Atsuko Okatsuka becomes NFL's first Celebrity Guest Cheerleader with Rams
Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka danced with the Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders on 12 October, becoming the NFL's first Celebrity Guest Cheerleader.
The appearance took place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, during the Rams' regular-season game against the Buffalo Bills. The Monday night meeting was the team's Week 5 fixture, Variety reported.
Her moment on the field was brief. The routine lasted about 45 seconds. She performed it to “Animal” by Katseye.
Okatsuka did not walk straight into game day. She joined the Rams cheerleaders for a practice session organised ahead of the appearance to learn the routine and rehearse with the squad, as shown in video she later shared on Facebook.
She had history with this world. Okatsuka cheered at Venice High School, where classmates voted her “Most Spirited”. She had not performed a cheer routine in nearly 20 years before stepping back onto the sideline.
The invitation grew from her own material. In her 2025 Hulu stand-up special, meaning a filmed comedy hour released on the streaming service, Father, she performs a bit about former cheerleaders hiding in plain sight. That joke became the starting point for the Rams to bring her into the squad for a game.
The league frames the slot as part of a wider programme. The Celebrity Guest Cheerleader initiative extends the NFL's “Celebrity Guest” series, launched last year, which put athletes, actors and musicians on the sidelines to work as photographers. This version swaps the camera for pom-poms, with a guest performer joining a team's established cheer squad.
The response online was fast. The Rams' Instagram announcement of Okatsuka's appearance passed 1 million views. Separate video of the performance itself passed 4 million views with 200,000 engagements, meaning likes, comments, shares and other interactions counted together.
Okatsuka was not the only familiar face listed at the stadium that night. Singer JoJo and footballer Son Heung-min were also spotted at SoFi Stadium for the Rams' Week 5 meeting with the Bills, according to the team's photo gallery on Rams.com.
What makes this stand out is the path to the field. For fans, this means a punchline from a comedy special turned into a 45-second routine in front of a home crowd, with two hundred-odd professionals around her and one short song to get it right.
