The cast “Ted Lasso” has teamed up with President Joe Biden to talk about mental health. The President and First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, hosted several members of the cast at the White House for a conversation about the topic. Toheeb Jimoh, Brett Goldstein, Hannah Waddingham, Brendan Hunt, and Jason Sudeikis were in attendance.
The assembled cast visited the White House; Sudeikis giving a speech at a press briefing before meeting with the Bidens. “No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter who you voted for, we all probably – I assume, we all know someone who has or had been that someone ourselves actually, that’s struggled, that’s felt isolated, that’s felt anxious, that has felt alone,” Sudeikis said. “It’s actually one of the many things, that believe it or not, that we all have in common as human beings.”
The multi award-winning Apple TV+ series has not shied away from tackling the often taboo subject of mental health. In the show’s storyline the title character, played by Sudeikis, seeks therapy after grappling with panic attacks. Media representations like this could help destigmatize these issues. The hope in showing them is to encourage asking for help.
“I think that we were trying to explore that and personify it in a way and kind of trojan horse that there’s bigger issues in this fun, silly little comedy show,” Sudeikis said in a 2021 interview on the topic. “People have really responded to that,” he added “And myself and other people in the cast and the writing staff get messages daily from people thanking them for really opening their eyes to what it means to go to therapy and what it means for someone in their own life to go to therapy and just speaking about these things and taking the stigma off of any form of health whether it be nutrition or mental, emotional health.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says mental health is a cornerstone of Biden’s “unity agenda.” Sudeikis says Biden and his team were working on making sure Americans know about their options when it comes to getting help.
The President tweeted a photo of a yellow poster saying “BELIEVE” above the door to the Oval Office. The sign is similar to one seen on “Ted Lasso” that sits above Coach Lasso’s office in the AFC Richmond locker room. A White House official said the meeting was focused on discussing “the importance of addressing your mental health to promote overall wellbeing.”
In Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address, he urged the country to take on mental health. “Let’s do more on mental health, especially for our children,” Biden also said in 2023’s State of the Union address. “When millions of young people are struggling with bullying, violence, trauma, we owe them greater access to mental health care in their schools.”
Biden’s administration is focusing on “training more providers, making care more affordable and accessible, and creating healthier and safer communities, including online,” the White House official said.
The contents of the meeting will be available on the White House’s social medial channels. Season 3 of “Ted Lasso” is currently streaming on Apple TV+. You can check out the cast’s press briefing below and maybe catch sight of a familiar reporter asking a question:
