Jason Sudeikis Explains How Donald Trump's Presidency Influenced His 'Ted Lasso' Character

Does Ted Lasso have Donald Trump to thank for its success?

In a new interview, star and creator Jason Sudeikis revealed if it wasn't for the businessman's chaotic presidency, his titular character would be a completely different person and much more "belligerent."

The actor, 47, admitted his character — who's known for his naïveté and optimism — changed due to "the culture we were living in."

"I’m not terribly active online and it even affected me," he said of the political sphere taking a toll on everyday life. "Then you have Donald Trump coming down the escalator. I was like, ‘OK, this is silly.’"

The dad-of-two said he was shocked at what Trump, 76, and his followers "unlocked in people," noting, "I hated how people weren’t listening to one another. Things became very binary and I don’t think that’s the way the world works. "

Becoming a father — Sudeikis shares son Otis, 9, and daughter Daisy, 6, with ex Olivia Wilde — also weighed on how he formed his character, with the Saturday Night Live alum explaining, "As a new parent, it was like, ‘Boy, I don’t want to add to this.’ Yeah, I just didn’t want to portray it."

On the other hand, the funny man praised Joe Biden, who he first met while serving as Barack Obama's vice president.

"He’s a very warm guy. It’s like meeting your good friend’s father or your young friend’s grandfather," he recalled. "He just makes you feel at home and that home just happened to be the White House for that afternoon."

More recently, this past March, the cast of the AppleTV+ comedy spoke at the White House to spread mental health awareness — an opportunity the television star will never forget.

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"It’s nuts, man. I haven’t even looked at the pictures of the White House yet because I want it to just live up there for a while as this amazing firework show rather than saying, ‘Oh, boy, why did I wear sneakers?’" he quipped. "On the day I got a text from my mom saying, ‘Make sure you don’t wear sneakers to the White House.’ I was like, ‘Too late, Mom.’"

The Guardian spoked with Sudeikis about how Trump influenced Ted Lasso.