"The Roast of Tom Brady" was filled with a ton of laughs, even if the jokes would at times reach levels that many would find inappropriate.
During the Netflix (NFLX) live-streamed roast on Sunday night, Brady was targeted for his divorce, football cheating scandal, and beef with Bill Belichick, while others in attendance also were the targets of personal attacks — including Kim Kardashian.
Tom Brady absolutely bodied Kim Kardashian tonight pic.twitter.com/EUFnKLJ1az
— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) May 6, 2024
Despite the bevy of personal shots, most of those present seemed to take the roast in stride. However, there was one moment that seemed to have crossed a line that Brady didn't want to pass.
Related: Netflix is the real winner of the Tom Brady Roast
"Roastmaster General" Jeff Ross was one of the first comics on stage, and he made a joke alluding to Brady's first ever meeting with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Ross joked that Kraft asked Brady if he "wanted a massage," which was a roast calling back to a story about Kraft alleged escapades to massage parlors that offered sexual activities.
Brady approached Ross after the joke and was heard on the microphone telling Ross to stop.
"Don't say that sh— again," Brady tried to whisper into Ross' ear.
Tom Brady wasn't a fan of this Robert Kraft joke...
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 6, 2024
Felt like a near Will Smith moment.pic.twitter.com/UX89tlw7f1
The incident didn't take away from the rest of the roasts that night, which left some speculation as to whether it was scripted.
But former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe confirmed to "The Dan Le Batard Show" that it was not scripted and that Brady genuinely told off Ross.
"That was an authentic moment," Bledsoe said. "We're sitting up on the stage so I can see the teleprompter, I can see what's scripted and what's not, and that was not scripted. Tom came up and made sure they weren't getting after our buddy RKK."
Related: Will JJ Redick choose an NBA coaching gig over the media? Here are the pros and cons
“That was not scripted. That was Tom genuinely coming to his defense.”
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) May 6, 2024
- @DrewBledsoe reveals that Tom Brady did in fact shut down the Robert Kraft slander after Jeff Ross made a joke at Kraft’s expense last night at the #TomBradyRoast
📺 https://t.co/cbWw5reQTc pic.twitter.com/sm7rylSRJd
Bledsoe added that he didn't even know Kraft was coming until the day itself specifically because he thought that jokes attacking Kraft's controversy would not be mentioned.
More Sports Media:
- NBA could secure nearly $7 billion in deal with ESPN, Amazon, and NBC
- What the Netflix and WWE deal means for the future of the media industry
- ESPN's Jason Kelce signing showcases Disney's new strategy, per Dan Le Batard
He also said that there was a discussion beforehand about what jokes were allowed — and most of it was except for targeting people's children.
"We talked earlier when we were doing some of the pre stuff — you can't go to the kids and then I told them that I wouldn't do any Kraft jokes," Bledsoe said. "But other than that, everything was fair game."
Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024
