Jason Sudeikis Kept His ‘Ted Lasso’ Tribute to Ex Olivia Wilde on the Show After Their Split

usmagazine.com:

Still close to him. Jason Sudeikis revealed that his nod to Olivia Wilde on his hit series Ted Lasso will continue to be on the show after their split.The actor, 46, showed Norah O’Donnell around the Apple TV+ show’s locker room as the cast prepared to shoot season 3. “He pointed out on the set Ted Lasso’s writers named members of the [AFC Richmond] team after friends, family members and former mentors,” the journalist, 48, said during the Sunday, March 13, episode of 60 Minutes.While O’Donnell did not mention Wilde, 38, specifically, fans later noticed that one of the lockers features the last name Cockburn, which is the actress’ real surname.

The locker came across the screen when the correspondent noted that some of the fictional soccer team’s members were named after the writers’ family members.Sudeikis not only stars on Ted Lasso as the titular AFC Richmond coach, but he also is a co-creator of the beloved comedy.

He credited Wilde in July 2021 with encouraging him to pursue the idea back in 2015.“It was there, the night at dinner, when Olivia was like, ‘You should do it as a show,’” he told GQ, adding that he workshopped the pitch with her at the time.Sudeikis previously gave Wilde — with whom he shares son Otis, 7, and daughter Daisy, 5 — a shout-out during his March 2021 Critics’ Choice Awards acceptance speech after Ted Lasso won Best Comedy Series.“I want to thank their mom, Otis and Daisy’s mom, Olivia, who had the initial idea to do this as a TV show,” he said. “She was like, ‘You and Bill [Lawrence] and Joe [Kelly] love doing that so much you should do it as a TV show.’ I was like, ‘No.’ She was right.”Wilde and Sudeikis began dating in November 2011 and got engaged in January 2013.