'Ted Lasso' Co-Creator Opens Up about Gay Storyline

Brendan Hunt, who co-created and stars in the Apple TV+ sports comedy "Ted Lasso," revealed what's up with the show's new gay storyline. Read on only if you've seen the episode or don't mind spoilers.

The latest episode of the Jason Sudeikis-led sitcom – the third in Season 3 – reveals that one of the players of Welsh AFC, Colin (Billy Harris), is in a relationship with another man, Michael (Sam Liu). The episode opens with the two sharing a snog and anticipating sex when Michael returns from a trip.

"As the episode unfolds," GQ detailed, "Colin and Michael navigate the complexities of maintaining a private relationship in the public sphere, not least when one of the two is a famous footballer plying his trade for a club making a surprise push for the Premier League title."

"During a team dinner at Sam's (Toheeb Jimoh) restaurant, Colin introduces Michael as his mate and, quote, 'the world's greatest wingman.'"

But the heterosexual facade is threatened when a writer spots the two stealing a kiss, setting up a dramatic new tangent: Will the writer "sacrifice his ethical obligations to player and club, plus not least his own integrity, for what would be the biggest domestic sporting scoop in decades?"

"We've known for a while that Colin was gay," Hunt, who plays Coach Beard on the show, told Radio Times in an exclusive interview. "It was just a matter of when we were going to finally get to that."

Hunt revealed that a gay player was always going to be part of the show. "Before season 2, it was like, 'OK, well, should we cast that someone?'" he told Radio Times.

"And then we thought, 'Oh no, actually, it'll be better if that person's already on the team and we're not acknowledging it and they're hiding it so well, but there's been no hint of it so far.' That helps demonstrate what this person is going through."

The long lead-in and sudden reveal make for dramatic storytelling but also invite empathy; said Hunt, "When people go back and watch the show now after this revelation, they'll be like, 'Wow, he was hiding that for so long. Colin has to go that long not being who he is.' I think that helps tell the story better."

"The fan theory that Colin might be gay or bisexual has been circulating since season 2, episode 3," Radio Times recalled, noting that it was Colin who knew how to spell Grindr, the gay hookup app.

"Billy Harris was one of the last people to know" that his own character was going to be revealed as gay, the article relayed. That, too, was intentional.

Said Hunt, "We didn't want him to know too much too soon, because then he might be playing that and the whole idea is that Colin isn't playing that."

"Colin is a chameleon and he's very, very good at hiding this. Billy's been really amazing in this part."

"With around 550 active players in the Premier League, it's a statistical likelihood that at least one player is gay," GQ pointed out, "but no one has come out while playing in England's top tier since Justin Fashanu in 1990, who endured hostility from the press and died of suicide eight years later."

GQ predicted that while the first response to a gay player coming out would be a wave of support, "bad faith scrutiny would follow, and that's not to mention the immediate grumbling of the 'keep private lives and/or politics and/or anything in vague opposition to my regressive ideals out of football' camp."

"It's enough to put anyone off living their life openly."

Hunt also noted that gay players coming out is "still a taboo in football, but there are more active players who are coming out."

Hunt named a few of the soccer stars who have emerged recently to live authentically on and off the field.

"There was Josh Cavallo in Australia last year, Jakub Jankto in Czech Republic this year, and Jake Daniels at Blackpool," Hunt said, adding: "It's just part of what's happening in football. We may be a fake football club, but we're trying to show a little bit of football reality here."