Jason Sudeikis’ KC fundraiser goes viral, breaks record, thanks to ‘Ted Lasso’ duet
“Ted Lasso” co-stars Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham created a viral musical moment at his annual Thundergong! charity show over the weekend that social media users declared “epic.”
They sang “Shallow,” the Oscar-winning song performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the 2018 movie “A Star Is Born.” And people loved it so much that, as of Tuesday, it had drawn more than 600,000 views on YouTube alone.
It was only upstaged by the triumphant moment at the end of the show when audience members learned they had contributed to raising a record $804,267 — $200,000 more than last year.
And three days later that amount is rising thanks to national and international coverage of the “Shallow” duet, a Thundergong! spokesman told The Star on Tuesday.
The music and comedy variety show is the brainchild of Sudeikis and a friend, drummer Billy Brimblecom. It raises money for Steps of Faith Foundation, which provides prosthetic care to amputees needing financial support. Brimblecom lost his left leg to Ewing Sarcoma in 2005.
Before Saturday, Thundergong! had raised about $2.1 million in the last six years.
“Kansas City, you do not disappoint,” Sudeikis told the crowd when the total was revealed Saturday night. “Thank you for helping someone you might never meet. It matters.”
This year’s show, as in the past, was full of familiar faces from “Ted Lasso,” another Sudeikis creation.
Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard and co-created “Ted Lasso,” had appeared at Thundergong! before. So had Sam Richardson, nominated twice for an Emmy for his guest role as Edwin Akufo.
But this was the first Thundergong! appearance by Waddingham, the British actor and singer who plays AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton. It was her first visit to Kansas City, too.
“I would say, besides (comedian) Fred Armisen, who couldn’t be here this year, she’s the one person who overlaps as being a comedian, but then also is an equally gifted singer,” Sudeikis said at a press conference the day before the show.
“So we’re all very excited about that, especially the band because, you know, they don’t have to cover her mistakes like they do for myself and the other comedians.”
Last year, country legend and Thundergong! veteran Wynonna Judd rocked the show with a “somewhere between hell and hallelujah” version of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
This year Sudeikis and Waddingham claimed most memorable moment, making dozens of headlines.
Actually, Sudeikis made the Uptown Theater crowd think he was going to duet with Will Forte, his former “SNL” castmate, telling him “there is nobody I would rather sing this song with,” as he began singing Cooper’s part.
But before Forte could follow with Lady Gaga’s part, Waddingham walked out and took over the stage and the song.
(For more about the fundraiser, see stepsoffaithfoundation.org.)
Waddingham will show off her vocal wizardry again when she hosts a musical special, “Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas,” set to premiere Nov. 22 on Apple TV+.
The Hollywood Reporter says the trailer for the show “promises an old-fashioned kind of special filled with music, dancing and a bunch of guests.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2023 at 10:03 AM.
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