Chad Powers is the frame for Glen Powell’s loudest career boos and the line that ties it together. In a new Variety interview published on October 29, 2025, he recalls stepping into Georgia’s Sanford Stadium with 92,000 fans booing on cue during halftime of Georgia vs. Mississippi State on October 12, 2024. As per the Variety report dated October 29, 2025, Glen Powell said,
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been so ready to run through a wall.”
The production for Chad Powers staged the moment with a public-address prompt and scoreboard messaging so the crowd would go all in. The series builds on Eli Manning’s viral alter ego, with the Mannings and ESPN helping the team access real stadiums to keep the football texture authentic.
Chad Powers premiered on Hulu on Sept. 30, 2025, launching with two episodes and rolling out weekly through October 28. The cast includes Steve Zahn, Wynn Everett, Perry Mattfeld, Frankie A. Rodriguez, and Quentin Plair, alongside Powell as Russ Holliday under the “Chad” disguise.
What actually happened in Athens: 92,000 people booing and why it was staged
The timeline tracks to halftime of Georgia vs. Mississippi State on October 12, 2024, at Sanford Stadium. During the break, the PA told fans a Hulu scene for Chad Powers was being filmed and asked them to boo the tunnel run.
Local reporters on site posted that the stadium was told to “practice your boos” and to make them very loud. Cameras rolled as Powell led a fictional squad through a key sequence, which is why the clip appears to be a genuine game moment.
The boos were requested for the show, not directed at Powell personally.
Eli Manning later described why the team pursued that scale. He said the goal on Chad Powers was to make the football feel real, right down to using actual SEC environments and getting fans to boo Powell during halftime.
Exploring more context behind Powell's statement
The fresh pull-quote lands in the October 29, 2025, feature tied to the season’s finish. As per Variety, Glen Powell said,
“But when I went out there, to literally have an entire stadium booing you, I got off the field and I told Waldron, ‘I don’t know if I’ve ever been so ready to run through a wall in my life. Like, that was crazy!”
Powell stated earlier in the interview:
"Not to say that they wouldn’t have booed me anyway, but we did ask them to boo"
He frames the rush of hearing an entire stadium boo on command and how the noise amped him up during the take. Ahead of launch, he also unpacked the viral clip and why context mattered.
As per Entertainment Weekly's report dated September 4, 2025, Glen Powell remarked,
“Out of context, it seems like, wow, Georgia f---ing hates Glen Powell....I put up on the jumbotron, I said, 'Please make an announcement that I — Glen Powell, Texas fan — am shooting a new show called Chad Powers, and to boo him as loud as humanly possible while he's on this field.'”
He added a clear line on fan intent, stating,
“But no, the Georgia fans did exactly what we asked them to do.”
Those comments align with what viewers saw online and the in-stadium prompts that night.
Eli Manning reinforced the same point from the production side. As per an ESPN report dated October 8, 2025, Eli Manning stated,
“They got to go to the halftime of a Georgia game where Glen was out there on the field, and they got fans to boo him as he’s coming out.”
The idea was authenticity first, which is why Chad Powers kept returning to real venues.
The show he’s talking about: Chad Powers' premise and release
Chad Powers is a six-episode Hulu comedy about Russ Holliday, a disgraced QB who disguises himself as “Chad” to walk on at a Southern program.
Eli and Peyton Manning executive produce, and the football plays out in real facilities to capture genuine scale and sound.
The show launched with a two-episode premiere on September 30, 2025, then streamed weekly on Tuesdays through the October 28 finale.
The cast features Steve Zahn as Coach Hudson, Wynn Everett as a booster, Perry Mattfeld as Coach Ricky, Frankie A. Rodriguez as the mascot Danny, and Quentin Plair as Coach Byrd.
The feature also details the creators’ push for game-day realism and SEC texture.
Stay tuned for more updates.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: Glen Powell attends Columbia Pictures' "Anyone But You" New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on December 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)