The concept of a ‘roast’ is a distinctly American thing, with countless celebrities having braved a banquet in their honour that doubles as an occasion to mercilessly mock every fibre of their existence, with Tom Brady next in line thanks to Netflix.
The streaming service has announced The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady will be broadcast live on Sunday, May 5th at 8pm ET. Typically, these events feature a litany of special guests and people who know the subject better than most, but so far Brady’s roast is keeping its surprises under wraps.
That being said, Kevin Hart has been named as the host of The Greatest Roast of All Time, but the more notable by far is the presence of Jeff Ross. The comedian is known as the ‘Roastmaster General’ after becoming a stable of the specials that used to air on Comedy Central, where he was involved in every single one dating from 2005 to 2019.
Among the targets placed in his crosshairs during that time were Pamela Anderson, William Shatner, Bruce Willis, Justin Bieber, Alec Baldwin, Joan Rivers, and even Home Alone 2: Lost in New York star Donald Trump, and the recurring theme is that Ross has never been one to pull his punches.
Brady stands out as somewhat different, though, if only because he gained fame as an athlete. Largely acknowledged as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, he spent 23 seasons playing in the league for the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
During that period, he set records for the most Super Bowl trophies after winning six during his 20-year stint with the Patriots, before adding a seventh to his collection upon joining the Buccaneers, with longevity only burnishing his legend after he played into his mid-40s before retiring.
As one of the most famous sportspeople in America – and one of the NFL’s most prominent legends – Netflix has placed plenty of pressure on itself by dubbing Brady’s gala as The Greatest Roast of All Time. Whether or not it lives up to that lofty billing remains up for debate until it airs, but the brief teaser trailer does at least indicate the platform will be pulling out all of the stops.
Let’s hope Brady has thick skin, then, because celebrity roasts have a habit of hewing as near the knuckle as possible, and they’re not afraid to air some dirty laundry, either.
