a show.”

Sudeikis says this is what got him really pondering the plot of the show: “Why would a guy at this age take this job to leave? Maybe he’s having marital strife. Maybe things aren’t good back home, so he needs space.’ And I just riffed it at dinner in 2015 or whenever, late 2014. But it had to be that way. That’s what the show is about.” This isn’t the first time Sudeikis has publicly credited his ex with helping the show come to reality.

How’s He Doing?

For what it’s worth, Sudeikis is starting to move on as well. He’s been spotted with his Ted Lasso co-star Keely Hazell. Tabloids have turned Sudeikis into a bit of a punching bag since the split.

Shortly after the breakup, New Idea claimed Sudeikis and Wilde were getting back together. In April, Heat reported that Sudeikis was delighted to see Wilde and Styles fizzling out. Recent PDA-packed photos prove that Wilde and Styles are undisputably still together, so these stories are completely false.

It’s almost spooky that Sudeikis would invent a show including a divorce, only to suffer a breakup of his long-term relationship with Olivia Wilde. In any case, Gossip Cop can’t wait to see what’s in store for Ted Lasso in season two.