by Kelly Campbell
To gear up for the new 2022 CBS release Pickled, find out which of your favorite celebrities love the game as much as you do.
Have you ever wondered what you and Kim Kardashian have in common? The answer might surprise you––a passion for pickleball.
Pickleball is not just for pro athletes, it’s for everyone––even celebrities. Because the game is fun, low impact, and easy to learn, it’s no surprise that many of Hollywood’s elite are picklers. Last month TrackitHub covered Tom Dundon’s Pickleball Central and Professional Pickleball Association purchases, a move that will likely change the landscape for professional pickleball. But pickleball growth around the country is not stopping there––the sport is also scoring big in pop culture.
Pickleball will make its television debut in a new way this year with the release of Pickled, an upcoming celebrity pickleball tournament. Stephen Colbert’s Spartina, CBS Studios, and Funny or Die are partnering to produce the two-hour special, which will be available on CBS and Paramount+. Viewers can expect celebrities across industries to unite for a comedic and competitive tournament. Players will bring out their best backswings and dink shots to raise money for charity and vie for The Golden Gherkin.
“Funny Or Die is thrilled to partner with our friends at Spartina and CBS Studios on Pickled,” CEO of Funny or Die Mike Farah said in a press release. “We can’t wait to bring together celebrities from the worlds of comedy, sports and beyond, to play in the highest-stakes and lowest-impact pickleball tournament ever created for television.”
And while celebrity pickleballers might not be playing in the PPA anytime soon, we know their influence and interest can mean big things for overall pickleball progress, likely leading to an explosion of pickleball interest around the country.
TrackitHub put together a list of celebrity pickleball players––and some might surprise you. While Pickled has not confirmed any players yet, some of these pickleball-playing celebrities might share their love for the game on the small screen soon.
The Kardashians
The Kardashians are one of the most famous families in pop culture. Known as a unit for their reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians and separately as entrepreneurs in fashion, lifestyle, fitness, and makeup industries, the Kardashian sisters Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney also spend time playing pickleball with each other. A recent episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians documents a Kardashian sister doubles match.
Matthew Perry
Best known for his portrayal of Chandler on Friends, one of the all-time most popular sitcoms, Matthew Perry is also an active pickleball player. The New York Times reported that Perry began playing pickleball during the pandemic and now plays several times a week. He said, “I don’t move around as well as I used to, but I saw my friend Amanda Peet talking about pickleball on a talk show and I was like, ‘I have to try this.'”
Cindy Crawford
American supermodel, actress, and television personality, Cindy Crawford, is known as one of the most popular runway models of all time, rising to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. Crawford is another celebrity who played pickleball during the pandemic lockdown. In an interview with Architectural Digest, Crawford described her Malibu home. “The big thing that we did was add a pickleball court,” she said. “It was a little thing that brought people together in a fun way.”
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert is most known as a comedian and host of the #1 late-night show, The Late Show, and for projects associated with his production company, Spartina. Colbert founded Spartina productions in 2008. Colbert’s pickleball appreciation inspired Spartina’s involvement with Pickled. In a press release, Colbert said, “I see Pickled as a chance to bring lots of different people together for something playful and unpredictable.”
Ellen Degeneres
Television personality, comedian, writer, producer, and LGBTQ+ activist Ellen Degeneres has shared her love for pickleball on her talk show, The Ellen Degeneres Show. She even created her own pickleball paddles, which she promoted on The Ellen Show Instagram. She captioned the post, “I’m obsessed with pickleball, so I made new @theellenshop Pickleball Paddles.”
Reese Witherspoon
Oscar and Emmy award-winning actress and producer, Reese Witherspoon, is best known for her performances in Legally Blonde, Wild, and Walk the Line. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, yet still finds time to get on the court. In an Instagram post celebrating her husband’s birthday, Witherspoon mentioned their love for pickleball.
George & Amal Clooney
George Clooney is an award-winning actor and filmmaker. In an interview with People, Clooney spoke about his wife’s athleticism and pickleball skills. “She kills me – if we play six games, I’ll win maybe two,” he said. The Clooney’s have their own pickleball court at their L.A. home.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Vanity Fair reported that Leonardo DiCaprio plays pickleball every day, by his own rules. DiCaprio is a Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning actor and producer, best known for his leading roles in Titanic and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Larry David
Larry David is a comedian, producer, writer, director, and actor best known for his work on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld. David is another celebrity who loves pickleball; his real-life pickleball appreciation even appeared as a plot point in a recent Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.
Jamie Foxx
In addition to being a successful actor, comedian, and singer, Jamie Foxx is also a pickleball fanatic. The Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe winner raved about playing pickleball and the sport’s mainstream growth on Live with Kelly and Ryan.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner, daughter of Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, is a makeup mogul, influencer, billionaire, and the founder of Kylie Cosmetics. Her $36.5 million L.A. estate has a champion-level pickleball court where she plays with her Kardashian sisters.
Kelly Ripa & Ryan Seacrest
Kelly Ripa is best known as a talk show host, actress, dancer, and producer. Ryan Seacrest is a popular radio and television host, producer, and media personality. The Live with Kelly and Ryan hosts have promoted and played pickleball multiple times on air. On the show, Ripa said, “ever notice how you have never heard of something… and then you hear [about] it constantly? Pickleball is the social media influencer of the sports world.”
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