CBS announced today PICKLED, a new comedic, celebrity-packed pickleball tournament from Stephen Colbert’s Spartina, Funny Or Die, and CBS Studios, to air later this year as a two-hour special event on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
As the New York Times states, “pickleball is ready for primetime.” The buzziest new sport in a generation is a classic American cocktail – mix one part tennis, a splash of badminton, muddle in some ping pong, toss a couple of ibuprofens in there just in case, and add a heaping scoop of passion. Shake vigorously, then pour yourself a tall glass of FUN. In the special, PICKLED will curate the best all-star competitive teams to play against each other in the name of charity, and ultimately vie for the coveted totem of excellence: the Golden Gherkin. Additional details about the special and celebrity competitors will be announced at a later date.
“I love hosting THE LATE SHOW, but at the end of the day – and I’m specifically talking about the hours between 8 and 10 PM Eastern – I see PICKLED as a chance to bring lots of different people together for something playful and unpredictable,” said Colbert. “And since the supply chain snarl has delayed delivery of my Margaritaville(TM) Frozen Drink Machine, I find myself with some free time. I’m honored to be a part of the PICKLED family.”
“Funny Or Die is thrilled to partner with our friends at Spartina and CBS Studios on PICKLED,” said Mike Farah, CEO of Funny Or Die. “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. This idea was inspired by playing pickleball with my mom back in Michigan, and she has LOTS of ideas for this show. Is this an appropriate forum to let Stephen know my mom wants to be showrunner?”
PICKLED is produced by Funny Or Die in association with Spartina and CBS Studios. Executive producers are Funny Or Die’s Mike Farah, Joe Farrell and Henry R. Muñoz III and Spartina’s Stephen Colbert, Carrie Byalick, Evelyn McGee Colbert, and Tom Purcell.
