Jeff Ross on Organizing the Tom Brady Roast, the Art of ‘Backhanded Compliments’ and Defending Kim Kardashian: ‘I Was Impressed’
variety.comWilliam Earl Comedian Jeff Ross thinks roasting can help heal our world, and Netflix’s “The Roast of Tom Brady” was a huge step in the right direction. “I live in Roast world,” Ross, an executive producer on the special, says. “But I think the rest of the world is getting back in touch with their sense of humor and leaving politics out of it — which was a mission of mine, to make it as inclusive and fun so people could let loose.
I think that helped. It was a break for the fans.” The Brady special was the biggest project Ross, who has been doing roasts since 1995 at the Friars Club and eventually brought them to television as specials on Comedy Central, has ever helped to assemble.
He had been discussing the idea with the champion quarterback, who is also an executive producer on the project, for three years, and the special grew to the size and scope of an NFL spectacular: A sprawling three-hour live comedy event on Netflix, held at the massive Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
By amassing a murderers’ row of comedians (like host Kevin Hart and breakout Nikki Glaser), A-list athletes (including Brady’s former teammate Rob Gronkowski and rival QB Peyton Manning) and other big stars (Ben Affleck, Will Ferrell and Kim Kardashian), executive producer Casey Patterson says it was the perfect marriage of concept and “roastee.” “Hearing that Tom was a fan of this style of comedy was, at first, a little surprising, and then you scratch the surface,” she says. “You’re like, ‘Of course.
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