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Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Entertainment
Riley Utley

I Was Shocked That Jason Sudeikis' Time On SNL Helped Inspire Ted Lasso's Keeley

Jason Sudeikis Ted Lasso SNL Keeley Jones Keeley Hazell Adam Sandler Tina Fey AFC Richmond Juno Temple Mike Myers
From left to right: Jason Sudeikis dressed as the devil during SNL's Weekend Update and Juno Temple as Keeley Jones in Ted Lasso.

Keeley Jones is an iconic Ted Lasso character, and her journey to becoming a beloved businesswoman has been wonderful to watch. Now, she’s helping spearhead AFC Richmond’s women’s team, and she really is in full boss mode in the season of the comedy airing on the 2026 TV schedule. With all that said, I was shocked to learn that Jason Sudeikis’ experience on Saturday Night Live actually helped inspire Keeley’s arc.

Now, Keeley is partially inspired by former pinup Keeley Hazell (who played Bex in Ted Lasso). But Saturday Night Live and Sudeikis’ early years in comedy informed Juno Temple’s character, too. This came up during an interview the actor who plays Ted Lasso did in 2021 with Jeremy Egner (via his book Believe). Here’s what he had to say:

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