Get ready to hear the Tom Brady story like you've never heard it before.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion will be back on center stage. However, this time it was not a soccer match venue. Instead, Brady is the focus of Netflix's first-ever live celebrity roast show.
The former Patriots and Buccaneers star will likely retire after 2023, freeing up his schedule for other road trips and business opportunities. What football fans probably didn't picture on Brady's post-retirement bingo card was that he was the center of joke sessions.
The concept of a celebrity roast has been around for quite some time, with its origins dating back to the 1940s. While the popularity and frequency of events has fluctuated in recent years, Netflix is dipping its toes into this space and hopes to add to the growing selection of entertainment on its platform.
What exactly is a celebrity roast, and what is the history behind it? Sporting News explains.
More: Who's Roasting Tom Brady? Bill Belichick and Julian Edelman Show Highlights to Guests on Netflix Special
What is a celebrity roast?
A Celebrity Roast is an event where a famous person highlights the many jokes made at their expense by other colleagues or celebrities.
The person at the center of the roast usually sits and listens as each guest stands up and tells a prepared joke. While most of the fuss is directed at the night's celebrities, other guests usually can't help but be teased as well.
Usually, at the end, the guest of honor gets up and has the last laugh, sending attendees into a frenzy to end the night.
When was the first celebrity roast?
The origins of the celebrity roast date back to the 1940s.
In 1949, the first roast was held at the Friars Club, a private club in New York known as a popular spot for people in show business. The guest of honor that night was French singer Maurice Chevalier. The Friars Club became known for its private gatherings where certain celebrities were the butt of the jokes all night long.
The Friars Club may be the birthplace of celebrity roasts, but Dean Martin made the sessions popular. In the 1970s, the format grew to a wider fan base with his roast of Dean Martin, a television event by a famous actor/singer.
Roasts have evolved over the years, but gained momentum again in the 1990s and 2000s when Comedy Central started doing more roasts. The network's most famous versions of the event included roasts of William Shatner, Charlie Sheen, Donald Trump, and James Franco.
Why is Tom Brady roasting celebrities?
Brady has not revealed exactly why he agreed to be the subject of Netflix's first-ever roast. But he's a great addition to the company as it seeks to enter the celebrity roasting field.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion retired after the 2022 NFL season. He is considered the greatest player in NFL history, so it's no wonder he's the center of attention.
All in all, the night is sure to provide some laughs for everyone, as fans will likely get even more inside information on the best anecdotes from Brady's playing days on and off the field.
