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Patriots, Shmatriots: What about Tom Brady, the Actor?

By on January 23, 2017

As preparations for Super Bowl LI between the Patriots and Falcons continue, most of the attention is focusing on Tom Brady, New England’s star quarterback, who will make his NFL-record seventh Super Bowl start. And he’s looking to win a quarterback record fifth Super Bowl ring.

With all of the current talk about Brady’s quarterbacking skills and competitive nature and Deflate-gate, you may pretty tired of hearing about Brady on and off the field. So how about a twist on the Tom Brady information overload? We’ve compiled a list of Brady’s five best TV and movie appearances, where he appeared as himself. So consider streaming these shows instead of watching SportsCenter leading up to the Super Bowl and learning about what Brady ate for breakfast for the fifth straight day. (You can thank us later.)

1. Family Guy (TV)

Brady voiced himself during the Family Guy episode, Patriot Games, where he meets Peter Griffin at Peter’s high school reunion. After watching Peter sprint to the bathroom, clearing people out of the way easily, Brady invites him to try out for the Patriots as an offensive lineman.

Peter becomes a superstar, and Brady even eats dinner at the Griffin’s home. But Peter’s out of control ego leads to a falling out with Brady and with Peter being traded away from the Patriots to the London Sillinannies.

  • Tom Brady on Family GuyTitle: Patriot Games
  • Season: 4
  • Episode: 20
  • First Aired: Jan. 29, 2006

References to Brady and the Patriots are common on Family Guy, as all of the show’s main characters are New England fans.

  • Stewie mentions his displeasure that Brady did not play in Super Bowl XXXIII in the flashback episode, Back to the Pilot (aired Nov. 13, 2011), the joke being the Patriots didn’t play in that game and Brady wasn’t in the NFL yet.
  • Peter makes himself feel better by imagining a photo of Brady ironing in Road to India (aired May 22, 2016).
  • When Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski moves next door to the Griffins in the episode Gronkowsbees (aired Jan. 15, 2017), Brady is mentioned often, but he doesn’t appear.

2. The Simpsons (TV)

Brady voiced himself on The Simpsons, appearing in the same episode as LeBron James, Warren Sapp, Michelle Kwan, and Yao Ming, called Homer and Ned’s Hail Mary Pass. In the episode, Homer begins helping sports stars improve their celebration dances after making winning plays, and the dances, of course, become increasingly obnoxious.

Brady is one of the stars who hires Homer, and he ends up celebrating a touchdown while riding a Segway and towing a banner saying, “Everyone sucks but me!” The episode aired on Fox after Super Bowl XXXIX, a game in which Brady led New England to a 24-21 win against Philadelphia.

  • Tom Brady on The Simpsons

    Image from The Simpsons Wiki

    Title: Homer and Ned’s Hail Mary Pass

  • Season: 16
  • Episode: 8
  • First Aired: Feb. 6, 2005

The Simpsons have had numerous NFL and Super Bowl references during the long run of the show.

  • The Atlanta Falcons receive a mention in the episode Sunday, Cruddy Sunday (aired Jan. 31, 1999), in which many characters from Springfield take a bus to the Super Bowl, only to discover their tickets are fake when they arrive. The writers made fun of the fact that the show had to be written months ahead of learning who would actually play in the game, so they used a voice over trick (YouTube clip) to insert the names of Atlanta and Denver, who played in Super Bowl XXXIII that year. The episode aired after the Super Bowl game on Fox.
  • In the episode The Town (aired Oct. 9, 2016), the Springfield Atoms play a team from Boston, where the team colors are blue and red and the quarterback wears number 12. (Not exactly a subtle reference to the Patriots and Tom Brady.)

3. Ted 2 (movie)

Brady makes a cameo appearance in the movie Ted 2, where Ted the bear and John (played by Brady’s friend, Mark Wahlberg) seek Brady to become a sperm donor for a baby Ted wants to have.

The duo breaks into Brady’s home while he’s sleeping, hoping to “harvest” the sperm, leading Brady to throw them out a window.

  • Year Released: 2015

4. Entourage (TV)

Brady and Wahlberg both make cameo appearances in the Entourage TV show, called Fore! During a celebrity golf tournament, the characters Vince and Drama are paired with Brady and Wahlberg. Drama ends up breaking Brady’s driver.

  • Title: Fore!
  • Season: 6
  • Episode: 5
  • First Aired: Aug. 9, 2009

5. Entourage (movie)

Brady returned to the Entourage franchise for its 2015 movie, where he appeared with Russell Wilson, Seattle’s quarterback, and Brady’s Patriots teammates, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. Brady’s cameo is brief, as he plays himself reacting to watching a viral video from Drama.

Bonus! Tom Brady’s Wicked Accent (Web)

Tom appeared in a Funny or Die Short five years ago with a humorous twist on his celebrity status. See for yourself:

If you’re looking for a new Tom Brady jersey to wear to your Super Bowl party, check out the coupons for the NFL Store that we’ve collected at Ben’s Bargains.

About Kyle Schurman

Having a tech background as a writer makes me the go-to source when family members' devices don't work. Fortunately, I'm more skilled at helping solve readers' problems through writing than trying to fix my parents' printer over the phone.

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