The Cast Of “Ted Lasso” Appeared At The White House To Talk About Mental Health, And A Reporter Got Into It With Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

President Joe Biden introduced his “Unity Agenda” during the 2022 State of the Union address, and part of that was the aim to improve mental health care in the US. So yesterday, he had (Joe Biden impersonator) Jason Sudeikis and several other members of the Ted Lasso cast visit the White House’s press room to promote the idea that most of us grapple with mental health struggles at one point or another or at least know someone who does, so we should discuss it more often. On the Apple+ show, the titular character regularly sees a therapist because of his severe panic attacks. But, the cast’s appearance started out a little chaotically when White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to get the discussion started, and a reporter began loudly sparring with her and claiming that she never calls on him. The awkwardness in the room was comparable to that time when Jason had his ex, Olivia Wilde, served with custody papers on stage at CinemaCon.

President Biden teased the event by posting Ted’s trademark “Believe” sign outside the Oval Office:

Tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/XPNAfqnzEj

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 19, 2023

According to the New York Post, once the event got started, Simon Ateba, who’s a reporter for Today News Africa, got started as well, going toe-to-toe with KJP because he says she hasn’t called on his loud ass in seven months. Apparently, he thought this very public display was how to turn his luck around. Jason and the rest of the cast stood behind KJP and didn’t really know what to do with their faces.

“You’ve been discriminating against me, you’ve been discriminating against some people in the briefing room!” Simon Ateba of Today News Africa loudly shouted at Jean-Pierre, criticizing her for not calling on him, a repeated complaint of his.

The White House press secretary shot back, “We’re not doing this” — and said it again several times as Ateba continued to heckle her from the gallery.

Meanwhile, Sudeikis and his hit show’s co-stars Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Brett Goldstein, and Toheeb Jimoh awkwardly stood behind Jean-Pierre before their visit with President Biden and first lady Jill Biden to discuss mental health.

An embarrassed Jean-Pierre turned around and quipped to the stars, “Welcome to the press briefing room.”

She then said to Ateba, “Are we ready? Are we going to behave?”

When he continued to shout, she turned to Sudeikis and said, “I apologize.”

The “Saturday Night Live” alum responded, “No, it’s OK, it’s alright.”

Here’s the tiff:

The cast of Ted Lasso is at the White House Press Briefing and it began with @simonateba telling Jean-Pierre "you're making a mockery of the First Amendment." pic.twitter.com/PxZnRBvTWI

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 20, 2023

Jason was eventually able to do what he came there to do, though Simon later got into it with another reporter who basically told him to STFU.

Sudeikis said “the wish fulfillment of the show” is helping people take care of each other like the players on his fictional AFC Richmond team do.

“No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter who you voted for, we all probably, I assume, we all know someone who has, or have been that someone ourselves actually, that’s struggled, that’s felt isolated, that’s felt anxious, that has felt alone,” said the 47-year-old comic actor.

“It’s actually one of the many things, believe it or not, that we all have in common as human beings,” he said.

“It’s something that we can all – and should – talk about with one another when we’re feeling that way or when we recognize that in someone feeling that way.”

But even after Sudeikis addressed reporters about the group’s mental-health cause, Ateba’s outburst continued, with Jeff Mason of Reuters finally jumping in to try to calm things.

“If you have grievances, you should bring them to her later,” Mason told the griping reporter.

Here are Jason’s remarks:

Actor Jason Sudeikis and the cast of "Ted Lasso" are visiting the White House to discuss the importance of addressing mental health.

"I truly believe that we should all do our best to help take care of each other," Sudeikis says. pic.twitter.com/fMUvyC2OSH

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 20, 2023

*TRIGGER WARNING: Tucker Carlson’s face ahead* And because Fox News is probably finding any and every excuse to not talk about what might be happening to HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED today, Tucker had Simon on his show last night, where Tucker objected to the White House not having a doctor talk about mental health (“yeah because his viewers are totally obedient to doctors,” sighed the pandemic) and for “promoting a TV show.” Simon said a lot of words that pretty much amounted to “waaaagh”:

Ted Lasso’s mental health journey aside, Jason also seems like someone who knows what he’s talking about when it comes to going through it; the sweat angel from his driveway has barely dried, and he doesn’t have access to his favorite salad dressing anymore!

Pic: Chris Kleponis/Pool/CNP/startraksphoto.com