Back in 2024, Netflix put together a comedy roast for Tom Brady live on the streamer. Hosted by comedian Jeff Ross and Kevin Hart, it was a wild night of the most hilarious jokes, from jabs at the ex-QB’s divorce to Will Ferrell showing up as Anchorman’s Tom Burgundy. Ross made sure to explain why the Netflix special took a while to put together, as well as why Brady “should get a Nobel Prize” for doing it.
On The Howard Stern Show (via Sports Illustrated), Jeff Ross explained that The Roast of Tom Brady (which is streaming on your Netflix subscription) came together after the comedian found out Brady was looking at the stand-up comic’s Instagram account. Ross connected with the former NFL player there and told him he should get a roast going. Brady agreed, which led to their two agents talking. The rest fell into place.
Tom Brady and Jeff Ross’ Instagram chatter about a roast came about in 2021, but the Netflix event didn’t happen until three years later. Why did it take so long? Ross admitted how he felt about Brady agreeing to the live Netflix event and why the long wait:
I can say shock because it was like drip, drip, drip. It took so long because he agreed. Then he retired. We were like, let’s go, now’s our chance. Then he unretired. Then we had to wait until he was done playing. Then he was going through a divorce. Let’s wait for that. Then Netflix was like, our festival is next May, let’s wait for that. And let’s do it live. So, he was already on the hook when I brought the live idea.
I can understand trying to find the perfect timing to get this roast happening. Tom Brady’s plans to retire from the NFL were a real back-and-forth decision. He first announced his retirement in February 2022 after 22 seasons, only to call it off a month later and return to the Buccaneers for the 2022 season. Then, in February 2023, Brady announced his retirement, stating it was “for good” and is now working as a lead color commentator on Fox Sports.
In the midst of all of that, the California native filed for divorce from model Gisele Bündchen in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage. So, you can imagine that all of those life transitions deserve some breathing room before a bunch of celebs bring on the roasts about them.
It takes a very strong person to allow oneself to be subjected to jabs while sitting in the hot seat, live in front of millions. Jeff Ross and I would agree that the ex-QB deserved the highest honor for being put through this:
There’s never been a live roast. So, he should get a Nobel Peace Prize for saying yes to that. He took the hit so we could all forget our problems for three hours.
As football players get hit a lot on the field, Tom Brady was willing to take more hits on Netflix, all in the name of entertainment. That truly deserves a round of applause. The University of Michigan alumnus did indeed make Netflix history with his roast being the first live one on the streamer. Not to mention, The Roast of Tom Brady drew in 2 million views on its debut with head honcho Ted Sarandos learning the “value” of people watching the same special at the same time.
While many jokes said on The Roast of Tom Brady were hilarious, you can’t deny that plenty were harsh in terms of Tom Brady’s divorce, his appearance, and his retracting retirement plans. When Jeff Ross asked the MVP why he decided to do the roast, here was the answer he revealed to Howard Stern:
I said to Tom right beforehand, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And he goes, ‘I love this kind of humor. People are too snowflakey right now.’
As Tom Brady had seen Jeff Ross’ Instagram account full of hilarious material, it makes sense why he’d want to be the subject of the Roastmaster General’s material, and of many other celebs. He clearly knew how to laugh at himself.
In fact, Jeff Ross joked that comedy material could have been how Tom Brady won his games as a way to unwind. Hey, he helped beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV the day he went on Instagram. So, for football players out there, be like Brady and watch a comedy special before playing a big game.
Tom Brady’s Netflix roast may have taken a long time to come together after many life transitions, but I’d say that he truly does deserve a “Nobel Prize” worthy honor for doing so. Brady faced the fire not only with his sense of humor but with dignity and a wide grin.
