CBS will air Pickled, a celebrity pickleball tournament, later this year as a two-hour special. Stephen Colbert is behind the special.
Pickleball is a mix of tennis and badminton that is growing in popularity. The special “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,” said CBS.
“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 p.m. 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™ Frozen Drink Machine, I find myself with some free time. I’m honored to be a part of the Pickled family.”
Pickled is produced by Funny Or Die in association with Colbert’s Spartina production outfit and CBS Studios.
“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?”
Executive producers are Farah, Joe Farrell and Henry R. Muñoz III from Funny or Die, and Spartina's Stephen Colbert, Carrie Byalick, Evelyn McGee Colbert and Tom Purcell. ■
