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One notable person won’t be in attendance when the Seattle Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers in Saturday’s divisional round matchup, and that’s actor, comedian, and die-hard Seattle sports fan Joel McHale.
The “Community” star has been one of the most prominent and voracious celebrity Seahawks fans for years. However, he appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” earlier this week to say he’s taking an indefinite break from Seahawks games.
“I’m actually flying to Perth, Australia, just to be as far away as possible,” McHale joked, drawing an eruption of applause from the studio audience.
It might seem like odd timing to avoid Lumen Field right as the playoffs start, but, as McHale explains, there’s a very important reason for his Hawks hiatus.
McHale, donning a Jaxon Smith-Njigba jersey under his blazer, told Kimmel that he’s personally responsible for the Seahawks three losses this season.
“Some people pretend to be fans of their hometown team, and you can kind of tell if they are or they aren’t. You’re a real serious fan,” Kimmel said to McHale.
“Yeah, I have a [expletive] problem,” McHale responded. “It’s anxiety-inducing. And now we’re 14-3, the greatest record we’ve ever had…But guess which games I went to [this year].”
“Oh, you went to all three losing games? Oh no.” Kimmel said. “They didn’t win any games you were at? Is that true?”
“That is true. I am the cooler,” McHale laughed. He then shared a surprising anecdote that could explain why he’s bad luck at Seahawks games. “My dad is first cousins with Kyle Shanahan’s dad, Mike Shanahan. It’s like the Hatfields and McCoys.”
Kyle Shanahan is, of course, the head coach of the 49ers. His father, Mike Shanahan, was an NFL head coach for 20 seasons with three teams. Most notably, Shanahan led the Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl victories in 1997 and 1998.
According to McHale, sharing bloodlines with a rival head coach has bestowed a curse on his hometown team.
“And they said to break the curse, you have to go on a late-night talk show and talk about it,” McHale quipped. “So, go Hawks.”
McHale, 54, grew up on Mercer Island, Washington. He attended the University of Washington and was a walk-on tight end; however, he didn’t play in any games during his two seasons as a Husky.
He first gained notoriety as a cast member on “Almost Live!,” a sketch comedy show based in Seattle. Since then, McHale has appeared in numerous television shows and movies. He’s perhaps best-known for playing Jeff Winger on NBC’s “Community.” Recently, he served as recurring chef David Fields on the Emmy Award-winning show “The Bear.”
McHale expressed his fondness for Seattle during his “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” appearance.
“I love my home city of Seattle,” he said. “We go there for Christmas. We go there for all the holidays.”
McHale didn’t say when his self-imposed Seahawks ban would be lifted, but given his die-hard fandom, it would be hard to stay away from Levi’s Stadium in February should the team make it to the Super Bowl.
