Over the course of three groundbreaking seasons, sports-drama extravaganza Ted Lasso captured the hearts and minds of fans just searching for that next binge-able fixture. Indeed, it would be an absolute understatement to say that Apple TV Plus unequivocally caught lightning in a bottle. In the span of three seasons, the ever-popular series has introduced a plethora of scintillating, dysfunctional characters — one of which would be Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt).
As Coach Lasso’s longtime friend and his biggest support system, viewers have had the pleasure of learning about Coach Beard’s extensive and complicated backstory through the show’s progression. From the days of stealing Ted’s car to the two reconciling later down the line, Beard has easily become a fan-favorite character who will surely be missed if the third season truly turns out to be the end of the series. That being said, there’s a singular question that has remained in the minds of viewers since the beginning — and that pertains to Beard’s actual name.
What is Coach Beard’s real name?
In a finale full of answered questions, one of the biggest relates to the reveal of Coach Beard’s real name, which is Willis. The reveal happened during Ted and Beard’s final scene together on a plane back to the U.S. When Coach Beard tells Ted he loves him, Ted responds by saying: “I love you too, Willis.” Cue our moment of absolute shock.
Interestingly enough, Coach Beard’s real name was revealed an entire season ago, where a season two moment between Ted and Beard sees Coach Lasso ask his friend, “What you talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” To viewers, this seemed like a simple joke and tribute based on the iconic series Diff’rent Strokes. But in reality, Ted Lasso had revealed the identity of Coach Beard without anybody even batting an eyelash.
Although we’re all collectively sad in seeing the show end, there’s no denying fans are pleased to have at least learned Coach Beard’s backstory and real name before the series delivered one final curtain call. In the meantime, fans can binge all seasons on Apple TV Plus now as we all keep our fingers crossed for a potential spin-off.