We Interviewed The Cast of Ted Lasso!

Summary

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Welcome to the Party

Episode: We Interviewed the Cast of Ted Lasso!

Date: August 4, 2026
Hosts: Julie Foudy, Abby Wambach, Billie Jean King
Guests: Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso stars)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Welcome to the Party takes a deep dive into the highly anticipated return of Ted Lasso for its fourth season—this time focusing on women’s soccer. Soccer (and women’s sports) legends Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, and Billie Jean King sit down with the show’s stars Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham for a lively, candid, and insightful interview. The hosts and their guests dissect the cultural impact of the show, talk about the thoughtful approach to showcasing women's sports, and discuss broader themes of representation, advocacy, and leadership. The party atmosphere is ever-present, blending humor, genuine emotion, and a heartfelt celebration of progress in women’s athletics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ted Lasso’s Season 4 Focus: Women’s Soccer

Timestamps:

• [00:00], [29:03], [35:52], [55:39]

• First Reaction

  • Hannah Waddingham on the new direction:

    “About time. We’ve had three for the boys.” [55:40, 00:03]

  • Abby Wambach echoes:

    “Two.” [00:04]

• Why Women's Soccer?

  • Jason Sudeikis attributes much to his upbringing in a house with sisters and his ongoing experiences as a fan, parent, and advocate.
  • Sudeikis explains it wasn’t a “single moment” but “a thousand cuts”: observing the Lionesses win, becoming a Liberty season ticket holder, and his daughter’s perceptions of who soccer is “for.”
  • Quote:

    “It was all these little things. It was not one singular event. It was all these external factors going on, and then those two just sort of harmonize. Then you say yes.” [33:46]

2. Representation & Authenticity in Storytelling

Timestamps: [36:23], [38:39], [39:10]

• Pulling in Real Voices

  • Led by Sudeikis, the writing team brought in actual stakeholders from the women’s sports landscape—like Karen Norton from Angel City and England’s Leah Williamson as story consultants.
  • Sudeikis on authenticity:

    “It’s not the show’s obligation to bang the drum on things, but merely point the camera…play it as real as our tone allows.” [39:08]

• Subtlety in Addressing Issues

  • Hosts praise Ted Lasso for tackling big issues without being heavy-handed.
  • Sudeikis:

    “There’s no box ticking…this is just the world and we’re just, you know, showing our version of it.” [39:44]

3. The Impact and Resonance of Ted Lasso

Timestamps: [40:03], [41:05], [43:11], [45:16]

• Surprised by Success?

  • “100%,” says Sudeikis, admitting he never expected the show’s global emotional resonance. [40:03]
  • Emotional effect on viewers and cast alike:

    “I was watching last night…having all the emotions…laughing, belly laughing, crying…I miss this so much.” - Julie Foudy [40:46]
    “It felt…it just didn’t feel right to just, like, be done.” - Jason Sudeikis [41:05]

• Personal Impact

  • The show and the character have changed him:

    “You cannot help but view the world through the Richmond way, you know—through Ted’s, you know, orange tinted glasses…It sticks with you.” - Jason Sudeikis [43:11]
    “It’s very difficult for me to walk through a place and not receive people’s stories about what the show means to them.” [44:11]

  • Parallels between accepting responsibility for playing Ted Lasso and Paul McCartney accepting "being Paul McCartney":

    “The universe is going, accept this responsibility…And it’s bigger than me.” [45:22]

4. Moving the Needle in Women's Sports Representation

Timestamps: [45:33], [61:23]

• Sudeikis and the hosts discuss the massive potential global impact:

  “This will be huge for women’s sports as well. I hope the global lift of this will be enormous.” - Host [45:33]

5. Hannah Waddingham on Rebecca’s Evolution and Gender Dynamics

Timestamps: [57:33], [58:45], [60:03], [62:26]

• On Being a Woman in Power

  • Waddingham discusses how her height and strength were often seen as obstacles in her acting career and how Ted Lasso’s creative team broke the mold.
  • On feminism within the narrative:

    “Rebecca is learning that she’s perhaps not the feminist she was. My generation were indoctrinated…where a girl just piped down. A girl didn’t have a sword…that’s a boy’s thing…” [60:13]

• Mentorship and Sisterhood

  • Hosts praise Rebecca’s mentorship of Keely, and Waddingham reiterates that Rebecca lifts other women up rather than compete with them.
  • “She just knows [Keely] has this vulnerability…No kind of attrition there either…I love that.” [62:51]

• To Future Female Owners (Michelle Kang Example)

  • “Never allow your voice to be silenced ever. By anyone. Follow your gut first. Take counsel, but follow your gut.” [64:47]

6. Ted Lasso Quotes & Lasting Moments

Timestamps: [47:17]

• Favorite Ted Lasso Quotes:

  • "Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing." - Abby Wambach [47:17]
  • "Be a goldfish." - Billie Jean King [47:23]
  • "I just fell out of the lucky tree…" - Julie Foudy [47:43]

• The classic "USA!" cheer wraps up the party with guests and hosts joining in camaraderie and celebration. [46:01, 67:28]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Speaker | Quote | Timestamp | |---------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------| | Hannah Waddingham | "About time. We’ve had three for the boys." | 55:40, 00:03 | | Jason Sudeikis | "It was all these little things. It was not one singular event." | 33:46 | | Jason Sudeikis | "No, thank you for embracing me. Because it is a community that has been cooking for, you know, decades." | 35:11 | | Julie Foudy | "Laughing at one point, like, belly laughing, then I’m crying at the next." | 40:46 | | Jason Sudeikis | "You cannot help but view the world through…Ted’s, you know, orange tinted glasses." | 43:11 | | Hannah Waddingham | "My generation…a girl didn’t have a sword, a girl didn’t play all the sports…that’s a boy’s thing." | 60:13 | | Billie Jean King | "Be a goldfish." | 47:23 | | Abby Wambach | "Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing." | 47:17 | | Jason Sudeikis | "Accept this responsibility. And it’s bigger than me." | 45:22 | | Hannah Waddingham | “Never allow your voice to be silenced ever. By anyone. Follow your gut first.” | 64:47 |

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Other Highlights & Key Segments

Women's Sports News & Party Starter (10:09–21:29)

• Update on FIFA and global soccer power struggles: attempted privatization shot down by international outcry.
• Women’s pro baseball returns after 70+ years; inaugural game, notable honors, and trailblazing team names.
• WNBA’s surging numbers, advocacy moments, and a discussion about why the NWSL should consider its own All-Star weekend.

Merch & Charity (04:22)

• Welcome to the Party merch now supports a monthly rotating charity; August’s charity is the Whale Foundation in honor of Kelsey Fendler’s record-breaking solo row.

Fun & Camaraderie (Throughout)

• Hosts share personal team sports stories, mishaps, and camp traditions (“Hit me with an 'And I'!” sing-along).
• Light-hearted ribbing about costumes, team events, Billie Jean King’s “melon head,” and the immortal camaraderie of women’s sports.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro/Merch/Charity Info: [04:22]
• Women's Sports Headlines (Party Starter): [09:46–21:29]
• Ted Lasso: Cultural Impact, Season 4 Focus: [27:13–45:46]
• Quotes/Memorable Moments: [47:17–48:32]
• Hannah Waddingham Interview: [53:58–67:40]
• Locker Room Scene + Billie Jean King Tribute: [69:10]
• Closing / Reflections: [69:36–end]

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Tone & Style

The episode radiates authenticity, humor, and zest—the hosts and guests trade jabs and laughter while exploring meaningful issues surrounding sports, media representation, and progress for women. Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham are open-hearted and quick-witted, echoing the “Ted Lasso” spirit of warmth and inclusivity.

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Final Party Rule

First Party Rule: Have a sh*t ton of fun.

And they definitely do.

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Transcript

[Julie Foudy]

First reaction when you heard season four was gonna be about women's soccer.

[Hannah Waddingham]

About time.

[Abby Wambach]

Two.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yes. Yes.

Did it surprise you with how much it resonated with people?

[Jason Sudeikis]

100%.

[Julie Foudy]

Why?

[Jason Sudeikis]

If I did know, then the government would sneak me up and try to put me into a spray bottle and offer me up. I don't want that heat.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Laughing my ass off last night. Am I mouth to swag?

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yes, you can. I start all the time.

[Julie Foudy]

Great.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Is your.

You know, I really think that it's

[Abby Wambach]

like cool that you've chosen to go that direction.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Mean, it's, it's. I don't mean to cut you off because that's such a man thing to do, but like, let me explain to you. What? No.

[Billie Jean King]

Attention,

[Abby Wambach]

the party is about to commence.

[Julie Foudy]

Welcome to the party. What's up, party people? I'm Julie Foudy.

[Abby Wambach]

And I'm Abby Wambach.

[Billie Jean King]

And I'm Billie Jean King.

[Julie Foudy]

Kangar.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah, baby. Back, back, baby. I'm back.

[Julie Foudy]

Also, you know who else is back? Ted Lasso is back. Okay. That's right. Season four premieres this Wednesday on Apple tv. And we've got two of their biggest stars right here on the party. And Kinger, we just learned you were actually in the writers room with them.

[Billie Jean King]

Yes. A lot of women helping them, kind of.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, I know.

[Billie Jean King]

Do you know, you could tell the writers, of course. She was sensational. Yeah. We talked about women's sports, we talked about the soccer. We're really thrilled they're going to do women. And now here it is. And it's my. It's my all time favorite sports.

[Julie Foudy]

I know.

[Billie Jean King]

So I mean, it just is my. I mean, I cannot tell you how much I love the show. I just fell in love with it. Binged on it. Binged again on it. The only other thing I like as much as Law and Order. So those are my two things.

[Abby Wambach]

That's nice.

[Julie Foudy]

Well, I cannot believe we didn't know that you were like. Of course you were. You were in the writers room with them, like, talking them through women's soccer and women's sports is so good.

[Billie Jean King]

They were asking questions and oh my gosh, they're just fantastic. And just to know they're going to do women's sports was heaven for me. I've waited a long time for these things to happen. So, yeah, I'm thrilled. And Ilana and I binged through. They let us see little previews. And you guys, it's. Whatever you do, do not miss this show. It is if you have any feelings or if you're a women's sports advocate or player or athlete. I'm telling you, you gotta watch this.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, it was really good. We were able to watch the first four episodes.

[Billie Jean King]

So good.

[Julie Foudy]

It brought back so many good emotions too. Okay, before we get to all of that, the first episode of the month is right now. So you know what that means? That means that we have a brand new party people charity for the month of August. Because we decided when we launched this merch, finally, finally. It took us a while, but when we got our merch going, we were like, okay, we're not just going to create merch. We're going to create merch where we give a big chunk of it to an amazing charity that we're going to switch every month and y' all get to decide. So first month, it was Easter Seals for our number one party person, Amy Liss. And now for August, we're doing something a little different. We're going to be supporting the Whale foundation in honor of Kelsey Fendler, who is joining us actually next week. And we'll also link the Whale foundation in the show notes as well and our merch link as well. But Kelsey, if you don't remember, recently completed this record breaking solo as in a lone row from California, y', all, to Hawaii. She set all these records doing it. She raised almost 200. Actually, she said she raised over 200,000 for the whale foundation along the way. And her story, come on, will blow your mind. And she also talks about how the well foundation helped save her life. So this is a good one. So head to WelcomeToTheParty. Voila. Store to check out our merch. We've got USA hats. We've got sweatshirts, T shirts, tote bags, all of it. Okay. And for this month, it will benefit the Whale Foundation.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, and let us know what kind of stuff you want us to make because we can do that. If there's something that we don't offer, let us know. We're happy to try to comply.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, Abby's got her party person hat on. We're gonna make Kinger a hat person. The hats are all the rage.

[Billie Jean King]

I promise I'll start at least having him on the show. I have such a melon head.

[Julie Foudy]

No, you do not have a cover. Oh, my melon head.

[Billie Jean King]

I look terrible. It doesn't matter. Don't worry, we'll take care of it.

[Julie Foudy]

We should make like party person glasses or something. WTTP glasses.

[Billie Jean King]

Maybe we should work on that too. We know some people.

[Julie Foudy]

Kinger, how was your vacation?

[Billie Jean King]

My Vacation. You know what? It was great. You know why I got to play tennis every other day? I was so happy. At my age, I vacation. I usually don't play two. I actually played two days in a row.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, good.

[Billie Jean King]

We're up in p town Provincetown and it's just the water.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, that's where you were, in Provincetown?

[Billie Jean King]

We got seashores. Judy Gold was hilarious. No, more than hilarious. No, it was unbelievable. No, we did well. And then we saw a play. Oh my gosh. It was just. It was great. But we also worked the first part of it, which then we finally. Of course you did. Ilana and I looked at each other. You got to stop working. We're always working. Yeah, we love working too though. Yeah, it's usually about women's sports. How can you not get in that? You know, time's running out for me. I gotta hurry up, man. We gotta make things happen.

[Julie Foudy]

Well, I don't know if you knew Kinger, but Abby and I had the pleasure of repping a volleyball team in the 45 and over division of the six man volleyball Manhattan beach tournament this weekend. And our over 45 team was called Burning up because that's what pretty much we always are. We're hot ashy.

[Billie Jean King]

I love it.

[Julie Foudy]

So we were one of all of four teams in our over 45 division. And I suckered Abby into playing. I'm like, yo, we need you. Come and join our team.

[Billie Jean King]

So what happened?

[Julie Foudy]

We finished a respectable third. So we got the bronze medal out of four.

[Billie Jean King]

Not the white gold.

[Abby Wambach]

We made it to the semis, but everybody made it to the top.

[Julie Foudy]

That's what we just said. Hey, we made it to the semis. We ended up losing to the team we had prior beaten, which is like always what happens. We beat them in the, in the group play and then we lost to them.

[Billie Jean King]

Really? Do you know why you lost?

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, because Abby Wambach doesn't play beach volleyball.

[Julie Foudy]

She's going to play.

[Abby Wambach]

I'm going to learn.

[Billie Jean King]

Are you going to start practicing?

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, I'm gonna practice more. I just. There's just some stuff that I'm an athlete, but I don't know the game at all.

[Billie Jean King]

Everything's got a specialty.

[Abby Wambach]

Players on a court is very different than two or four in terms of exactly.

[Billie Jean King]

Oh, you have six players.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. They go old school. You play and it's wild.

[Billie Jean King]

That is old school.

[Julie Foudy]

It's wild. They have. It's so much fun. They have all these different division. Yeah. And we dressed up in all these flames. Cause we Were burning up. Right. And we wear ridiculous costumes because that's what you do there. And I. And Abby. Abby's such a good teammate that I bought her these, like, flame shorts and these, like. This girl is on fire with a big flame tank top.

[Abby Wambach]

It was embarrassing.

[Julie Foudy]

And flame, like a fan.

[Billie Jean King]

She.

[Julie Foudy]

She wears it all.

[Billie Jean King]

A lot of preparation went into that.

[Julie Foudy]

It did. It did. And we're gonna start training more so. And Abby's gonna. And Abby did great. I kept passing to her accidentally, like I. Soccer. And then she'd set, and we're like, no, no, Abby, you're not the setter. That's my bad. I shouldn't be passing to you. I'm just so used to passing to

[Billie Jean King]

you all the time.

[Abby Wambach]

But that's where the setter is. She was about to get there. I just didn't know that. I just didn't know that I needed to get out of the way and go prepare to hit. I didn't know the. But it's good for me to learn since we're co owners. Part owners of the Signal SF team.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

Love.

[Julie Foudy]

Right on.

[Billie Jean King]

Love. We are, too. Hello.

[Julie Foudy]

It was. It was definitely a growth opportunity for us, and I love that. And Glennon showed up and supported us, too. Yay, Glennon.

[Billie Jean King]

That was a nice way to go.

[Julie Foudy]

I know. I know.

[Billie Jean King]

You got to give her an outfit, too.

[Julie Foudy]

I know. Next year.

[Billie Jean King]

Leader outfit next year.

[Julie Foudy]

That's true. Okay, let's get into our party starter. The highlights, shakeups, and headlines you'll want to celebrate this week in women's sports. This party starter is brought to you by Ally the bank that is your Ally. Topic number one. Have to get into. Oh, my gosh. The FIFA drama following the men's World Cup. Quick update for. For y' all who don't know what I'm talking about, it's been dominating headlines. So you probably did see something about FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He had to scrap his plan, I will say his plan, not FIFA's, to create a FIFA $20 billion commercial company which would have essentially run the World cup as well. He was going to sell roughly 20% of it to private investors. And all of soccer said, oh, hell no. UEFA, the European confederation, threatened to boycott, like, men's and women's World Cups. And there are 55 teams strong in UEFA, so they threatened to boycott, which is North America, Central America, and the Caribbean and Asia joined in the resistance. So that got squashed. That's done. Mauricio Pochettino, the US Men's national team head Coach signed a new contract to continue on as manager through the next men's World cup in 2030.

[Abby Wambach]

And about that, I'm so pumped about that.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. And guess what, party people. On Thursday we're going to have Madam President, US Soccer President Cindy Parlo Cohn getting into all of this.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

She's the best.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes. So can't wait for that one. Topic number two, I don't know if you all saw it. This is super cool. Women's professional baseball is back, baby.

[Billie Jean King]

So good, right?

[Abby Wambach]

So good.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Back in the US for the first time in more than 70 years. So the new women's pro baseball league opened its inaugural season Saturday in Springfield, Illinois. And they got to pay homage to who and what came before. So they had. I love this so much. I saw it on social. 99 year old baseball icon Maybelle Blair throughout the ceremonial first pitch.

[Abby Wambach]

She's so great with her glasses. Love her.

[Billie Jean King]

Did you see her pitch though?

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

She's 99.

[Billie Jean King]

I'm thinking, how is she going to pitch at all? It was fantastic. Yeah, she just went boom.

[Julie Foudy]

She pitched in that original All American girls professional baseball league more than 70 years ago.

[Abby Wambach]

So awesome. Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

And it was sold out. Featured the Los Angeles Queens in the New York Heights. And just to give you some perspective that we got this from the AP. Over 100,000 girls play youth baseball in the United States, which is more than I thought, honestly. So 100,000 girls are playing youth baseball and about 1,300 playing on high school boys teams. Because of course we need more.

[Billie Jean King]

We need more girls baseball. Baseball in high school.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

That's the way you get it to happen. They have to do every high school.

[Julie Foudy]

Back to the LA vs. New York game on Saturday did not disappoint. The Los Angeles Queens were down four runs through five innings and rallied the whole game. Yeah. Scoring six runs over the final two innings.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

So the whole game. So Los Angeles beat New York 10 to 8, abs. You saw it?

[Abby Wambach]

I did. And honestly, like when I turned it on, I was kind of feeling sad and sorry for our Los Angeles selves. It was just. It was incredible to see all the people that showed up. Number one, I was sad because it was raining. And so you're just watching these people just getting pelted with rain and the players and to play baseball and the rain is like tough. But they soldiered on. New York. The first home run ever hit in the league happened by Danae Benitez from the New York team. And it was really amazing and it got me to Thinking about so many things around the very firsts of every. You know, of the w. USA Days and the WPS days and NFSL days. Like, it's cool when the first thing happens. And as an. As a Los Angeles resident, I was like, oh, come on, L. A. Like, let's go. And then they came back, they scored a bunch of runs to go ahead and. Yeah. It was just so fun to watch, and I think that's awesome. Yeah, baseball is just one of those fun things, fun American pastimes. And so it's been way past time for the women to get their day in the sun.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. 70 years later. It's crazy. And there was a second game as well on Sunday. San Francisco beat Boston 11 to 3. So the San Francisco Fire Bells brought the heat. Are you noticing a theme today, Kinger? A lot of burning up and a lot of.

[Billie Jean King]

Well, my dad was a firefighter, so I love it.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, there you go. Actually, that was what our outfits were going to be, but one of the women on the team was a firefighter. She's like, I wear that all the time. Do we have to be firefighters?

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

That's fantastic that women can be firefighters now. They couldn't in the old days.

[Julie Foudy]

Right. So Kelsey Whitmore, she was the WPBL's first overall pick, and she plays for the Savannah Bananas. And she just may be featured in a book that one of the three of us may or may not have written called See it to Be It. That is dropping.

[Billie Jean King]

Oh, See it to Be It. Yeah, it's coming out soon. A few days.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes. And if you did.

[Billie Jean King]

Exciting. I think it's 11 athletes. It's their stories. It's really great.

[Julie Foudy]

I thought this was super interesting. So there are four inaugural teams have all been named after trailblazing women.

[Abby Wambach]

No way.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, I didn't know this either. Okay, so the Boston Hunters in honor of physician and women's rights advocate Harriet K. Hunt.

[Abby Wambach]

Cool.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay. The Los Angeles Queens honor baseball pioneer Lizzie Murphy, who was known as Queen of the Diamond. How cool is this?

[Billie Jean King]

That's great.

[Julie Foudy]

The New York Heights honor civil rights leader Dorothy Heights.

[Billie Jean King]

Yep. Dorothy Height. Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

And the San Francisco Fire Bells honor Lily Firebell Hitchcock Quake. Isn't that cool?

[Abby Wambach]

So totally. Okay.

[Billie Jean King]

That's a great idea.

[Julie Foudy]

This week, Regular season continues through September 6th, and we'll put the complete schedule in the show notes so you can see where to find all of that. So topic three, wnba. Okay, first of all, did you guys watch the Fever Links game?

[Abby Wambach]

I saw some highlights over the weekend.

[Julie Foudy]

The Lynx came in on fire. They'd won, as we know, nine straight, sitting on top of the overall standings and going against a hot. Yes, we're using that word again. Fever team averaging 96.4 points per game, on pace for the Hiding score, the highest scoring offense in WNBA history. But the Lynx pulled it out 108 to 100. And no surprise here. Olivia Miles was Amazing again, that woman, 28 points on 11 of 14 shooting. And then for the Fever, Kelsey Mitchell. She dropped 37. She is so good.

[Abby Wambach]

Jules, did you see Cheryl Reeve? Love this lady wore a T shirt that said Trans Kids Belong and chatted with Sophie Cunningham during pregame and it looked like she was saying some things. I just really love that she's doing that. I think it's really, really important. And proud of Cheryl for standing up for what she believes in, too.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. And she's been talking about it at press conferences. She's been really good in this space. So yay for Cheryl. Yay for Cheryl. Also, the WNBA trade deadline passed on Sunday. And Kinger, your Sparks lost guard Kelsey Plum. She believe she's headed to Phoenix. And the Toronto Tempo acquired Anissa Morrow from the Connecticut Sun. And there's more. WNBA they're the numbers are soaring right now. This year's All Star game drew 3.2 million viewers, which is up 44% from last year. So while a record 19,783 fans packed the United center in Chicago. And the very cool thing about it is it's not just one big weekend. So according to sportish, more than 73 million unique viewers watched the WNBA during the first half of the season. And that's already surpassing the 63 million who watched it across all of last season. Think about that. So already during the first half of the season, there are 10 million unique viewers, more than they were for the entire last season.

[Billie Jean King]

That's fantastic.

[Julie Foudy]

And as I was watching the WNBA All Star Game, I couldn't help but think, think. And abs, I'm. I'm interesting interested to hear what you think on this is I think the NWSL should have an an all star game.

[Abby Wambach]

100%, right? 100%.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Because it's like another opportunity to activate sponsorship. It's a gathering. It's an event. Like the WNBA All Star Game is an event, right? Like people are doing live podcasts, the sponsors are coming, everyone's activating, everyone's gathering. It's like a communal space for people to once again celebrate women in sports. And you're bringing the best of the best Together and so why not? Would you. So I just think we're going to talk to Jess about that.

[Billie Jean King]

There's the other side, though, that everyone's now saying is that the game, you know, they don't have any D anymore. They don't want to get hurt. So it's like not real. But I'm thinking, okay, if you can't do that, what can you do? Because this is an amazing time to feature all the great players right now to push the leagues. And soccer should think up something, whether it's a game or not or whatever. I don't know what the answer is, but absolutely, soccer should do it.

[Julie Foudy]

I mean, it adds another game into the. Into, you know, I just didn't like

[Billie Jean King]

to play, but I just like. I don't like the fact it's not a real game because it's all offense. No. No one's touching anybody. Nobody wants. And nobody wants to get hurt.

[Hannah Waddingham]

We don't want.

[Billie Jean King]

Totally on.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Nice.

[Julie Foudy]

Two teams walking and letting.

[Billie Jean King]

But I totally understand it's a dilemma. But I love the fact there's focus on women's sports.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah. I mean, there's lots of ways to. To activate around it. Whether it's a shortened game or a smaller 7v7 game. Like that would be kind of fun. Or you know, the challenges that they do, whether it's like a penalty kick shootout or. Yeah, that might be crossbar games. Like there's lots of different things that they could do to activate that make it more than just the game.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Right.

[Abby Wambach]

And I actually just saw this article. We'll have to pull it that the Gen Z fan isn't coming to sporting events just for the actual game itself.

[Billie Jean King]

That's for sure.

[Abby Wambach]

Anymore. They're coming for the celebrity of it all. They're coming for the influencer of it all. They're coming for the brand activations that are happening at these events. Right. And so that speaks volumes to. To people showing up and wanting more than just the actual game itself. When they come to live events, it's

[Billie Jean King]

featuring all the great players, past and present, and hopefully there'll be some future ones watching or being there.

[Abby Wambach]

Totally.

[Billie Jean King]

But do you know what the mlb, what they used to do in the old days with the All Star Game is whoever won the All Star Game got an advantage in the World Series or the division or whatever. There was a reason behind it. They got that extra game. So I don't. But they're not doing that anymore, I don't think. Are they? I don't think so. So I Don't know. It's a good discussion, but you want more focus and appreciation and fun for everyone, and that's why soccer should do it.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, I'm in. I'm in. One more thing before we wrap this up. Team USA's women's lacrosse. This is amazing. Won its fifth straight world championship, beating Canada 16 4. And that happened in Tokyo. And 11 different players scored. Allie Kennedy was tournament MVP. And I gotta say, this team looks ready for LA 2028, which is the debut, as we know, of women's lacrosse in the Olympics. So that was fun to watch. Let's go.

[Billie Jean King]

It's gonna be in the Olympics. You know, we didn't have. When I was going to school, we didn't have lacrosse, so I'm thrilled that it's there now.

[Julie Foudy]

I know. That's a wrap on our party starter, and thanks to Ally for sponsoring this segment. Ally is more than a bank, and their do it right approach helps customers unlock their economic potential and guides their as a leading sponsor in women's sports. And just like us, Ally believes that when women in sports win, we all have a reason to party. Ally Bank Member, fdic. Okay, party people, as we said off the top last week, we got the opportunity to interview Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham. Yes. As in two of the biggest stars of TED Lasso. And it's one of the biggest hits of the last decade, earning 13 Emmy Awards in 61 nominations in just three seasons. It's Jason and Hannah. They're coming up next.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Greatest podcast ever.

Ever.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Self declared or that's been voted on Self declared. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yes.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, Jules. So we both, you and I and our team got to travel because we were doing a lot of work around the FIFA World Cup. Okay. We were able to book a home on Airbnb, which, you know, we do this. This show remotely. So you and me are the ones who really actually know of each other. We've spent lots of time together, but we haven't been able to actually spend, like, real quality time irl, as the kids say, in real life with our team. And so we decided we were like, okay, while we travel over, over the summer for the FIFA World cup, we are going to book a place on Airbnb. So what I noticed is I feel genuinely closer to our team. I hope that they are feeling similar things about you and me. Not repulsed. Because, you know, when you're around people, you get their flavors, you get their little, like, their little noises and idiosyncrasies. Um, but honestly, like we just had so much fun. Um, it made the entire week when we spent together it, for me, it made it feel like, like we weren't working. Oftentimes when I'm like on the road traveling, I'm by myself. I'm doing like a one off event.

[Julie Foudy]

I know.

[Abby Wambach]

And so being able to like be with our team, we got to like plan and prep before we went to the event. We came home that night and we were planning and prepping the next day's event. Like, we were just able to be way more efficient with our work too. Which you can't get if you're not booking on an Airbnb. Honestly, I just truly know that. So to me, it was just so fun to get to know everybody deeply.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. And, and coming back to a place that feels like home and not a hotel makes it feel like an experience.

[Abby Wambach]

Exactly.

[Julie Foudy]

Not just a trip. And that's what I love the most.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah. Airbnb honestly has given us the opportunity to get closer as a team, that's for sure. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Ah, the summer road trip. It's a tradition as old as time, with some stops, meals, and even road trip songs passed down through the generations. But even some traditions can use a little updating. That's why there's Apple Card. And Apple Card users earn daily cash back on everyday purchases. You can even earn 2% daily cash back when you use Apple Card with Apple Pay. So every stop for fuel, late night snacking, and even a set of earplugs is now an opportunity to earn daily cash back, making Apple Card a road trip must have. So apply for Apple Card now and use in minutes with Apple Pay. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and more at applecard.com Support for today's

[Julie Foudy]

episode comes from Square, the system powering truly half the places I go. If you've ever been pleasantly surprised at how fast checkout was like me, it was probably Square. Whether you're selling lattes or cutting hair, detailing cars or running a design studio, Square helps you run your business without running yourself into the the ground. And right now, listeners can get up to 200 off Square hardware. When you sign up at square.com go/welcome to the party. That's S Q u a r e.com go/welcome to the party. And abs, I don't know if you've ever come across the Square, which I'm sure we all have, but do you get, do you get so Excited because I don't like to get my cards out at all. I don't ever want to go to my cards.

[Abby Wambach]

They're great. Well, we used one on Tish's tour that, that we went on a couple like a year ago.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, you Square. You actually. Yeah, I know. We used it for our camp stuff too, which is really fun.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

For our merch. So that people can just bink. So if you're starting a business or running one that deserves better tools. Square helps you sell, manage and grow without slowing down. Right now you can get up to 200 off party people on square [e-mail] go. Welcome to party. That's S Q U-A-R-E.com go. G O slash. Welcome to the party. Run your business smarter with Square. Get started today.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

And now to the partiest part of our party. More than a decade ago, Jason Sudeikis put on a mustache and became Ted Lasso, a character created solely to promote the Premier league in America. And that character eventually became one of the most beloved coaches on television. And even though Ted knew almost nothing about the sport he was coaching, he understood people. And over three seasons, Ted Lasso became about so much more than soccer. It was about relationships and leadership and friendship and mental health and forgiveness and

[Julie Foudy]

believing in people when they may not

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

even believe in themselves. And in real life, the show became a full blown sensation. Everyone everywhere could not get enough of Ted Lasso. Nike sold official AFC Richmond jerseys. There were Ted Lasso Barbie sets, Uno cards, an entire Build a Bear line. But it went beyond the merchandise, of course. People created their own diamond Dog support circles hung yellow belief signs in offices, schools and neighborhoods around the world. The cast was even invited to the White House to talk about mental health, where a believe sign was hung above the Oval Office door. And now there is a biscuits with the Boss Jenny's ice cream flavor. Did you know that? No. And Jason, of course, had already built an incredible career on Saturday Night Live and in movies like Horrible Bosses and We're the Millers. But Ted Lasso made him an Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor, writer and producer, and a household name all over the world. But after three glorious seasons, no one was sure if Ted Lasso would ever come back. But then came the news. Not only was Ted returning, he was coming back to coach Richmond's new women's soccer team.

[Julie Foudy]

That's right, party people.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Season four is women's soccer. So when we heard Ted was coming back to coach a women's team, we knew exactly what needed to Happen. Jason Sudeikis.

[Julie Foudy]

Welcome to the party. Welcome to the party.

[Abby Wambach]

J.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Thank you for having me.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Ted Lasso's here. Ted Lasso is here.

[Julie Foudy]

New York is here.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

I like the hat.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Thank you.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yes.

Very nice. Congratulations on season four.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Thank you. Nice. Yeah. How about that?

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah. I heard the premiere was amazing.

[Jason Sudeikis]

It was fun, a lot of fun. Yeah, we've done a couple screens. We did one back in Kansas City. The first episode takes place there. Did that for, you know, family, friends, all the businesses and folks that helped us made it there. And yeah, last night was big, old, big old theater at the Academy and then a whole spillover theater too.

[Billie Jean King]

Really.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Show has spillover now.

[Julie Foudy]

Nice spillover.

[Jason Sudeikis]

I'll be darn.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah, you've made it.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Exactly. We got spillover.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Now you're talking real numbers.

[Julie Foudy]

It came as no surprise to us

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

that it would be a women's soccer themed season, given that you are such an avid sports, Women's sports fan.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

But what was the catalyst to saying like, okay, this is, this is going to be the road we go down for the season.

[Jason Sudeikis]

The, I mean, the inciting incident was, you know, getting to grow up in a house full of women, having two younger sisters. Both myself, Joe Kelly and Brendan Hunt all grew up in a home full of sisters. Like, which we found out realize that during season two when everybody's talking about like, oh, these men are so sensitive on this show. It's like, why is that? It's like, well, you know, my sister. Well, my sister. Well, my sister. Like, wait, our sisters. That was like, it blew our minds. Like, you know, and then by the time we got into to this and we're making season three, we were in the UK watching the lionesses have their, you know, their journey to winning the Euro. And it was, it was amazing. And having the opportunity to have a little boy and a little girl. This is another thing I haven't talked about much, but like we were watching the, how do you say carabaro cup cow. About like carabao. Yeah, I know we don't, I don't drink the stuff, so I've never memorized the name. But in watching that at one point it was me, Brendan, producer Chip. It was like five guys. We're eating Nando's, Daisy's sitting there quietly. And then Daisy goes into my office, comes out and she's wearing my like flat cap and puts on my scarf and then sits down next to it. I have the photo. I, I mean, I, I, it's so, and, and she's sitting There I go, I'm just like, oh, hi, who are you? She goes, I'm George. I go, oh, hi George, how are you? What are you doing here? She goes, I'm here to watch football because football is for boys. I was like, I was like, damn, okay, all right. And that's, you know, that's us watching Liverpool and whoever the fellows that were playing. Then you cut to the lionesses like however many months later and it's like this reckoning, it was the profound thing. Then we get to meet some of the players, you know, like Jill and Leah and you know, and then there was. Then the US team came out for a friendly and we got at Wembley. Yes, at Wembley and we were there, you know, and so it's like all the. I was saying it was like, yes, by a Thousand Cuts. So then we come back to the States, we're living In Brooklyn, we're 10 minutes walk from, from Barclays and Sabrina UNESCO has that incredible like performance at the three point contest a couple seasons ago. And I'm watching it over and over because I just love watching people kick ass what they do. And she goes, what? 23 for 25. And it's just giving me goosebumps even as I'm thinking about watching it now. And I was like, I was like, we should play for the Liberty. We had to only go into Brooklyn Nets games. We go to a Liberty game, me and my sisters and the kids, we go there, we walk into that environment, same building as the Nets. And the Nets, great, great, great organization. You know they, at that time they had wonderful players but it was a different vibe. Yeah, it was like they don't just cheer for dunks and the T shirt gun. They were cheering for the dance teams. My sister's, you know, dancers that we were talking about earlier. So like we had, there was, it just felt accessible and fun, safe like. And we had a blast. They blew the Aces out. They ended up losing the championship to the Aces. But that game, they went off, Sabrina went off and it was just, they were so kind to the kids. It was like, it was an immediate like, okay, we're coming to as many games as we can because we're there a lot during the summers and holidays and then, yeah, and then it was just little by little then just filling up the notes app and then we became season ticket holders for the Liberty. And then I'm sitting next to our tickets are next to the opposing bench and getting to watch these, you know, kick ass women like after a 120 run or being on the receiving end of a 012 run and seeing, like, the way they hyping each other up. I'm sort of watching here because I take the seat right next to the Nile. Then all the coaches are here interacting with coaches, and I'm just getting to watch it. None of it's going in to, like. It's not like eavesdropping. It's just vibe. And I'm just like, this rocks. This is like. This is incredible. And little by little, I'm fading away from the. The, like,

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

the.

[Jason Sudeikis]

The hard work that it takes for all of us to put on this show that was dissipating the same way. I feel like probably mothers that have multiple children feel like the pain of childbirth. Then they're like, I'm gonna go through that again. Like, we forget that pain. We as humans forget that pain. And, you know, the sore tooth would be my comp where it's like, oh, I don't notice that pain anymore. And it's still there. I was just like, okay, what can we do? How do we do this? And we had set up. We teased the idea of the women's team, but that was merely just because I thought that's what Keely would do, you know? And now it's like, okay, what if we do this? What if we really do this? And so, yeah, it was all these little things. It was not one singular event. It was like. It was like these voices in my head, all these external factors going on, and then those two just sort of harmonize. And then. And then you say, yes, we have a friend, Bren, and I and Joe, for this director who's like, book the venue and then write the show. And so you sort of. We booked the venue and now we had to write the show because. Because for me, I'll. I'll dilly dally until the deadline is not as important as being dead. You know, I'll just keep cooking on it, you know, just from the way, you know, my upbringing and, like, the way I've worked. So once we knew, okay, we said yes, now we get. Now we got to follow through.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

And so the fact that you're, like, one of the greatest public women's sports fans, like, you are, like, it's. It's. So I really think that it's, like, cool that you've chosen to go that direction.

[Jason Sudeikis]

I mean, it's.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

It's.

[Jason Sudeikis]

It doesn't feel like a direction, though, you know, from within. Right?

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Like, and the thing I always say, because people come up to me and I don't mean to cut you off because that's such a man thing to do. But like, let me explain, you know, literally, at the WNB All Star, I'm there with my, you know, my daughter and her cousin, my niece, and we, they come and thank you so much. I'm like, no, thank you for embracing me. Because it is a community that has been cooking for, you know, decades. Yeah, I, you know, I got in maybe a little bit earlier than like, you know, the Wall street, but at the same time, it's like pure. And I'm. And I'm protective of it too. But the fact that. So I'm like, thank you right back. I mean, thank you for allowing me. Thank you for embracing me.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

So I just think that so many people will just go and sit and bring their kids and love the environment. Right. Other folks will invest. Right. The kind of investment you're making in telling a women's sports story is so important. I would love to know, like, who have you brought on as some of the stakeholders and story holders of the women's sports landscape?

[Jason Sudeikis]

Sure. Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Because I think telling that story is really important. And you just set up yourself like you're middle aged white guy. Right. Like, how do you know?

[Jason Sudeikis]

I hadn't seen middle aged.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

I can see with my eyes.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Exactly. Clear as day. Makeup can only do so much.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Here we are.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

It's a weird time.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yeah, right? It's kind of nice.

[Billie Jean King]

I love it.

[Jason Sudeikis]

You can just shoot your gun.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Exactly.

Yes.

[Jason Sudeikis]

But yeah, I mean, I mean, if you're talking about, like, specifics to the, to the season.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

I mean, one of the neat things is, you know, Karen Norton, who, you know, in early days, Angel City came

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

on as like, you put her name in the back of one of the jerseys.

You saw that?

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yep, yep. And she's on. She's in her. And then the other.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Wait, Karen Norman's in. In.

No, in the jersey. In, in the first episode or second episode. Yeah, yeah, I missed that.

It was a Norman jersey.

Yeah. I was like, this guy.

[Jason Sudeikis]

It's just a locker. Her name's in the locker. So we tell. We tell. Yeah. There's a few stories going on there that'll probably, you know, as. As the episode airs, like, we'll, you know, people ask about or notice, you know.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Oh, I love that.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yeah. That was a little shout out to her. And then right next to it was. It was our other. So we had Kara on the ownership side. You know what, like how, what, how do these machinations of women team you know, is being built and like. And just like the, the wrestling and most of it was really. Even though we're always open to someone offering and people are kind enough to do so, they're the emotional side of it. We're also just looking for, like, logistics, you know, just like, what. What really happens and then what can we do? And, you know, Brendan's so good with the sport and at large that we use that so much where it's like, then I'm always like, okay, well, will they care about that in Kansas? That's sort of my speak for, like, we don't have to go. So inside baseball. We're not a documentary, but let's use stories that are out there. So Kara was hugely helpful. And then Leah Williamson, you know, who met through our experiences there and became friends with. And just think the world of her as both just a human being and as a leader and just. And as a player. And I've, you know, she's been off and on, heard so much since I've known her kind of thing. I'm almost responsible, unfortunately. But. But, you know, got to. Got to watch her. But I would text her a question and I would just say, just, just leave voice notes. So I have like, these incredibly detailed, like, really thoughtful, expert, experiential voice notes from her that I would then, you know, then dictate or whatever.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Sure.

[Jason Sudeikis]

And then, you know, we'd offer up, or I'd read, you know, chunks of it to the. Because I told her, I was like, I'm going to play this for a room full of writers. Just so. So, you know, just so you know.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

And. And those were. Those were hugely helpful, especially with things we got cooking in the back half of the season. Some. Some stuff we've alluded to in the first few episodes, but you'll see. But it's not the show's obligation to bang the drum on things, but I think merely point the camera at, you know, and find a way to, like, yeah, play it, play it, play it as real as our tone allows.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

That's what we were just talking about

[Julie Foudy]

before we were saying, because we just

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

watched all the first four episodes last night and both of us were saying the subtlety of you hitting on all the things where it's not like in

[Julie Foudy]

your face, you know, but it's like,

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

oh, yeah, that was an issue.

And they get it.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

And like, you got it. And that.

[Jason Sudeikis]

That was giving me goosebumps. I appreciate that means a ton because that, That's a. That's the intentional part of trying, of just being like, this is here, even, even down to, like, relationships where it's just like, oh, yeah, it's not, we're not, you know, it's just like. No, it just is.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

It just is. Yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

You know, there's no, there's no box ticking or like we're trying to cover everything. It's just like, no, this is just, this is just the world and we're just, you know, showing our version of it.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Did it surprise you? I mean, you guys have won so many awards and the success of the show. Did it surprise you with how much it resonated with people?

[Jason Sudeikis]

100.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

100.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Why do you think? Yeah, why?

[Jason Sudeikis]

I don't know. I, I think if I, I'd be, I'd be bullshitting an answer, you know, if I did know, then the government would sneak me up and try to put me into a spray bottle and offer me. I, I don't want, I don't want that heat. I don't know. I, I, I could. Yeah. Because to, to know that would, would, would feel like I'm, I don't want to, I would, I would never want to spook the muses that, that, that continue to surround the show both on screen and off. It's, it's something else.

[Julie Foudy]

It was interesting having, you know, it's

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

been a minute, right, since season three. Right.

[Julie Foudy]

And so when I was watching it

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

last night, I was like, having all the emotions of what I had lived through in the first three seasons, and I was like, oh, my God, I miss this so much. Like, I didn't realize how much I missed this. And laughing at one point, like, belly laughing at one point, and then I'm crying at the next. And, like, the emotion of it all and what it brings out in you

[Jason Sudeikis]

was really, that's how I felt. In the absence of making it right and knowing that I was going to, that just me personally, I was going to be a part of that team that makes that thing that makes me feel that way when doing it, much less the way the universe, you know, rolls it back to us and ripples back to us, you know, I mean, like, yeah, it felt, it just didn't feel right to just, like, be done. It just, I just, I could close my, I could hit my, my head on my pillow. I just hear the voices of the characters we know the characters you're getting to learn, and you're just like, I can't deal with this. I gotta get rid of this, you know, and by, get Rid of it. But I give it to other people. I can't do anything with it all by myself.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Good.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

I'm glad.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

It's such a feel good. And I actually just wanna. It's kind of a curveball question.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Go for it.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

But the music, to me is so important, and for whatever reason, I feel like you and I have the same music taste.

[Abby Wambach]

I don't know if you decide on

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

the music of the show.

[Jason Sudeikis]

A lot of it, yeah. I mean, final decision, but I take it from everywhere.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

But depending on which one. I love the music. I mean, the Kansas City song from Mumford.

[Jason Sudeikis]

I've had that song and that montage in my head since probably before. Like, that was maybe gonna be the song that we fly back to with Father and son. And Cat Stevens allowed us to use the OG version. I was like, well, then that's Cook. But how do we. That was another reason to go back and do it. Because I love that song.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

I love Marcus. Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Well, I just think that the show has this tenderness and a sweetness and also the way that you can bring forward these big, actual issues around masculinity,

[Abby Wambach]

around

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

teamwork and leadership, and how this. What could be seen as, you know, just white dude.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah.

Going over playing, you know, being a coach for a soccer team. Do you, like, love this role in a way that has changed you? Like, has Ted Lasso changed who you are as a person in your personal life?

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yeah. Yeah. Because, I mean, I've said this in an interview, like, I'm not a trained actor, like, method acting. I don't know about that, but you cannot help but view the world through, like, the Richmond way, you know, like, through, like, Ted's eyes. Through Ted's, you know, like, orange tinted glasses, which makes. Intentionally makes the greens greener, the blues bluer. Like, I love me some blue blockers that, like. For that to be in your brain as you're hitting. Your head's in the pillow and in your fingertips when you're, you know, writing and doing rewrites and then portraying it and having people say things back to you, it. It's. It sticks with you. It sticks with you. And it's a. It's something that I don't. I think I would have felt it even if the show wasn't. Didn't. Didn't reach people the way it has. But the fact that it has. It's. It's very difficult for. For me to walk through a place and not receive people's stories about the way. What the show means. To them, which is, like, lovely. And I. I. You know.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

I mean, walking through an airport with my kids, and. And they get it because they're at some point, like, why. You know, they've watched the show, you know, because I want to know where dad goes and what dad's doing, why all these people are coming up and some of them even crying. But, yeah, it's.

[Hannah Waddingham]

It's.

[Jason Sudeikis]

It's very. It's. It's. I mean, it's humbling. And I feel a. I feel like there's this phrase that came up, you know, this season of Telasso that I forget where it came from. Oh, it was Paul McCartney. I mean, seeing Paul McCartney and my sister Kristen meet him at the SNL 50th, and I catch them talking to each other. Chris introduced himself, and they start. And he was telling the story of Let it Be. Like, how would the song Let It Be came out. This man's told this story for however many years, 50 years. And he's telling it, like, to my sister, as if he's never told before, with such presence. And I'm, like, looking at him because I was just chatting his bandmates. I was, like, looking. I was looking at. I go, that fella accepts the responsibility, ability of being Paul McCartney. And so, like, there's something about Ted Lasso that's like, they changed me.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

But it's like, we all. And we all have the ability to change. It's like the universe going, accept this responsibility.

[Abby Wambach]

That's right.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Like, and. And it's bigger than me, you know? Like, and I know that. And it's not just me. And it's like, it's neat when people, like, recognize that, like, I'm the Ted Lasso. At my office, I was like, yeah,

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

this will be huge for women's sports as well. Like, women's soccer globally needs such a little lift, as we know, it's. It's thriving in England and the United States and a few other countries. But, like, I hope the global lift of this will be enormous.

So we want to end this.

We always end our podcast now that we're actually here.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Usa. Usa. Usa.

But the is from the soul.

Yeah. Usa. On three. You want to call Central?

Okay. Ted's gonna count soon.

[Jason Sudeikis]

All right. On three.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah.

[Jason Sudeikis]

One, two, three. Usa. Usa. Usa.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yes, it is.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

That's a wrap.

[Abby Wambach]

That's so good, Keger.

[Billie Jean King]

Love it.

[Julie Foudy]

We missed you there. We missed you.

[Billie Jean King]

I got to see it, though, so I'm so happy. I saw. It was fantastic. It was Great. I love the way you did that ooze at the end. Perfect.

[Julie Foudy]

He's adorable, isn't he?

[Billie Jean King]

He's a real squeeze. He's a total squeeze.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. And he's been such an advocate for women's sports from the jump, which is what we talked about with him. So fun.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah. Good guy. Really enjoy him. And you know, Ted Lass, too, though. Hannah's amazing, and I saw her at Wimbledon.

[Billie Jean King]

It's so funny. You guys are talking to her, and I'm at Wimbledon talking to her. I mean, that's great.

[Julie Foudy]

The. The world's colliding.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

I had this feeling as I was watching the episodes too, of this. Like, I could. I missed his character so, so much. All the things that he brings out in you, the feelings and the emotions and. And then I started going and looking at all, like, some favorite Ted Lasso quotes. I don't know if you've gone down this rabbit hole, but, like, what. What were your fed. Favorite Ted Lasso quotes? Do you have one that's good?

[Abby Wambach]

I. I have one. Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

Be a goldfish. I like be a goldfish.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Oh, good.

[Abby Wambach]

Be a goldfish.

[Billie Jean King]

Especially for younger. Especially for younger ones. For young. Trying to help young kids. I. I like that one.

[Julie Foudy]

I used to tell my kids that all the time. I'm like, okay, remember the dead lasso?

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

If you only remember for 10.

[Billie Jean King]

Okay, it's okay.

[Julie Foudy]

Or no, 10 seconds.

[Abby Wambach]

10 seconds.

[Hannah Waddingham]

What about you?

[Julie Foudy]

I liked the quote. I feel like I just fell out of the lucky tree. I hit every branch on the way down, and it ended up in a pool of cash and Sour Patch Kids. That's what I kind of feel like with this. With this podcast. Like, I. I just fell out of the lucky tree, and I end up

[Billie Jean King]

on this, you guys. Are you kidding? Hello. I'm the lucky one of the three of us.

[Julie Foudy]

Get out of here, King. We're the lucky ones who get.

[Billie Jean King]

No, no. But thank you for. I'm just so happy I'm of a part of the team. Thank you.

[Julie Foudy]

Right, okay, well, and then coming up next, we've got Ted's boss, Rebecca, who in real life is the incredible Hannah Waddingham. And we're going to play you a little clip because this is when we were telling. We. We knew Hannah probably didn't know who the heck we were. So we were kind of telling her, like, hey, you know, we have a little history in soccer. And this is her reaction.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

And just so you know, Julie and I Used to play for the U.S. women's National Team Off.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Did you?

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

So she was the captain when I

[Julie Foudy]

came on the team.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

And so that's gangsters. Wanted you to know that we're sporty spices. Oh, my gosh. And we really appreciate, like, what Abby

only is, like, the greatest American goal scorer that has ever played.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh.

[Billie Jean King]

What the.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Oh, my God.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, Jules. So I try to be pretty intentional about the products that I buy for my family. So when it comes to laundry, I really, I. I choose All Free Clear detergent.

[Julie Foudy]

I love this.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Because we're always talking about being mindful with what we eat or what we put into our bodies, but I actually never really thought about laundry detergent in the same way.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, I know. Same. And. And when you really think about it, you're wearing these clothes all day, you're working out in them, you're traveling in them, sleeping in them, and then drying off after the shower with them on.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

So I do think it matters.

[Abby Wambach]

That's why I like that. All Free Clear uses only essential ingredients that Jules tackle tough stains and tough odors. We've got teenagers.

[Julie Foudy]

I was gonna say. And you need that.

[Abby Wambach]

It's exactly. It's gentle on the skin, so it's. It's also soft.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. And it's 100% free from dyes and perfumes and parabens. And I feel that once you know that, you can't unknow it, which is a good thing.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Totally.

[Abby Wambach]

I know. And for me, between our kids and sports gear and just life, there's just always stains, stains, st. Always stains. Like, there's always something happening.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, always. And honestly, I do feel like workout clothes and watch washing them and especially Declan's, like, layers of workout clothes and how many he puts on a day is a full time job.

[Abby Wambach]

Exactly. But. But that's what's great. Right? Because it actually works on all of that. But I still feel good about using it for everyone in the house and myself too.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. I love that you can look at the back of the bottle and actually see what's in it and what each ingredient actually does. That level of transparency, by the way, is not just something you usually get with laundry detergent. Plus, my son Declan has really sensitive skin. He has some allergies, so I love that. As I was saying, there's no dyes or perfumes, since those can be irritating to his skin. And as we know, skin is an organ, we worry about what we put on the inside of our bodies, so we should also care about what touches our skin too, with clothes and what we wash them in.

[Abby Wambach]

I know. And that is why it makes it such an easy choice. Jules.

[Julie Foudy]

It works and it's a clean you can feel good about.

[Abby Wambach]

Pick up a bottle of all free clear detergent for your next laundry day.

[Julie Foudy]

ABS we talk a lot on this show about why sports matter. And obviously it's beyond wins and losses because for so many girls, sports are where, as we know, you build confidence and you find community and learn what you're capable of. And we've lived it, we've loved it. And that's what really stood out to us. When we read Dove's research, they found that one in two girls who quit sports are criticized for their body type. So this is a pressure that takes away the joy of playing and ultimately, as we see now, pushes them out of the game. And that's why we love that. Dove is helping girls build body confidence so that they can stay in sports and love sports. And it's through its Body Confidence sports program. Created alongside leading experts, Dove provides tools and resources to help these girls. And the Girls are ages 11 to 17 and they help them develop stronger body confidence and continue hopefully playing the sports they love. It's encouraging, as we know, to see a brand investing in something bigger than the game itself and especially helping more girls experience everything sports can offer both on and off the field. And from now until December 31st, ABS your Dove purchase helps keep girls in sports. Learn [e-mail] purchasetodonate and visit dove.com to learn more about the Dove Body Confident sport program.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Welcome back party people. From the moment we met Rebecca Welton on the Ted Lasso series, we knew she was a force. She began the series trying to destroy AFC Richmond to get revenge on her ex husband. But over time, she became the heart of the club and one of Ted's closest friends and confidants. And now Rebecca's story has come full circle. After arriving at Richmond determined to tear the club down, she is helping build its future with a women's team at the center of it.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Let's go.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

And the woman who brings Rebecca to life is the equally powerful Hannah Waddingham, an English actor and singer who spent more than 25 years working in theater and television before Ted Lasso made her an international star. She is a four time Emmy nominee and won in 2021 for her role as Rebecca. She is also a single working mom who has been refreshingly honest about the pressure, exhaustion, yes, and guilt that can come with trying to do both. And her connection to women's sports goes well beyond Ted Lasso. She hosted Hustle Rule, a podcast sharing the untold stories of women's soccer. And during the 2023 Women's World cup, she helped lead the Watch Women's Sports campaign, encouraging more people to support women athletes, inspiring young girls to find their own place in sports. She's also not afraid to call out sexism, to stand up for when women are being disrespected. Hannah has said that women, for her generation, have a responsibility to make sure younger women and girls know their worth and demand that same respect.

This season, Rebecca takes on a women's football team, something almost as challenging. Kansas City barbecue.

[Julie Foudy]

This will make a lot more sense

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

if you watch the first episode. Party people. She can act, she can sing, she can run a football club, and she is never afraid to say exactly what needs to be said. Hannah wanting him.

[Julie Foudy]

Welcome to the party. Welcome to the party.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Let's go.

[Billie Jean King]

Yes.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yes.

Wow.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I love it.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Hannah.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Hi, guys.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yes.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, first reaction.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

When you heard season four was going

[Hannah Waddingham]

to be about women's soccer, I thought about time, too. We've had three for the boys.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Come on, man. Yes.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yes. Because certainly. Sorry. First of all, I lost my voice watching the Spain Argentina match. When Spain won. I like, Yeah,

[Julie Foudy]

I know. We all wanted to.

[Hannah Waddingham]

And now I've lost it again from laughing my ass off last night. Am I allowed to swear? Just as right. Thanks.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Any of this better?

[Abby Wambach]

Great.

[Hannah Waddingham]

No. Or we can.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yes, you can.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Okay.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

I. All the time.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Great. So I've lost it from that and from the party afterwards. Just having far too much. A lovely time. When I heard about the women's team, I actually thought, when were we finally going to get round to this? Because when Keeley gives Rebecca that kind of dossier of suggestion, I just thought, well, when did we start that? Like, in a year or so. Now that it's knocked on, I was like, guys, what's taking you so long?

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Right?

[Hannah Waddingham]

I mean, and also, Jason has such a love of women's sport. All women's sport. I did just think, dude, dude, come

[Billie Jean King]

on now, get going.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Get writing. Yeah, well, we did say that to

[Julie Foudy]

him because when that last scene happened, I was like, there's gonna be another season. And then we kept waiting. We were like, I know.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

When is there?

[Hannah Waddingham]

Me, too. I mean, I have said everywhere, when are we gonna shut the man in a cupboard and get him writing again? And then, you know, encourage the other writers in our writer's room to come and play because they're just. I can't say it enough. They are just extraordinary writers. Of all the characters, they're so three dimensional. They're these incredible spheres that just knock into each other, and that's not common for the writing to be this good.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah. What I think is so fascinating about the season already is especially in your role as the owner of A.C. richmond. Like, I think about how being a woman in a position like that where there's all the other owners and she's one of one. She's one of one. And then you have one of those original scenes when somebody says to you, well, do you need to have a woman coach? And so here you are being a woman, one of one, having to grapple with. Is Ted going to be the women? Should he be? I'm a feminist. I'm a feminist.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Right. But at first, she doesn't even. It's the fact that she doesn't even question is going to be a match.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

And there are these subtleties that are written into this show that as former pro footballers, as former pro gangsters, we totally understand. I'm curious if this happens in your professional life, the telling of this story

of

women being unseated or less popular or less invested in. In terms of acting and in your professional life, like, is that something that you manage?

[Hannah Waddingham]

I haven't had that so much. I have suffered very much at the hands of being too tall for the man that's already been cast. So for the first. I'd say first 15 years or so of my career. Yeah. They would always be very polite and lovely. They, oh, we love her work, but we've already cast the man and he's 5 foot 8. There would never be a conversation about casting me first or. Which is why even actually, Jason might tell you. When he and I first met, I said, would you be okay with me being in heels? Because I feel like it would be. It's a kind of. Certainly in season one, there was an aloofness about Rebecca that I thought very much needed to have that status, that extra level of don't talk to me. And he was just like, yeah, knock yourself out. And there's never been. If you look like. If you look at the. There's a scene at the end of episode one of season four. I don't want to spoil it. It's a double head. You know, it's two heads and you see that size.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Height difference.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I'm a tall, but I think they lean into it.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

I think it's so awesome as well.

[Abby Wambach]

I think it's so awesome.

[Hannah Waddingham]

And whenever he and I meet anywhere, they don't diminish my height. And that's a first for me.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Me. It's interesting. Yeah.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I mean, but what you were saying about the. The fact that Rebecca is learning that she's perhaps not the feminist she was. I very much grew up with that, personally.

[Abby Wambach]

Wow.

[Hannah Waddingham]

You're indoctrinated. My generation were indoctrinated in a very kind of. This is just the natural order of

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

things the way it is.

[Hannah Waddingham]

But I grew up with the natural order of things where a girl just piped down. A girl didn't have a sword, a girl didn't play all the sports. A girl. In my family, it was rowing and rugby. What do you do? You know, you don't do rowing and rugby. They're boys things. What is wrong with you? That's a boys thing. So I loved having this outlet with Rebecca of thinking she's a feminist and then being called out by Alice of Albany.

[Billie Jean King]

So good.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Is great.

[Billie Jean King]

So good.

[Julie Foudy]

It was a great scene.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

And then that you just kept coming back to it. But, like. But no.

[Julie Foudy]

And then I got Eleanor Roosevelt's role.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Y. Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

And now I'm picking up the greatest.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Full time.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah. All women.

[Julie Foudy]

And then in the press conference room.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah.

[Hannah Waddingham]

All women, all the time. Always.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

And the undertone of that, I think, is so interesting, because even powerful women, we have. We have one in our country, Michelle Kang. She's a football team owner. She's trying to own a team on every continent.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Even owners have to make decisions. Right. And sometimes they are not in line with feminism itself. Yeah. And bringing attention to it, I just think was such a brilliant, brilliant move. For sure.

Yeah, it is.

[Hannah Waddingham]

It is so. It's so clever that. Because I don't know if you guys get this. I said, you know, when you were doing your intro, if a man spoke how I speak in the press, he would be seen as speaking his mind.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yeah.

[Hannah Waddingham]

But the amount of times I go into an interview and they go, ooh, you're a feisty one. And I just think, no, you just simply would not say that to a man. And I'm not here to have a fight with you, but let's just find the humor in the fact that you absolutely would not say that to a man.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

That's right.

Do you say that out loud?

[Hannah Waddingham]

Of course I do.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Oh, I love it.

[Abby Wambach]

You got it.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Because the next person that walks in is teaching them a little bit of a lesson.

I love it.

[Hannah Waddingham]

And it doesn't have to be uncomfortable. And we're not asking to be greater than stronger than whatever. We just want parity.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

But you also, the subtlety of also showing your vulnerability as a leader, I think is also beautiful. And your mentorship of Keely, like, we talk about this all the time, right. With our podcast and as teammates, as like the importance of that with women to women and that women aren't fighting each other for a seat at the table. You're turning and pulling her along with you.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Absolutely. Which is beautiful of Rebecca from day one that hasn't reached out to Keely, asked to come along, put her foot on the bottom rung of the ladder and yanked her up with her. And it's really wonderful to see that. In fact, somebody was saying earlier, you know, when Rebecca is keeping the dossier from Keeley, is that that she thinks she's inferior in the workplace because she's this kind of dolly female. And I said, it didn't even cross my mind. Rebecca doesn't have an inch of that in her.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Her.

[Hannah Waddingham]

She's simply trying to encourage Keeley to perhaps not lead in a knee jerk way and that she's just trying to mentor her into it all. It's not that she thinks she's less than. She just knows that she has this vulnerability to her where she just leads with her impulses, you know, so there's no kind of attrition there either. But it's interesting that the journalist picked it up that. Oh, is there a bit of. Are you doing that for. It's an obvious kind of historical way of looking at it that women would be pitted against each other.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

If you could tell Michelle Kang, knowing that you are playing this role and it's make believe. If you could tell Michelle Kang, the other female owner, that our world knows about something that you've learned in producing this show this season, what would it be?

[Hannah Waddingham]

Oh, my God.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

From what you feel, what. From what you've understood and the research

[Hannah Waddingham]

that you've done, I'm sure that she doesn't need me to say the main thing for me.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Buy more teams.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Which.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Easy answer.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Which is buy more teams.

[Billie Jean King]

Buy all of the teams.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Exactly.

[Billie Jean King]

Exactly.

[Julie Foudy]

What were you gonna say?

[Hannah Waddingham]

I was actually gonna say that Never, never allow your voice to be silenced ever. By anyone.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yep.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Follow your gut first. Take counsel, but follow your gut.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Okay, on that note, the last, last thing we're gonna do with you, we have this.

[Julie Foudy]

We have this fun thing.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

If you can't do it, you can't do it because you're.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I mean, I absolutely can't. You can hear well, it'd be a

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

good one for you to teach your team because you'll love it. We do this thing where if you're at like a big meeting and it's serious. We used to do this in this big camp I ran with kids. Or it's like this, you know, anything, like, big gathering.

[Julie Foudy]

You can say, jason, hit me with an and I.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Or it could be anyone. Brendan, hit me with an and I. Yeah. And if someone tells you, if I

[Julie Foudy]

say, abby, hit me with an and

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

I,

I will always

[Hannah Waddingham]

start a little high there.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Sorry, I'm not a singer. Clearly.

[Julie Foudy]

Love you

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

sing.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Oh, see?

[Julie Foudy]

Can you hit it with a horse?

[Abby Wambach]

Hit us with an air knife.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Absolutely not. I'm so mangled. I'm so mangled. We're going to get you next time, Hannah.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Next time after a premiere.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Next time when I'm not, I want

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

to see that with like a Jason or a Brendan.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Come on.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Keely would love that.

[Hannah Waddingham]

But the best bit is the trying to work out where it comes in. Yeah, I think it's like seven and a half beats in or something.

[Abby Wambach]

Thank you so much.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

We really appreciate you spending this time with us.

[Hannah Waddingham]

It's great to spend and Congratulations. You can hold me to that next time.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Okay.

[Hannah Waddingham]

All of the singing know this.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

You are now going to be a women's sports figure in it forever. Like when. When people buy into the women's sports world, women's sports fans are amazing.

[Abby Wambach]

So, like, you are going.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

You are going to feel it for sure.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Well, I'll be there.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

So when you hear me in the

[Julie Foudy]

crowd going, Anna,

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

you're like, julie. Where is she?

Also, here's some caps for you.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Oh, my God.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Yes.

[Hannah Waddingham]

All of the caps. Oh, my God.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Oh, look. Yeah.

So you know, that's for usa. That's the USA Women's National Team.

Wait, wait, that's a cheer. That's our cheer. So in 1985, our women's team went to Italy and they. The. The Italians only could read phonetically, and so it has maintained for 40 years. It is the same cheer our US women's national team does.

Last thing on the field.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Oh, my God. These are immense. So what is usa? Usa.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Usa.

[Julie Foudy]

We go usa.

[Billie Jean King]

Usa.

[Julie Foudy]

Usa.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I love it.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Exactly.

[Billie Jean King]

Annie would be perfect for it.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Oh, my God. Can I come and do that with you?

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

For sure.

[Hannah Waddingham]

On the pitch.

[Unknown Female Host/Guest]

Let's go. Let's go.

[Abby Wambach]

Awesome. Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

What I just realized, Abs, is we haven't. We haven't hit Kinger with. Hit me with an and I.

[Billie Jean King]

What?

[Abby Wambach]

Oh, my gosh.

[Billie Jean King]

We should.

[Julie Foudy]

Well, Kinger, hit me with an and on. This is when you have to go. Okay. Abby will demonstrate. We used to do this at camp.

[Abby Wambach]

I'm not demonstrating.

[Julie Foudy]

When someone says, hit me with an and I. You have to go.

[Billie Jean King]

Are you kidding me?

[Julie Foudy]

I said, we'll always love you. We were trying to.

[Billie Jean King]

We.

[Julie Foudy]

We were trying to get Hannah to do it.

[Billie Jean King]

She's got a great voice.

[Julie Foudy]

The horse voice, as you.

[Billie Jean King]

As you heard. I know, but it's too bad, because I. I saw her Christmas show, and England. She can sing, boy. She can sing.

[Julie Foudy]

Hit me with an and.

[Billie Jean King]

Can't happen, cougar. I'll have to practice.

[Julie Foudy]

We can do hard things. Hit me with an air die.

[Billie Jean King]

I can't do hard things. I need a pitch.

[Julie Foudy]

We're going to get that out of you one day.

[Billie Jean King]

Can you. Oh, I was in Glee Club. I gotta go back to my Glee Club days.

[Julie Foudy]

Kinger. What we also saw as we were watching the four episodes, and this isn't giving away too much, so we're allowed to say is that they pan to these sticky notes that the assistant coach, who is a woman, had on her desk. Coach Chilton. And it, of course, the first one they panned, it says, pressure is a privilege, Billie Jean King.

[Billie Jean King]

Oh, wow.

[Julie Foudy]

Did you know?

[Billie Jean King]

I kind of saw it quickly, but I. I don't know. I get all embarrassed when I see things like that.

[Abby Wambach]

So good.

[Billie Jean King]

It was nice to be include. It was great to be included. Yeah.

[Abby Wambach]

Yep.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. All right. So Wednesday, Richmond's new women's team finally takes the field when season four of Ted Lasso premieres on Apple tv. And I think it's gonna be another huge success.

[Abby Wambach]

We believe.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, we definitely believe.

[Billie Jean King]

You just have to wait for the locker room scene. That tells me everything about women's sports right there. Yeah, that's all I'm just. Just telling people, get ready. It'll knock your socks off.

[Julie Foudy]

So good. It's so good. Okay, don't forget to subscribe to the welcome to the party YouTube channel. Click that little bell icon so you can get updates when new episodes go live.

[Abby Wambach]

And if you take one minute, we would appreciate it to raise.

[Jason Sudeikis]

Great.

[Abby Wambach]

Leave a comment and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And be sure to follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and wherever you get your socials at. Welcome to the Party show where Julie, Billy, and I will bring the party straight to your feed. You can also email [e-mail] and party people don't forget we have a Substack come over sign up. Follow us on welcome to the party show.substack.com we show behind the scenes stuff and just some things we're thinking about. Thanks again Kate Diaz for our theme music. Bring it in you guys. OUSA on three. Are you ready? 1, 2, 3.

[Julie Foudy]

USA.

[Abby Wambach]

Welcome to the Party is an independent production brought to you by Treat Media. Treat Media makes art for humans who want to stay human. Initial Digital is our production partner and you can can also watch our full conversations on the welcome to the party YouTube channel and follow us at welcome to the Party show on Instagram and Tik Tok. Thanks for listening.