NFL Introduces Celebrity Guest Cheerleaders: On the Sidelines With Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka and the L.A. Rams (EXCLUSIVE)

It’s just before halftime of the Los Angeles Rams’ Monday Night Football matchup with the Buffalo Bills, and comedian Atsuko Okatsuka is standing in the tunnel, hyping herself up.

In less than a minute, the comedian, actress and native Angeleno will strut onto the field at SoFi Stadium to perform with the Rams cheerleaders. Okatsuka hides behind a bright smile while marking her dance moves, but she’ll later admit to being “super nervous.” Sure, she’ll only be dancing for about 45 seconds, but it’s been nearly 20 years since she last shook her poms.

Fortunately, when Okatsuka cartwheels into the center of the formation, muscle memory takes over. Her Venice High School cheer skills come rushing back. (She was voted “Most Spirited,” after all!) The sold-out crowd cheers while the newest Rams cheerleader grooves to the high-tempo beat of Katseye’s “Animal” and, then, in an instant, her big moment is over. When the music ends, Okatsuka strikes her final pose — she crushed it — and now, she runs back toward the tunnel with the rest of her new squad.

Okatsuka stops to share her instant reaction with Variety: “I’m so old,” she cracks.

A few minutes later, she sinks into a lounge chair in the green room to reflect on becoming the NFL’s inaugural Celebrity Guest Cheerleader.

“The middle part I crushed,” Okatsuka says, beaming with pride. “It was so fun. It takes me back to performing good spirits through dance. I haven’t done that in a minute.”

The NFL’s Celebrity Guest Cheerleader initiative is the latest extension of the league’s successful “Celebrity Guest” series, which launched last year with pro athletes, actors and musicians — including Jerry Rice, Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Method Man, Common, Joel McHale, Ken Griffey Jr., Benson Boone and Marshawn Lynch — working as sideline photographers during games.

“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 VP, 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 idea for Okatsuka to join the Rams squad came from a popular bit in her 2025 Hulu stand-up comedy special “Father,” where she jokes about how former cheerleaders, like her, are hiding in plain sight. Then, she does a special “roll call” to call them out in the audience. (“Ready?” Okatsuka yells into the mic, as her audience echoes back, “OK!”) The bit continues, breaking down the hype woman mindset that cheerleaders must adopt, pumping up the team even when they have no idea if they’re going to win, and how that positivity manifests in everyday life.

“We’re always looking for ways to bring the Rams brand to the intersection of sports and culture,” adds Kurt Gies, director, 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 announcement on the Rams’ Instagram about Okatsuka’s performance generated more than 1 million views. Her performance is one of the team’s top-performing pieces of content this season, with more than 4 million views and 200,000 engagements. “The response reinforced the power of blending sports and culture to connect with new audiences,” Gies says.

To prepare for the performance, Okatsuka studied the choreography at home before meeting with the Rams cheerleaders to run the routine at their weekly rehearsals.

“Stand-up comedy is so different. So, I was like prepping like I’m going to the Olympics or something,” she says. “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.”

The Rams also gifted Okatsuka with a customized uniform 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 about how she wanted to show a little less skin than her squamates. “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 suit, but she’s not quite sure where she’ll wear it next. It’s a little too much for her next comedy special, which will also shoot at the United Theater in Downtown L.A. “I’ll wear it before, backstage,” she jokes.

Look for the next Celebrity Guest Cheerleader to take the field during the NFL holiday games. And Okatsuka has a few ideas for who should take part.

“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 says. “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.”

Watch the clip below for a behind-the-scenes look at Okatsuka’s experience: