Hannah Waddingham & Jason Sudeikis Turned A Bittersweet Similarity Into A Deep Friendship

"Ted Lasso" stars Hannah Waddingham and Jason Sudeikis are super close IRL, and not just because they both enjoy joking around. Far from it, one of the things that bonded them right from the start was single parenthood. 

Waddingham spoke about her and Sudeikis' relationship in an interview with Hello!, telling the outlet they'd gotten on immediately. "When I came over here [to Los Angeles] for the chemistry read in 2019, it was effortless straight away. ... It's something we've never had to think about," she said. Specifically, she explained, "We meet mentally and emotionally on being single parents." That ultimately turned into hanging out with their respective children, and Waddingham revealed, "He and I always take his two and my one to the theater. He loves doing that in the West End."

Of course, Waddingham's relationship with Sudeikis goes beyond the fact that they're both single parents, and she's also told People that their friendship is grounded in mutual support for one another. "We are great pals and celebrate each other wholly," she said in December 2023, referring to Sudeikis being included in her "Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas" special and him inviting her to perform at his Thundergong! charity event. Waddingham added, "He has been in recent years my greatest champion." It wasn't the first time she said something to that effect either. A few months prior, she credited him for much of her success on "Live with Kelly and Mark." And it should be noted that she specifically mentioned how his support impacted her as a solo mom raising a daughter. "I'm a single mum. And for her to see me go off and do all of this stuff for me and her ... it's all been given to me, if I'm honest, by Jason," she said.

Despite the fact that Hannah Waddingham has always spoken so glowingly of her "Ted Lasso" co-star, some will remember that in June 2026, a rumor began doing the rounds that there was tension between her and Jason Sudeikis. This, because she'd joked to Variety about his habit of tweaking the script. While "Ted Lasso" fans no doubt appreciated what that brought to the show, Waddingham had quipped, "He and I have an ongoing love-hate relationship that he changes it last minute." Unfortunately, some stopped at the "love-hate relationship" portion of her comment, and soon enough, there was chatter that the co-stars couldn't stand each other. However, Waddingham stepped in quickly to call it out. "For the first time ever I am finding it necessary to silence the utter bollocks being written about a 'rift' between me and my beloved, long-standing friend and acting partner Jason Sudeikis. Ridiculous, clickbait," she penned in an Instagram Story (via Entertainment Tonight). 

As for Sudeikis himself, he decided not to weigh in on the rumors, but he's spoken just as highly of Waddingham over the years. And, even if Waddingham credits him with her success, he's even subtly reminded the world that she'd been great long before "Ted Lasso." On "Timeless Moments," he pointed out, "She's always been fantastic."

While "Ted Lasso" itself has been a major hit with viewers because of its story, there's no question the cast's real-life friendships only add to how well-received it's been over the years. We love seeing how Waddingham and Sudeikis big up one another, and even though she's ditched single life after nearly a decade for her dreamy surgeon boyfriend, we'll always love knowing that she and Sudeikis bonded over solo parenthood, bittersweet or not.