Jason Sudeikis

Jason Sudeikis Reveals His First Name Isn't Really Jason

A star with a stage name is nothing new, but the Emmy-winning funnyman revealed to TODAY that his first name is actually something different

Jason Sudeikis
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

You think you know Jason Sudeikis? Well, do you know that he’s not even Jason Sudeikis?

Wait, what? OK, let us explain.

The “Ted Lasso” star, who won an Emmy for title role in the show that also took home the best comedy series Emmy, revealed that his name is not actually Jason during the 3rd hour of TODAY Monday when he played a game of "True or False?" with hosts Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones and Jill Martin.

“True or false? Your real name is Daniel?” Jill asked him.

“That my real name is Daniel? My first name? That’s true. I was Daniel Jason. He’s (my father) Daniel Joseph, and my mom decided to call me Jason, so that we knew which one she was yelling at,” he joked.

The family lore doesn't end there, though. Sudeikis also shared that actor George Wendt, best known for his portrayal of Norm on the classic NBC sitcom “Cheers,” is his uncle.

“That’s my mother’s younger brother," he said.

Wendt received six Emmy nominations for his work on “Cheers,” which won the best comedy series Emmy four times during its 11-season run. So Sudeikis and “Ted Lasso” have some work to do before he can claim family bragging rights. 

Of course, he may not get the chance to scoop up that much hardware, since it’s not clear when “Ted Lasso” will end. Jill begged him not to end the show after the upcoming third season, but Sudeikis wouldn’t give anything away.

“That’s one that even Wikipedia might not know,” he said.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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