Tom Brady’s Netflix roast features lots of humor
Before Tom Brady faced criticism as Fox Sports’ top NFL analyst, he received jokes from comedians, former teammates, and even his longtime coach. This all happened during a special comedy event streamed on Netflix three months earlier.
After enduring three hours of jokes and one-liners during “The Greatest Roast of All Time” at The Forum, it’s safe to say Tom Brady will bounce back just fine. “It’s like a football game. You run with a game plan, and then you get to see how the strategy goes, and then you adjust on the fly,” Brady remarked before the event. “This is what a locker room has been like for me all these years. So it’s not like I’m used to people not making fun of me.”
Comedian Nikki Glaser, whose monologue stole the show, likened the roast to “the comedians’ Super Bowl,” highlighting the heightened competition as everyone aimed to outdo each other.
During the event, Tom Brady faced more blitzes and pressure than in an average NFL game, with a lineup of impressive comedians, former teammates, and opponents taking the stage. Host Kevin Hart set the tone by declaring that no topic was off-limits, diving straight into jokes about Brady’s ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen.
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“Gisele gave you an ultimatum. She said you retire or we’re done. When you’ve got a chance to go 8-9 and all it will cost you is your wife and your kids, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” Hart quipped, referring to Brady briefly coming out of retirement in 2022 for one more season.
The only time Brady objected to a joke was when Jeff Ross referred to Patriots owner Robert Kraft and massages. In 2019, Kraft faced a misdemeanor charge for allegedly paying for sex at a Florida massage parlor.
Brady walked up to Ross and whispered, “Don’t say that again,” but his words were caught on the microphone.
Later, Robert Kraft and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick took a shot together on stage after some coaxing from Hart.
Belichick was let go in January after 24 seasons with the Patriots, sparking discussions about tension between the six-time winning Super Bowl coach and the owner in recent years.
Joking about the event feeling like a reunion, Robert Kraft quipped, “Unlike many family reunions, there are some people I am desperately trying to avoid.” However, he then went on to praise Belichick for their achievements together.
“I want to say this is the greatest coach in the history of the game who did what no one else has done. Having Tom Brady and him was the greatest honor the good Lord gave me,” Robert Kraft stated warmly.
Belichick wasn’t the only one taking shots. Rob Gronkowski got Belichick and Brady to do a shot together after his monologue. Gronkowski celebrated by spiking his shot glass.
Belichick made an appearance at the start of the roast in a pre-taped segment. He joked with Brady, saying he was “starting the roast” instead of Drew Bledsoe. Brady famously replaced Bledsoe in 2001 after Bledsoe was injured in a Week 2 game against the Jets, leading the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title that season.
“For all of you out there who wonder who’s responsible for the Patriots’ success during the time Tom and I were together — was it Tom or me — in reality, the truth of the matter is it was both of us because of me,” Belichick quipped.
Brady did get in a playful jab at Belichick’s expense towards the end of the show.
“I’ve been out of the game for a minute, so I’m curious, how many Super Bowl rings have you won since I left?” Brady quipped. “Maybe it’s not just the guy on the sideline. When I go to the Indy 500, I don’t ask the winning driver, ‘Hey, did you gas up your car?'”
Hart mentioned before the show that he believed Brady was in a fantastic mindset approaching the event. Brady indeed seemed well-prepared, having gone over his monologue with a group of people, including those at Fox Sports.
“You have to be able to laugh at yourself, and I love that he’s doing it in this forum,” Hart remarked. “I love that he’s embracing the things that some people think he shies away from. It’s a celebration of greatness, and we’re doing it in a fun way.”
Bledsoe also noted that Brady has always had a sense of humor, but this event presented a different stage.
“I thought he was very brave. There’s plenty of material to make fun of him,” Bledsoe said. “The truth is, when you’re a professional athlete, roasting each other is kind of what we do every day in the locker room. So, you better have thick skin going in. Now, people get to laugh along with it.”