Chaos erupted as the cast of the hit television show “Ted Lasso” visited the White House to discuss the importance of mental health.
Jason Sudeikis, along with other cast members of “Ted Lasso,” met with President Joe Biden to promote mental health awareness on Monday.
“It is truly an honor to have Coach Lasso here with us today,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the White House press briefing. “There’s a real message around mental health. And (Sudeikis and his ‘Ted Lasso’ castmates) are meeting with the president and the first lady … on this important topic.”
However, White House reporter Simon Ateba interrupted Jean-Pierre and called her out for continuously ignoring his questions.
Absolute chaos in the White House Press Briefing as @simonateba yells at Jean-Pierre for not giving him a question in seven months. Other reporters get very angry at him. pic.twitter.com/0g0nVwBQmU
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 20, 2023
“You’re making a mockery of the First Amendment!” Ateba shouted. “This is not China! This is not Russia,” as the room turned into a frenzy.
“No, no, no, no, no. Nope, that’s — we’re not doing this,” the press secretary told the reporter as he continued to harangue her in front of the cast.
Other journalists chimed in, saying, “Decorum, please,” and “Let her start.” Ateba pressed on, asking, “Will you agree that you’re making a mockery of the First Amendment?”
Sudeikis, co-creator and star of the series, took to the podium and spoke about the “importance of addressing your mental health to promote overall well-being.”
“No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter who you voted for … we all know someone – or had been that someone ourselves actually – that’s struggled, that’s felt isolated, that felt anxious, that’s felt alone,” he said. “It’s actually one of the many things that, believe it or not, that we all have in common as human beings.”
He also told reporters about the importance of the show’s theme of inclusivity when it comes to its mental health messaging.
“We encourage everyone, and this big theme of the show, is to check in with your neighbor, your co-worker, your friends, your family, and ask how they’re doing and listen sincerely,” Sudeikis continued. “I mean, you all ask questions for a living but you also listen for a living, so I’m preaching to the choir.”
