‘Ted Lasso’ Quietly Recast Henry for Season 4, and the Reason Behind It Says a Lot About the Show’s New Direction
‘Ted Lasso’ fans tuning into the show’s long-awaited fourth season have noticed something different about one familiar face. The actor who has played Ted’s son Henry since the very first episode is gone, replaced by a new performer stepping into a role that has grown significantly since the show’s earlier seasons.
The change was not something Apple TV+ hid once the season began rolling out, and it has since become one of the more talked about behind the scenes stories surrounding the show’s return. The Apple TV+ comedy really did swap out the actor playing Ted’s son for Season 4, and fans online have had a lot to say about the switch.
Why Ted Lasso Recast Henry for Season 4
The most consistent explanation across multiple reports centers on one thing, soccer ability. The reason for recasting Henry is reportedly due to a required football proficiency, with the new actor playing Ted’s son needing to know his way around a football field. According to Deadline, Henry grew older and developed athletic skills that required the recasting, since the character is now a preteen who has grown into a skilled soccer player.
That detail lines up with how the show’s storyline has evolved. Apple TV has not made any official comments about the recast, though rumors suggest the show needed an actor who could convincingly play soccer, hinting that Henry will move from being a background character to someone with a more active role in football centered scenes.
Interestingly, the original actor was given a shot at staying in the role. The original actor, Gus Turner, was reportedly asked to re audition for the expanded part, but producers made clear the role would require someone considerably more experienced with soccer.
The show’s producers have stayed largely quiet on the record about the decision, letting the cast changes speak for themselves as the season unfolds.
Meet Grant Feely, the New Henry Lasso
Apple TV+ ultimately landed on Grant Feely to take over as Henry Lasso. Feely previously appeared in both ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ films and played the younger version of Luke Skywalker in Disney and Lucasfilm’s ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ series in 2022.
Feely has spoken about the physical demands of the role and how he prepared for it. Speaking with Page Six, Feely revealed that Apple TV decided to recast Henry because the character needed to be able to play soccer in Season 4, noting that he had to brush up on the sport and even enlisted his brothers to teach him the ropes.
That preparation appears to have paid off with the show’s creative team. Series co creator Brendan Hunt, who also plays Coach Beard, has complimented Feely’s strong and subtle acting in the role.
Do you think the new Henry did a good job?
Feely has been careful about how much he reveals about his character’s arc. In an October 2025 interview with Birmingham Parent, Feely described Henry as Ted’s twelve year old son who loves to play soccer, saying that was all he could share about the role.
What Happened to Gus Turner
Gus Turner originated the role of Henry across the show’s first three seasons, and his exit has become part of the larger story surrounding Season 4. Turner played Henry in eleven total episodes of ‘Ted Lasso,’ including three episodes in Season 1, three in Season 2, and five in Season 3.
His time on the show largely unfolded through a specific format. Most of Turner’s appearances were delivered through Zoom calls with his on screen father, though he also made two trips to London to spend time with Ted and watch him work as coach of AFC Richmond.
Turner has not disappeared from the industry since leaving ‘Ted Lasso.’ He has pursued other projects, including roles in ‘Loki’ and a Netflix adaptation of ‘East of Eden.’
The timing of the announcement has also been documented. Deadline was the first to report the recasting in March 2025, and Feely confirmed his own casting on Instagram four months later, in July 2025.
Henry’s Bigger Role in Ted Lasso Season 4
The recasting was never just about swapping faces, it reflects a real shift in how much the show plans to lean on Ted’s family life this season. Ted moved to London to coach AFC Richmond while Henry stayed in Kansas with his mother Michelle, played by Andrea Anders, and the Season 3 finale ended with Henry reuniting with Ted after he left Richmond to return home.
Season 4 flips that dynamic considerably. In Season 4, Henry and Ted’s ex wife Michelle agree to move across the pond so Ted can coach Richmond’s women’s team, and Ted takes a job as an assistant manager at a Kansas City grocery store to make up for lost time with his son before the family relocates.
Sudeikis has spoken candidly about how that choice plays out for Ted as a father. Sudeikis has acknowledged that Ted overcorrected in trying to make up for lost time, adding that he does not think it is helping his son’s heart or the best situation for Henry.
Early images from the new season reinforce how central Henry has become to the story. One of the first images from Season 4 shows Henry in a school uniform sitting with Ted in a pub, hinting that he may now be living with his father in the UK, which would align with the season’s broader focus on Ted embracing fatherhood full time while balancing his coaching duties.
There is also speculation about where Henry’s soccer skills might take him within the story. It is expected that Henry’s own potential football career will factor into the season, with speculation that he could even join Richmond’s youth academy, reinforcing the show’s broader themes about growth carrying across generations.
Reaction to the switch has been mixed but far from universally negative. Fans on the ‘Ted Lasso’ subreddit were sharply divided when news of the recasting first broke, though plenty of commenters actually supported the change, arguing that Turner was not a strong enough actor to carry a more substantial storyline.
With Henry now positioned as a much bigger part of Ted’s world both on and off the pitch, viewers have plenty to weigh in on when it comes to whether Grant Feely’s version of the character lives up to what Season 4 is asking of him.
