Whether it’s comedians like Andrew Schulz and Nikki Glaser bringing their A-game or athletes like Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman getting the sold-out crowd at The Forum in Los Angeles on their feet with their jokes, Netflix’s “The Roast of Tom Brady” was a full-blown spectacle. And rightly so, because for most, it was an epic night of jokes, roasts, and locker room energy. But for the man on the hot seat, the aftermath wasn’t nearly as fun.
Advertisement
In his recent appearance on the IMPAULSIVE podcast with Logan Paul, Brady opened up about the emotional toll the Netflix show took — not on him, but on his kids. “I regret that my kids had to— like, you know, it’s tough on my kids for sure,” Brady said when asked directly by Paul if he regretted doing the roast.
“I don’t think they’re at an age…” he trailed off, trying to explain how the high-profile jokes landed a little too close to home.
Brady also emphasized that while he personally enjoyed the roast, he underestimated the ripple effect it would have. “I love laughing at myself… The harder people go at me, I actually love it… But I’ll never forget when I talked to my kids the next day. I felt like a stake through the heart.”
According to Brady, his children were confused, upset, and above all, protective. “They’re protective of their mom, of their dad — of everybody… They asked, ‘Why did you do that?’” he continued.
That, as the seven-time Super Bowl winner admitted, was a great question from his kids, because he really didn’t think through what it meant to involve his family in something so public..
“There’s some things as a parent you f*ck up, and you don’t realize until after,” the seven time Super Bowl winner said. “We’re not perfect parents.”
Interestingly enough, Brady had shared a similar sentiment last year in his appearance on The Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, where he admitted he probably wouldn’t do a roast again. “It’s the hardest part — the bittersweet aspect — of doing something you think is fun, but ends up hurting the people you care about the most,” he told Clark at the time.
Though the roast didn’t directly target his kids, it included plenty of jokes about his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen and her new relationship with Jiu Jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente — material that clearly touched on sensitive ground.
Nearly a year later, Brady no wonder sees the Roast experience as a teachable moment.
“You’ve got to evaluate yourself as a parent all the time,” he said. “Even though I really enjoyed the show… when I look back, I realize I’ve got to think bigger than just the moment.”
As for Netflix, its 13.8 million viewership numbers tell one story — a total ratings win. But for Tom Brady, the lesson cuts deeper. Not every win feels like a win the morning after, especially when your kids are watching.
