Thundergong! goes ‘Golden’: 4 highlights from record-setting KC charity event
Thundergong!, the celebrity charity event hosted by Overland Park native and “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis, once again brought laughter, joy and lots of singing to a sold out Uptown Theater Saturday, Nov. 8.
The event raises funds for his friend Billy Brimblecom Jr.’s Steps of Faith Foundation, which provides prosthetics to people across the United States who do not have health care.
The ninth edition of Thundergong! brought actors Will Forte, Brendan Hunt, Cristo Fernandez and Sam Richardson; musicians “Weird” Al Yankovic, Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee; Paralympians Lindi Marcusen and Ezra Frech; and influencer April Lockhart to Kansas City to entertain the over 1,000 people in attendance.
“It means a lot to me that I get to do this with Jason and all these other folks that have become really great friends,” Brimblecom said at a press conference Friday, Nov. 7.
People from 43 states and eight countries flocked to midtown Kansas City to watch three hours of the Thundergong! crew take turns singing their favorite songs and dressing up in different costumes, all to set a new record for the most money the event has raised for the foundation.
Here’s what you might’ve missed inside the record-setting event.
Brendan Hunt’s many costumes
Fans know Brendan Hunt nowadays as Coach Beard, one of Ted Lasso’s assistant coaches on the hit Apple TV series that premieres its fourth season in 2026. At Thundergong!, Hunt took on quite a few different looks.
He performed the night’s third song, a cover of rock band Jet’s hit “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” in normal attire: a Thundergong! hat, button-up shirt, jeans and shoes. Things took a drastic turn for his look not too long after.
Before Hunt returned to the stage, Forte informed Sudeikis and the crowd that Hunt was no longer available, but that he found a suitable replacement in the former of Optimus Prime, the main character in the “Transformers” franchise.
Out came Hunt dressed in an Optimus Prime costume, where he had to remind Forte that he was actually “Not-imus Prime,” to avoid any copyright infringements. He then led the crowd in an exciting rendition of Tom Cochrane’s “Life Is A Highway.”
Forte later interrupted Sudeikis to tell him once again that Hunt couldn’t perform, but that taking his place was “Piggy Stardust,” and out came Hunt dressed like British rock star David Bowie wearing a pig’s nose, and sang “Ziggy Stardust” and “Suffragette City.”
Hunt had one more costume in store, but he had some additional help to complete this group look.
Thundergong!’s soda pop
Near the end of the show, Forte channeled his kids’ latest interests by donning a purple wig similar to a character from the hit 2025 Netflix movie “KPop Demon Hunters,” and sang the Grammy-nominated song “Golden,” That wasn’t the only wig he had with him from the movie.
Not giving his vocals any rest, he was immediately joined by Hunt, and Yankovic made his first on-stage appearance to perform “Soda Pop,” from the movie’s rival boy band Saja Boys. Each one had a hairpiece resembling the characters’ hair, and Fernandez joined the trio midway through the help with the performance.
The song choices drew a generational divide, as the younger audience members could be seen singing along, while the older ones looked confused at what was happening.
Weird Al’s long-awaited return to the stage
Yankovic is a frequent guest at Thundergong! and Sudeikis’ other celebrity-run charity event, Big Slick. Fans at Thundergong! couldn’t wait to see him on stage again, but they had to wait almost two and a half hours before they got their first glimpse at him.
Right after his group performance, he took the stage solo. He started by sharing a story where he was asked what people should call him, and received suggestions like Mr. Yankovic or just “Weird” Al.
He jumped in to the most fitting song: Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.” The master of covers didn’t change any lyrics to the classic song, but he did later break out one of his iconic parodies in unison with its inspiration.
One of the final performances saw Richardson begin with a verse from Stevie Wonder’s “Pasttime Paradise.” Sudeikis came out after the verse and sang a part of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which samples the Wonder song. Fans in the crowd could figure out what was next, which was Yankovic performing his parody song, “Amish Paradise.”
Before everyone joined the stage to reveal the total amount raised, he sang Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” while pink balloons and beach balls were passed around the crowd and on stage.
Support from the amputee community
Marcusen, Frech and Lockhart each took the stage at different parts of the show to update the crowd on how much money was raised, and how important this night is to them.
Each of them are members of the amputee community, with Marcusen losing her leg in a car accident and Frech and Lockhart both born without limbs (Frech was born without most of his left leg and Lockhart was born without her left hand).
Marcusen said that she was too stubborn to let one day ruin her life, and has since set the American record of 14.95 seconds in the women’s 100-meter T63 race. She also said that it costs seven times more for an adaptive athlete to get involved in sports, and that organizations like Steps of Faith help bridge the gap.
Frech won a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic games in the men’s 100-meter T63 race, and was thankful for the support.
“This is a community, this is a village,” Frech said.” Let’s keep the ball rolling.”
Lockhart said that days like Thundergong! are so much important than people realize. On top of supporting people by giving them the means to walk or gain access to other prosthetic limbs, she said they’re also supporting a purpose in their lives by making them feel less alone.
Lockhart said that she felt alone for the first 30 years of her life because of her limb difference, and would hide her arm in every job interview. She’s since used her social media platform to inspire others, and is grateful to Brimblecom Jr. and Steps of Faith for welcoming her like family.
“I never thought I’d be where I am today, and meeting Billy and the Steps of Faith team has made such an amazing mark on me,” Lockhart said.
This story was originally published November 9, 2025 at 5:15 AM.
