Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney send satirical cease and desist to AppleTV+ after Wrexham football club dig on 'Ted Lasso'
- Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney aren't happy with Ted Lasso.
- The Pair sent AppleTV+ a satirical letter threatening legal action over a joke on the show.
- The joke made a dig at the pair's ownership of the Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney shared a lighthearted cease and desist letter addressed to AppleTV+ to express their disapproval of a "Ted Lasso" joke that poked fun at their ownership of the Welsh football club Wrexham AFC.
Hollywood actors Reynolds and McElhenney completed the surprise purchase of Wrexham AFC last year with a $2.5 million investment into the club. And on the latest episode of "Ted Lasso" titled "Rainbow," Higgins, played by Jeremy Swift, joked that he "can't tell if them buying the club is a joke or not."
Over the weekend, Reynolds and McElhenney both shared tweets with their satirical letter that threatened legal action against Apple TV+, which also shows McElhenney's comedy "Mythic Quest," over the gag.
"It has come to our attention that in a recent episode of 'Ted Lasso' our very real ownership of Wrexham AFC was called into question by an otherwise beloved character named 'Higgins,'" the actors wrote.
"While we hold the incomparable Jeremy Swift in no ill regard and are honored to be mentioned on the platform that's brought us high-quality programming ranging from 'Mythic Quest' season one to 'Mythic Quest' season two, we must insist that you cease and desist from the casting of any doubt regarding our commitment to the club, the fans, and the entire Wrexham community."
The letter concluded with a demand.
The two actors wrote that if Apple wants to avoid further legal action, they must send "2 large boxes of Ted Lasso's biscuits" to Wrexham AFC's stadium before 3 pm on Saturday 21 August, the day of the club's first 2021-2022 season fixture.
This is a clever reference to Jason Sudeikis's hyper-positive character on "Ted Lasso" who is known for gifting his boss a box of bespoke biscuits every morning as a peace offering.
It's unclear whether Apple managed to meet Reynolds and McElhenney's deadline, but Wrexham AFC had to settle for a 2-2 draw over the weekend as their opponents Solihull Moors FC nabbed a late equalizer.
This isn't the first time that a joke or pop culture reference in "Ted Lasso" has inspired a real-life response.
Last month, Diane Sawyer shared a clip from the shop where Sudeikis's character said he would like to date Sawyer with the caption, "Dear Ted Lasso - I'm in. Your move."
"Ted Lasso" has become the surprise TV hit of the year. The show's first season racked up a historic 20 Emmy nominations - a new record for a freshman show.
During a recent interview with Insider, Jeremy Swift said that he believed the show's success is due to its positive outlook.
"It's like a warm bath while eating a very lovely custard tart. It's just incredibly enjoyable," he said. "It's just an incredibly enjoyable watch and you don't have to work hard like, 'Oh, what's going on here?' It's very smart without patronizing you and it's just adorable. It's heart-meltingly adorable without being saccharine."