Andrew Schulz discusses why Dana White chose to proceed with liberal joke during Tom Brady's roast, despite initial reservations
Dana White was one of the more notable faces at Tom Brady's roast. Despite taking part in the humor, there was one joke that he almost didn't make, according to popular comedian Andrew Schulz. On his FLAGRANT podcast, he disclosed the details behind White's prior hesitation to make the joke.
Before the show, the UFC CEO, who had been given Schulz's phone number by mutual friend Joe Rogan, reached out to him. He did so to get his opinion on the jokes he had lined up for Brady's roast. Most of White's jokes were risky, though Schulz found them humorous.
"Dana hits me up. He's like, 'Hey, man. Can I run this by you? Because I just need to know what you think.' And he runs a couple of jokes by me, and they're funny, like the thing about Tom, like, 'You know, you've been in Boston, so I used to think you were from there, then I saw you run, I was like, no he's definitely from San Francisco.' Very good few jokes."
However, one joke in particular left him nervous, as he wasn't certain how well it would be received, which he shared with White ahead of the roast.
"But the one about, the trans, 'My name is Dana, is that trans enough for you liberal f****?' He says it to me, and I'm like, I don't know if that's going to go over. I call him back, I go, 'Bro, I don't know if that one's going to really hit. I don't know if that's going to be the one.' And he goes, 'What do you think?' and I'm like, 'I just don't know if it's going to get the big laughs.' And then he goes, 'Oh, I don't care about that. I just want them to know I don't give a f***.'"
Check out Andrew Schulz recounting Dana White's preparation for Tom Brady's roast (24:24):
Ultimately, White went forward with the joke, which did draw laughs despite Schulz's prior hesitation, as did his others.
Dana White is a close friend of Tom Brady
UFC CEO Dana White is friends with many powerful and famous public figures. While he is often pointed out for his association with former United States president Donald Trump, he is also a good friend of NFL legend Tom Brady.
Their friendship also hinges on Brady's legacy as one of the greatest American football players in New England Patriots history, which is White's favorite NFL team.