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‘Ted Lasso’ Cast to Visit White House to Promote Mental Health

Jason Sudeikis arrives at the season three premiere of "Ted Lasso" on March 7, 2023, at Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
Jason Sudeikis arrives at the season three premiere of "Ted Lasso" on March 7, 2023, at Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
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‘Ted Lasso’ Cast to Visit White House to Promote Mental Health

Jason Sudeikis arrives at the season three premiere of "Ted Lasso" on March 7, 2023, at Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
Jason Sudeikis arrives at the season three premiere of "Ted Lasso" on March 7, 2023, at Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)

Actors from the smash-hit comedy series "Ted Lasso" will meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday to discuss the importance of mental health, the administration said Sunday.

The Apple TV+ series, whose third season premiered March 15, delves into various characters' mental health, with storylines tackling issues with bullying, anger, relationships and self-esteem, as well as panic attacks.

The show stars Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, an out-of-his-depth American football coach who is recruited to lead a dysfunctional English soccer club in the aftermath of its owners' divorce, and as Lasso faces his own mental health issues.

The president and First Lady Jill Biden "will welcome Jason Sudeikis and the cast of Ted Lasso to the White House to discuss the importance of addressing your mental health to promote overall well-being," the White House said in a statement.

"'Ted Lasso' has inspired the world through its universal themes around optimism, kindness, and determination, and the Lasso philosophy to 'believe,'" Apple TV+ said in a statement, as reported by entertainment news outlet Deadline.

Biden on Sunday tweeted a photo of the Oval Office with a sign reading "BELIEVE" taped above the door -- a reference to Lasso's mantra.

The Biden administration said it has expanded mental health resources for young people and provided nearly $500 million to help states transition to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Anyone experiencing a mental health or suicide crisis can access confidential counseling by calling or texting 988 in the United States to reach the hotline.

"Ted Lasso" won Emmys in 2022 and 2021 for best comedy, best lead actor in a comedy for Sudeikis and best supporting actor in a comedy for Brett Goldstein, among other wins.

After winning in 2021, Sudeikis said the show was about family, mentors and teachers, and teammates.

"And I wouldn't be here without those three things in my life," he said.

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Lady Gaga to Rock Copacabana Beach with a Free Concert for More than 1 Million Fans

American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga (L) performs during a rehearsal before her concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 02 May 2025. (EPA)
American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga (L) performs during a rehearsal before her concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 02 May 2025. (EPA)
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Lady Gaga to Rock Copacabana Beach with a Free Concert for More than 1 Million Fans

American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga (L) performs during a rehearsal before her concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 02 May 2025. (EPA)
American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga (L) performs during a rehearsal before her concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 02 May 2025. (EPA)

Lady Gaga will give a free concert on Copacabana Beach Saturday night, the second such show in as many years organized by Rio de Janeiro's City Hall.

The show will be the biggest of the pop star’s career, as it was for Madonna who also turned the expansive stretch of sand into a massive dance floor last year.

The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June.

“It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars, restaurants, and retail, generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima, the city’s secretary of economic development, in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month.

Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028.

Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday. The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since, as it geared up to welcome the Mother Monster for her first show in the country since 2012.

Rio’s metro employees danced to Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song “LoveGame” and gave instructions for Saturday in a video. A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out. And “Little Monsters,” as her fans are known, sang and danced in front of Copacabana Palace where the pop star is staying, in the hope of catching a glimpse of her.

Rio’s City Hall said in a recent report that around 1.6 million people are expected to attend and that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (some $106 million) into Rio’s economy, nearly 30% more than Madonna’s show.

While the vast majority of attendees will be from Rio, the event is expected to attract Brazilians from across the country and international visitors.

Ingrid Serrano, a 30-year-old engineer, made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show.

“I’ve been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,” said Serrano, who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga’s outlandish costumes over the years.

For her, the mega-star represents “total freedom of expression - being who one wants without shame.”

Lady Gaga's more than 2-hour performance is scheduled to start at 9:45 p.m. local time. Sixteen sound towers have been spread along the beach to ensure the hits resonate across the vast space.

Rio state’s security plan includes the presence of 3,300 military and 1,500 police officers, and 400 military firefighters.

Rio officials have a history of organizing huge concerts on Copacabana Beach.

Madonna's show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year, while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994. According to Guinness World Records, that was the biggest free rock concert in history.