The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady was less a roast than a torching. Somehow, Brady kept his blinding smile through all three hours of it.
The GROAT, which streamed live as part of Netflix Is a Joke Fest from Inglewood, California, on Sunday night, was hosted by comedian Kevin Hart. He did not mince words, introducing the ceremony by asking if 49ers legend Joe Montana was in fact the GOAT QB being celebrated. Nope. It was indeed Brady, who earned seven Super Bowl wins over 23 seasons, mostly with the New England Patriots. And the Kia Forum suddenly looked a bit different to Hart, a noted Eagles fan: “Tom brought Boston with him,” he said. “I’ve never seen Inglewood so white.”
The proceedings moved on to roastmaster general Jeff Ross. He was no less brazen in his approach, arriving “straight from hell,” per Hart, on a carnival-like float dressed as a football player in a jersey referencing the late O.J. Simpson, fake blood dripping down his outfit. “The Juice is loose,” Ross announced. “If the gloves don’t fit, you must talk s—.”
Though Hart made it clear he was the lone superstar in attendance, guests did not hesitate to serve discomfort, whether it was comedian Nikki Glaser’s exquisitely sharp barbs, Kim Kardashian’s self-deprecations, or former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe — whose reign before Brady took his job was a favorite joke among the sold-out crowd. There was no shortage of other athletes, both teammates and rivals: Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, and in a twist, Peyton Manning. Meanwhile, tight end Rob Gronkowski, the butt of numerous punchlines, didn’t fail to deliver some cracks.
Those weren’t the only funny and/or athletic people to approach the dais. Comics whom Hart (mostly) lovingly referred to as “terrible podcasters” brought an unexpected amount of heat: Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura, Andrew Schulz, Sam Jay, and Tony Hinchcliffe, whose wild rapid-fire boiling of just about everybody onstage brought Hart to actual tears.
But the biggest surprises of the night were, without a doubt, Ben Affleck, bringing next-level Boston pride and earnest notes for the team, and San Diego’s finest newscaster. That’s right: None other than Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy — mustache, suede jacket, and all — appeared out of nowhere to talk about how he both “hates” Brady and can’t help getting “lost” in the GOAT’s eyes. Burgundy also had a very special way of pronouncing “Gisele Bündchen,” the name of Brady’s ex-wife, that must be heard.
In addition to Hart, The Greatest Roast of All Time is executive produced by Ross, Casey Patterson, Jeff Clanagan, and Brady himself for Hartbeat.
The live special aired on May 5 at 5 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EST) during Netflix Is a Joke Fest. You can stream it now on Netflix.
Netflix Is a Joke Fest is taking place in Los Angeles from May 2 through May 12, with over 400 live stand-up shows across 35-plus venues and a dizzying number of professionally funny folks. General information and more exciting announcements about this year’s lineup and how to buy tickets can be found at netflixisajokefest.com.
The GROAT went on for three hours, which should be expected when roasting the most loved — or bullyable, depending on where you stand — quarterback of all time, with 23 NFL seasons under his belt.
