It is just moments before halftime during a high-stakes Monday Night Football matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium, and comedian Atsuko Okatsuka is standing anxiously in the stadium tunnel, trying to hype herself up.
In less than a minute, the acclaimed comedian, actress, and proud native Angeleno will strut out onto the field to perform alongside the professional Rams cheerleaders. While Okatsuka hides behind a bright, practiced smile and quietly marks out her dance steps, she will later readily admit to feeling “super nervous.” True, she will only be performing for roughly 45 seconds, but it has been nearly 20 years since she last shook a pair of poms.
Fortunately for the sold-out stadium crowd and television viewers nationwide, the moment Okatsuka cartwheels gracefully into the center of the formation, pure muscle memory takes over. Her high school cheerleading skills from Venice High School—where she was proudly voted “Most Spirited”—come rushing back instantly. The roaring crowd cheers enthusiastically as the newest, albeit temporary, Rams cheerleader grooves seamlessly to the high-tempo beat of Katseye’s track “Animal.” Then, almost as quickly as it began, her big moment on the professional turf is over. As the music fades, Okatsuka strikes her final, flawless pose, knowing she completely crushed it, and jogs back toward the tunnel alongside the rest of her new squad.
Stopping briefly in the tunnel to share her immediate, breathless reaction with Variety, Okatsuka cracks, “I’m so old.”
A few moments later, she sinks comfortably into a plush lounge chair in the green room to reflect on the historic nature of her appearance, officially becoming the NFL’s inaugural Celebrity Guest Cheerleader.
“The middle part I crushed,” Okatsuka says, beaming with visible pride as she processes the surreal experience. “It was so fun. It takes me back to performing good spirits through dance. I haven’t done that in a minute.”
Expanding the NFL’s Cultural Footprint
Okatsuka’s historic halftime appearance is the latest creative extension of the league’s highly successful “Celebrity Guest” series. The initiative originally launched last year, bringing prominent pro athletes, actors, and musicians—including sports and entertainment icons like Jerry Rice, Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Method Man, Common, Joel McHale, Ken Griffey Jr., Benson Boone, and Marshawn Lynch—onto the sidelines to work as official game-day photographers.
According to league executives, the crossover initiative is part of a broader, deliberate strategy to reach wider audiences.
“Our approach to fan engagement is rooted in finding new ways to bring the NFL into the broader cultural conversation, connecting audiences to the game through the voices, experiences, and stories that resonate with them,” says Rob Santini, NFL vice president of global culture, social, and entertainment.
“The Celebrity Guest programs are a natural evolution of that strategy: creating opportunities for entertainers and cultural voices to experience the NFL in unexpected ways,” Santini explains. “We couldn’t have asked for better partners than Atsuko and the Los Angeles Rams to bring this to life.”
The organic seed for Okatsuka to join the Rams dance squad actually sprouted from a popular bit in her acclaimed 2025 Hulu stand-up comedy special, “Father.” In the routine, she jokes extensively about how former cheerleaders like herself are hiding in plain sight in everyday society. She then launches into a special “roll call” to call them out directly in her live audience. (“Ready?” Okatsuka yells into the microphone, while her audience eagerly echoes back, “OK!”) The bit continues by breaking down the unique hype-woman mindset that cheerleaders must adopt—maintaining relentless, high-octane positivity to pump up a team even when they have no idea if they are going to win, and examining how that resilient optimism manifests in everyday life.
A Match Made in Los Angeles
When the league and the team connected, the concept proved to be an instantaneous cultural touchdown.
“We’re always looking for ways to bring the Rams brand to the intersection of sports and culture,” says Kurt Gies, director of social media and influencers for the Los Angeles Rams. “When the NFL introduced us to Atsuko, we knew it would be a great fit, particularly given her roots in Los Angeles and her background as a former cheerleader.”
The partnership proved to be an absolute digital powerhouse. An initial announcement posted on the Rams’ official Instagram account regarding Okatsuka’s upcoming performance generated more than 1 million views almost immediately. Her actual game-day performance went on to become one of the team’s top-performing pieces of content for the entire season, racking up more than 4 million views and over 200,000 direct engagements across social platforms.
“The response reinforced the power of blending sports and culture to connect with new audiences,” Gies notes.
Training Like an Olympian
To prepare for the high-profile performance, Okatsuka initially studied the complex choreography at home before meeting up in person with the Rams cheerleaders to run through the routine during their rigorous weekly rehearsals.
“Stand-up comedy is so different. So, I was like prepping like I’m going to the Olympics or something,” she recalls with a laugh. “Once I was there, they were so patient with me. They’re cheerleaders—they’re really good at making you feel good. Not to a fault, but they kept going, ‘You’re doing good,’ and then you start to believe it.”
As part of the historic collaboration, the Rams organization also gifted Okatsuka a fully customized, professional uniform tailored specifically for game day.
“My stylist and I thought about how it might cut for me to have shoulders, kind of like the players,” Okatsuka says, joking good-naturedly about how she initially considered wanting to show a little less skin than her younger squadmates. “I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t think I could wear that,’” she says, laughing. “‘Can I be covered neck down?’”
Okatsuka gets to keep the custom suit as a memento of the night, though she admits she is not entirely sure where or when she might wear it next. She notes that it might be a bit much for her upcoming comedy special, which is scheduled to shoot at the United Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. “I’ll wear it before, backstage,” she jokes.
With the inaugural Celebrity Guest Cheerleader initiative off to a soaring start, the NFL plans to continue the program by bringing out subsequent guests during the upcoming holiday games. Looking ahead, Okatsuka already has a few creative suggestions for who should take up the mantle next.
“Shapel Lacey is a stand-up comedian, and he was a competitive cheerleader. It’d be cool to normalize having guys do it. Maybe one of the Backstreet Boys—AJ McLean,” Okatsuka suggests. “Lil Jon—he was a lot of people’s first cheerleader. At least music-wise, all he does is positive affirmations, so it’d be cool to see him perform with NFL cheerleaders.”
