Tom Brady said jokes aimed at his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, during a nationally televised roast upset his children and left him with a lesson about parenting and public ridicule.
In an interview on Kevin Hart's Cold as Balls podcast, Brady said he "had a great time" at the roast but that the experience was harder once he considered the feelings of his children. "The only thing that was hard for me is that I have kids and that it hurts their feelings," Brady said. "I think when you're a parent — I didn't think about those things and I learned a lesson."
The roast, part of Comedy Central's 2024 G.R.O.A.T. (Greatest Roast of All Time) special, included several jokes referencing Brady's 2022 split from Bündchen and her reported relationship with jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente. During the special, Hart quipped that Bündchen had given Brady an ultimatum to retire or end their marriage, while comedian Nikki Glaser and roast veteran Jeff Ross made remarks about relationships and Brady's Super Bowl rings. Brady told Hart he did not mind being the target of the jokes generally, saying laughter had been a refuge through difficult times in his life.
Brady, who appeared on the Old Spice–branded Cold as Balls podcast while soaking in cold tubs with Hart, said his locker-room background shaped his tolerance for teasing: "What everyone has to realize is that I was in a locker room for 28 years of my life and the only thing we do in locker rooms are roast each other," he said. He added that humour remains important to him but that he had not fully anticipated how televised ridicule could affect his children.
Media reports in the days after the roast said Bündchen was unhappy with how she was targeted. The Daily Mail reported that she was upset, and People quoted a source saying Bündchen's priority was supporting her children, who had been affected by the "irresponsible content" broadcast during the special.
Brady and Bündchen were married for 13 years before announcing their split in October 2022, midway through Brady's final NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The couple have two children, son Benjamin, 15, and daughter Vivien, 12. Brady also has an older son, Jack, from a prior relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan.
Brady did not identify a single joke that he felt crossed a line, nor did he specify which remarks had upset his children. He emphasized that he enjoyed the roast and that comedy had helped him through personal difficulties, but said his perspective had shifted after seeing the impact on his family.
The exchange highlights tensions that can arise when public figures subject their private lives to comedic scrutiny, particularly when children are involved. Brady's comments on Cold as Balls brought renewed attention to the roast's content and the broader debate over where to draw the line between satire and personal attack.