Jason Sudeikis joins Mumford and Sons on stage to sing the Ted Lasso theme song

Fans of Mumford and Sons who filled Madison Square Garden in New York City on Tuesday, August 11, got more than they bargained for. Midway through the concert, cameras panned across the venue and spotted a familiar face in the crowd: Jason Sudeikis, the creator and star of the Apple TV series Ted Lasso. He was nodding along and smiling as he recognized the show's theme song, but he didn't stay in his seat for long. Sudeikis leapt up and sprinted toward the stage, much to the delight of everyone around him.

Once on stage, Sudeikis made himself right at home. He gave keyboardist Ben Lovett a slap on the backside, then made his way over to singer Marcus Mumford to belt out the chorus together. The two stood face to face and sang the lines "'Cause, yeah, might be all that you get / Yeah, I guess this might well be it / But Heaven knows I've tried." The night ended for Sudeikis on stage with a warm embrace from Mumford, before the actor walked off to thunderous applause from the crowd.

The Ted Lasso theme was written by Marcus Mumford and composer Tom Howe, with Mumford providing the vocals. The song received an Emmy nomination in 2021. In recent years, Mumford has taken on a number of musical projects outside the band, including a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" in 2020 and contributions to the soundtrack of the 2013 Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis, which starred Oscar Isaac and Mumford's wife Carey Mulligan, among others. Isaac would also take the stage later that same evening to perform the folk song "Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)" from that film alongside the band. Mumford also joked to the crowd that he would send Ted after them if they didn't settle down.

Sudeikis's appearance fits a pattern of unexpected public cameos. Earlier this summer he showed up during the halftime show of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final, where he appeared in character as Ted Lasso alongside Brendan Hunt, who plays assistant coach Beard in the series, giving Justin Bieber a pep talk ahead of his performance. That halftime show also featured Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy, Chris Martin, and the Muppets, among others.

Ted Lasso returned earlier this month for a fourth season, in which a retired Lasso tries to balance life as a father in Kansas City with the temptation to head back to Richmond to coach a new women's football team. The unexpected coming together of Sudeikis and Mumford at Madison Square Garden felt like a living expression of the spirit the show has carried for years: warmth, surprise, and a touch of absurdism arriving at exactly the right moment.