Comedian Jeff Ross thinks roasting can help heal our world, and Netflix’s ‘The Roast of Tom Brady’ was a huge step in the right direction.
“I live in Roast World,” says Ross, executive producer of the special. “But I think the rest of the world is getting back in touch with their sense of humor and leaving the politics out of it – which was a mission of mine, to make it so inclusive and fun, so people could let loose. I think that helped. It was a break for the fans.”
The Brady special was the largest project that Ross, who has been making roasts at the Friars Club since 1995 and eventually brought them to television as a special on Comedy Central, has ever helped put together.
He had been discussing the idea for three years with the champion quarterback, who is also an executive producer on the project, and the special grew to the size and scope of an NFL spectacle: an extended three-hour live comedy event on Netflix, held at the massive Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
By assembling a line of killers from comedians (like host Kevin Hart and breakout Nikki Glaser), top athletes (including Brady’s former teammate Rob Gronkowski and rival QB Peyton Manning) and other big stars (Ben Affleck, Will Ferrell and Kim Kardashian) says executive producer Casey Patterson said it was the perfect marriage of concept and roastee.
“It was a little surprising at first to hear that Tom was a fan of this style of comedy, but then you scratch the surface,” she says. ‘You say, ‘Of course. It’s locker room talk.’ It’s so endemic to the sport that it made perfect sense. But what was surprising was that he could quote every roast and you said, “Oh, this guy has a real love for comedy.” Being a stadium player and knowing how broad his shoulders are, he really understands this style of comedy. They are going to hit you hard, but it comes from the people who know you.”
Ross confirms that the secret to toasty comedy is that the best jokes are “backhanded compliments” and can make the entire audience laugh.
‘You tease them. You build them up to tear them down,” he says. ‘You hit them for something they are proud of, not something they are ashamed of. The fact that he has all these Super Bowl wins and wonderful love affairs in his life and all this knowledge around him – that’s what’s funny to me. It reminds me of roasting any other large shot. It’s a credit to Tom that he sensed that. He wasn’t sure what was coming his way and he was open to it. To me, the perfect roast joke is something that everyone understands, even if they’re not a football fan. Even if they’re not sports fans, they can still understand what this is about.”
The combination of big stars, big jokes and the ropes of live TV created a pop culture phenomenon.
According to Nielsen ratings, 1.7 billion minutes were watched, and postgame analysis flooded entertainment news sites for days: who killed it, who bombed and Brady’s real thoughts on the jokes drove headlines and clicks.
Even though things seemed tense at the time, Ross says it was all love between Brady and the roasters. One of the most talked-about moments came when Ross made a joke about Patriots owner Robert Kraft getting a massage, which was reminiscent of the billionaire’s 2019 arrest on suspicion of prostitution at a Florida massage parlor. Although those charges were eventually dropped, Kraft sat in the audience and the joke seemed to trigger Brady, who walked up to Ross and whispered into a hot microphone, “Don’t say that again.”
Kim Kardashian and Jeff Ross speak on stage during “The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady.”
Getty Images for Netflix
“It didn’t even make sense to me at this point,” Ross says. ‘Tom is my friend, my partner. I didn’t feel like he was coming towards me. I feel like he was fun, and I was in the zone. I didn’t even remember that happening until people asked me about it later. I think he was just mad at me for stealing his OJ entrance so I apologized for that. But Tom was a great sport and so was Robert Kraft. Robert Kraft is used to being in his private box. Here he was in the field, along with everyone else, getting muddy. I have to give him a lot of credit for that.”
While Glaser was crowned the funniest set of the night online, Ross also praised the non-comedians who held their own, including Kardashian, who was audibly booed.
“I was impressed with Kim,” he says. “She worked very hard on her roast and stayed until the end. She wanted to stay there and take the hits, and I have to give her credit for that.
He also applauded former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who took a different approach to the roast and met with the writers to tailor his jokes. When he seemed nervous, Ross invited him to the Comedy Store.
“I said, ‘You can do a rough rehearsal, and I’ll play Tom. It doesn’t give you the jitters,” Ross recalls. “He rehearsed, he practiced and that’s what makes these guys champions.”
The outstanding special Emmy nomination for live variety is a testament to the hard work of the massive production team, says Patterson.
“It was risky,” she says. “I have the same feeling behind the camera. You have to be brave warriors to put yourself out there like that and do something like that live. You can all get killed, right? I am so happy for the team and the way they handled the process.”
While Ross is interested in taking home some Emmy hardware — “It’ll be fun to see Tom figure out how to wear an Emmy on his finger,” he jokes — he’s just happy to see that roasts, after all that still make an impression over the years.
A prominent sign in his home that reads “Enjoy the Process” helps him stay focused, whether he’s telling jokes at a comedy club or in an arena.
“For me, it’s more of a state of mind that goes beyond the actual day-to-day work,” says Ross. “There are good days, there are bad days, there are great days and there are terrible days. If you spend your entire career waiting for your Emmy nomination, you’re going to be miserable. If you can find joy in trying on the jokes, trying on costumes, hiring your friends, working with your friends… If you can find joy in the ups and downs of it, then that to me is the goal. That is the path to a long career.”
As for the future of televised roasts? Ross keeps his dream punching bags to himself, but he’s glad a streaming service took a chance on his comedic passion.
“I have to give Netflix credit,” he says. “I think it was a bold move to do it live, and that’s why it became this cultural moment.”