Will Ferrell appeared on Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast and finally explained his decision to revive Buddy the Elf as a disheveled beer drinker and smoker. The comedian went viral across social media for dressing as his iconic “Elf” character while attending the Dec. 29 hockey game between the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers. Only this iteration of Buddy came with a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a beer in hand.
“Buddy the Elf got laid off, I think, from the North Pole,” Ferrell joked in his first time talking about the viral moment. “He’s having a pull from his beer, smoking a cig. That was just…I get these weird ideas every now and then. We’re season ticket holders for the L.A. Kings. We have seats right on the glass. I told my wife, ‘Over the break, it would be funny if I just got a Buddy the Elf costume and didn’t shave for a week, and I’m just sitting there with a candy cigarette and I’m just gonna sit there for a period and see how people react.’”
“The reaction was insane!” Ferrell said. “Like, what is he doing? Is he promoting something? But occasionally I just like to do weird things like that just to stir it up.”
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FanDuel Sports Network broadcaster Carrlyn Bathe reported live from the game and spoke to Buddy, who told her at the time that “it was a tough holiday season” and “he’s looking for a Kings win.”
“Elf,” which earned over $220 million at the worldwide box office at the time of its release and remains a Christmas classic, stars Ferrell as a human raised by Santa’s elves. He travels to New York City to meet his biological father, played by James Caan. The film is one of Ferrell’s more family-friendly endeavors, unlike his R-rated “Old School,” “Step Brothers” and more. Jason Kelce asked Ferrell on the podcast about the lack of R-rated comedies in recent years, which the comedian used as an opportunity to remind listeners that “You’re Cordially Invited,” his R-rated comedy with Reese Witherspoon, streams Jan. 30 on Prime Video.
“I think people are making them, but I don’t know why [audiences] aren’t going to the theaters to see them,” Ferrell said about the R-rated comedy’s pivot from theaters to streaming platforms. “We have so many options now that a lot of people would rather catch that at home. When you sit and watch a comedy with an audience, you are reminded how much more fun it is. We’re trying to get that back.”
Watch Ferrell’s full appearance on the “New Heights” podcast in the video below.