NFL pregame shows have often experimented with comedy in various forms. Fox NFL Sunday has perhaps been particularly known for that, especially with the work of comedians Frank Caliendo and Rob Riggle as cast regulars (from 2003-2011 and 2012-2019 respectively). And that show did an interesting segment this week, bringing in comedian Jim Gaffigan to pose as a therapist consulting fans of the Saints, Raiders, Bears, and Jets on “playoff delusion”:
🏈🤣 @JimGaffigan is here to help football fans struggling with playoff delusion pic.twitter.com/pNWacmHBqz
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 24, 2024
That’s pretty funny, especially with the repeated alcohol pours into his coffee cup and the couples’ counseling spoof around the Bears. And it’s notable on a few fronts. One is the team selection: Fox’s NFL package is mostly focused on the NFC, but there are two AFC teams here with the Raiders and Jets (with the latter maybe just a further example of the Aaron Rodgers effect and the overall focus on that team). But it’s interesting that they were still able to work in Gaffigan’s local team in the Bears (he was born in Elgin, Illinois and raised in Chesterton, Indiana).
Also, this adds to Gaffigan’s football prominence this week. He guested on the ManningCast Monday, where he mocked the hosts’ quarter-zips and also regular guest Bill Belichick (“If you couldn’t get Belichick, were you going to get Dick Cheney?”). And that saw further discussion of his football past, including walking on at Purdue and then transferring to Georgetown, where he played alongside current Cleveland Browns’ defensive coordinator Jim Schwarz.
It’s been a notable year for Gaffigan. He played Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election, and his new hour-long special The Skinny is set to headline Hulu’s push into stand-up comedy. (Both of those topics were covered in a The Hollywood Reporter feature on him this week, from Lacey Rose.) And now he’s tearing up the football world as well, between ManningCast and Fox NFL Sunday appearances.
[NFL on Fox on X]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.