On May 5, Netflix hosted “The Roast of Tom Brady” which brought in 13.8 million viewers on the night of its live premiere. This controversial roast brought different types of viewers from fans to haters; it was quite popular and did not disappoint.
A roast is a type of event where comedians, relatives and close friends joke about a person and make fun of certain aspects of their career, personality or achievements. Roasts are typically controversial, considering the jokes can be personal and even cross boundaries. However, the person chosen to do the roast must accept the idea before they get roasted on live television. It is completely up to the person to decide whether the roast will happen or not.
Some celebrities and comedians that attended Brady’s roast included Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Bill Belichick, Kevin Hart and Nikki Glaser. There were surprise appearances from Kim Kardashian, Ben Affleck and Will Ferrell, who reprised his role as Ron Burgundy from “Anchorman.” However, while Ferrell was a great addition to the roast, it felt random to have him portray a past character.
Some of the best acts of the night had to be Glaser, Edelman and Belichick. Recently, Glaser has had an uproar in popularity because of this performance.
“Tom Brady: five-time Super Bowl MVP, most career wins, most career touchdowns,” Glaser said. “You have seven rings–well, eight, now that Gisele gave hers back.”
While this comment was funny, many wondered if she crossed a line. Now that Brady has gone through the roast, he has stated how he wished his family was kept out of it. However, his divorce is a big part of his life, and it was inevitable that it would be brought up during this event. Eventually, Glaser apologized for the comment.
Another act that brought attention was Jeff Ross. While he may have been a bit over the top, some of his jokes were some of the best of the night.
“Tom, I wanted you to be our first GOAT to be roasted because you’re an example to future generations,” Ross said. “If you work hard, eat right, film the other team’s practice, deflate the footballs and have the NFL make new rules just for you, you too can be the third-most famous guy in a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial.”
This joke was what I wanted more of: clean jokes that were not too personal by referencing Brady’s past career. Jokes like these are what made the show a must-watch.
The celebrities who attended also referred to Brady’s cheating scandal in 2015 where he allegedly deflated the football to catch the ball more easily. I appreciated how they brought this up and how Brady and some of the previous players on the Patriots team finally owned up to their actions and made fun of the act themselves.
Another aspect that I liked was that Brady was not the only one being roasted. Comedians and celebrities who participated in the roast were also open to being made fun of in a harsh, but respectful, way.
“Tom is afraid of the Giants, which is why Kevin Hart is hosting tonight,” Tony Hinchcliffe said.
This was a great way to soften the blow for Brady and to take some of the focus off him. It was nice to see these comedians receive a bit of their own harsh comments to understand the reality of their words
Brady had to sit the entire night, taking blows left and right without being able to talk back until the football player received the opportunity to take shots back. His monologue was a great way to receive recognition for his record-setting career while still being able to say a few comments back to his co-stars.
While there are positives and negatives to a roast, Brady shared how it affected him. He stated he did not appreciate how it affected his kids and how he would not want to participate in a roast again. The roast did affect how viewers saw Tom Brady, whether it was a celebration of Brady’s wins and records or just making fun of how far the football player has come. While harsh jokes were dropped left and right, the comedians and celebrities did an excellent job of staying respectful at the end of their monologues and made sure Brady’s achievements were recognized in a positive light. Overall, whether one loves or hates Brady, “The Roast of Tom Brady” is a must-watch.
Contact Grian Foley at [email protected]
