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Ted Lasso character guide

Who is Leslie Higgins in Ted Lasso?

AFC Richmond's mild-mannered, jazz-loving director of football operations, Higgins starts as Rebecca's nervous right-hand man and grows into one of the kindest, most quietly principled people at the club.

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Leslie Higgins's Sitcomdle clue card

The five clues the game shows when Leslie Higgins is the answer or a guess.

Show
Ted Lasso
Debut
2020
Network
Apple TV+
Role
Main
Gender
Male

Leslie Higgins has not been a daily answer yet. Play today's Sitcomdle.

Show
Ted Lasso
Played by
Jeremy Swift
First episode
“Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1, aired August 14, 2020
Role
Main cast
Network
Apple TV+
Occupation
Director of football operations, AFC Richmond
Show run
2020 to present
Also known as
Higgins

Leslie Higgins is the anxious club executive who knows where every body is buried at AFC Richmond, and who would much rather be playing jazz with his family. Played by Jeremy Swift, he becomes a founding member of Ted's Diamond Dogs and the club's gentle conscience.

On Ted Lasso, Leslie Higgins's story runs through Rebecca Welton (Boss), Ted Lasso (Friend), Coach Beard (Fellow Diamond Dog), Keeley Jones (Colleague), and Jamie Tartt.

Leslie Higgins from Ted Lasso: Sitcomdle character card

Who is Leslie Higgins?

Higgins works in the front office at AFC Richmond and has been at the club since Rupert Mannion owned it. As director of football operations, he knows the place better than almost anyone, which is exactly why Rebecca, newly in charge after her divorce, leans on him to help with her secret plan to sink the team.

He is also a devoted family man. Higgins and his wife Julie have five sons, and their home is full of noise, music, and warmth. Away from work he is a jazz fan who plays the double bass.

Personality and comedy

Higgins is timid, polite, and prone to panic, which makes him a natural target for comedy when Rebecca hands him impossible jobs, like replacing a star musician at a gala with a few hours' notice. Jeremy Swift plays him with a fluttery nervousness that makes even small moments funny.

Under the nerves, though, Higgins has a strong moral compass. He hates helping Rebecca sabotage Ted and eventually tells her so, loudly. He also turns out to be a wise listener, and his quiet advice to players and colleagues makes him one of the most dependable members of the Diamond Dogs, Ted's informal advice circle.

Key storylines

In season one Higgins carries guilt about having covered for Rupert's affairs and about his part in Rebecca's scheme. When she pushes him too far, he quits. Once Rebecca confesses everything to Ted, she seeks Higgins out to apologize, and he comes back to the club for good.

In season two Higgins and Julie open their home on Christmas to players who cannot get home to their families, and nearly the whole team shows up. In season four he travels with Rebecca and Keeley to Kansas City to recruit Ted for the women's team, worries over the team's finances, and investigates a run of mysterious share sales, helping Rebecca fend off an attempt to take control of the club.

Behind the scenes

Jeremy Swift plays Higgins and has been a series regular since the first season. In a sweet bit of casting, Julie Higgins is played by Mary Roscoe, Swift's wife in real life.

Swift received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2021, when the show's first season earned four nominations in that category.

Key Leslie Higgins episodes

  1. “For the Children”Season 1, Episode 4When the headline act for Rebecca's charity gala cancels, Higgins hires a street performer instead, and the crowd loves him.
  2. “The Diamond Dogs”Season 1, Episode 8Higgins joins Ted's new advice circle, then quits after begging Rebecca to stop sabotaging the club.
  3. “All Apologies”Season 1, Episode 9Rebecca apologizes to Higgins, and he returns to Richmond.
  4. “Carol of the Bells”Season 2, Episode 4Higgins and his family host a Christmas open house for players far from home.
  5. “Home”Season 4, Episode 1Higgins joins Rebecca and Keeley in Kansas City to bring Ted back to Richmond.
  6. “Being Alive”Season 4, Episode 10At the shareholder meeting, Higgins and Rebecca's planning lets her keep her majority stake in AFC Richmond.

Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.

Leslie Higgins: frequently asked questions

Who plays Higgins in Ted Lasso?

Jeremy Swift plays Leslie Higgins. He earned an Emmy nomination for the role in 2021 and has appeared in all four seasons.

What is Higgins's job at AFC Richmond?

He is the club's director of football operations, which makes him Rebecca's right-hand man for everything from events to the club's finances. In season four he writes the sobering viability report on the new women's team.

Is Higgins's wife played by Jeremy Swift's real wife?

Yes. Julie Higgins is played by Mary Roscoe, who is married to Jeremy Swift in real life.

Why does Higgins quit in season 1?

In "The Diamond Dogs," Higgins refuses to keep helping Rebecca ruin the team and walks out. Rebecca apologizes in the next episode, "All Apologies," and he returns.

How many kids does Higgins have?

Higgins and his wife Julie have five sons.

Test yourself: Leslie Higgins quiz

5 questions about Leslie Higgins. Think of your answer, then open the reveal to check it.

  1. Question 1

    Why does Rebecca secretly hire a coach who knows nothing about soccer?

    1. To win a bet with the board
    2. As a favor to Coach Beard
    3. To ruin the club her ex-husband loves
    4. To cut costs before selling the club
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. To ruin the club her ex-husband loves

    Rebecca wants to destroy the one thing her cheating ex-husband Rupert truly loved, and a clueless American coach seems like the perfect tool. Higgins never likes the scheme and eventually quits over it.

    See question 7 in the full quiz

  2. Question 2

    What do Ted, Beard, Nate, and Higgins call their little advice group?

    1. The Greyhounds
    2. The Wonder Kids
    3. The Bantr Boys
    4. The Diamond Dogs
    Show the answer

    Answer: D. The Diamond Dogs

    The four coaches give their advice circle its name in "The Diamond Dogs," and Roy comes to them for help about Keeley in the same episode. The group reconvenes whenever one of them needs counsel.

    See question 8 in the full quiz

  3. Question 3

    Which instrument does jazz enthusiast Leslie Higgins play?

    1. Double bass
    2. Saxophone
    3. Trumpet
    4. Piano
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Double bass

    Higgins is a devoted jazz musician on the double bass, and he has a big family with five sons. Fun fact: his on-screen wife Julie is played by Mary Roscoe, Jeremy Swift's real-life wife.

    See question 17 in the full quiz

  4. Question 4

    Who plays Leslie Higgins in Ted Lasso?

    1. Jason Segel
    2. Rob Lowe
    3. Jeremy Swift
    4. Dave Coulier
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. Jeremy Swift

    Jeremy Swift plays Leslie Higgins.

  5. Question 5

    In what year did Leslie Higgins first appear on Ted Lasso?

    1. 2020
    2. 2016
    3. 2022
    4. 2018
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. 2020

    Leslie Higgins debuted in 2020, in "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1). That year is the Debut clue in the game.

Take the full Ted Lasso quiz (20 questions)

Sources and corrections

Reference pages used for this guide, including character, cast, and episode details.

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