Ted Lasso is back for a third, and perhaps final season on Apple TV+, but the cast of the cozy soccer sitcom wants to take its message of positivity and mental well-being beyond the small screen. To that end, Jason Sudeikis and co-stars Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, and Toheeb Jimoh visited the White House on Monday for a briefing, followed by a private meeting with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The @POTUS Twitter account teased the appearance on Sunday with a photo of a “BELIEVE” poster above an entrance to the Oval Office, referencing one of Lasso’s key slogans.
Before Sudeikis could take the podium in the White House Briefing Room today, however, an argument broke out among the journalists assembled there. Simon Ateba, a Cameroonian reporter with Today News Africa, reignited his long-running feud with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, whom he has accused of discrimination for not calling on him or answering his questions in the past. (Ateba was also known to be disruptive during briefings from Biden’s former press secretary, Jen Psaki, and has aired his grievances toward Jean-Pierre on Tucker Carlson‘s show.)
“No, no, no, no, no. Nope, that’s — we’re not doing this,” Jean-Pierre told Ateba as he began to harangue her in front of the Ted Lasso cast, who appeared unsure of how to react. “This is the U.S., this is not China, this is not Russia,” Ateba complained, saying Jean-Pierre has ignored him for seven months. Other journalists chimed in, saying, “Decorum, please,” and “Let her start.” Ateba pressed on, asking, “Will you agree that you’re making a mockery of the First Amendment?”
“Fun times, welcome guys,” Jean-Pierre said as she turned back to the actors. After Ateba finally quieted down, a reporter and Jean-Pierre both offered apologies to the guests for the disturbance.
Eventually, Sudeikis stepped up and told the press pool that it was an honor to visit the White House in order to speak about the importance of mental health. “I know in this town, a lot of folks don’t always agree,” he said, “and don’t always feel heard, seen, listened to. But I truly believe that we should all do our best to help take care of each other.”
Sudeikis also took a question from “Trent Crimm,” a journalist character from Lasso: “How do you feel about Kansas City being one of the named hosting cities for the 2026 World Cup?”
“Ooh, here I was hoping for a softball,” Sudeikis replied. “What I am genuinely worried about is that once we get all these folks from all over the world to come to Kansas City, and see our city, and eat our food, meet our people — you’re going to have a lot of folks that won’t want to move away.” Afterward, he declined to do his Biden impression as seen on Saturday Night Live, noting, “They got the real one here now.”
After the Lasso crew departed, Ateba resumed his griping to Jean-Pierre as other reporters tried to shout him down. Podcaster and columnist Brian J. Karem yelled, “The rest of us are here too, pal,” then said that Ateba was “impinging on everybody in here who’s only trying to do their job.”
Jean-Pierre said she could not abide any such display of disrespect among colleagues, and especially toward guests “who were here to talk about an incredibly important issue, which is mental health.” She went on to say: “What has just occurred the last 10, 15 minutes is unacceptable.”
So much for positive vibes. Among the D.C. press corps, all you can really believe is that even an innocuous celebrity visit can turn ugly in an instant.
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