Celebrity Pickleball Tournament ‘Pickled’ Is Coming To CBS and Paramount+

Pickleball. It’s the sport your uncle in Arizona loves so much he pulled a hammy on the court. (Okay, my uncle did this.) And now the sport beloved by retirees across the country and is coming to a TV near you: Pickled, a two-hour celebrity pickleball tournament special, will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ later this year.

The special will be produced by Stephen Colbert in conjunction with Funny or Die and CBS Studios.

In a press release announcing the show, Colbert stated, “I love hosting The Late Show, but at the end of the day – and I’m specifically talking about the hours between 8 and 10 p.m. Eastern – I see Pickled as a chance to bring lots of different people together for something playful and unpredictable,” Colbert said. “And since the supply chain snarl has delayed delivery of my Margaritaville™ Frozen Drink Machine, I find myself with some free time.”

Celebrities will duke it out on the court in a tournament that will benefit charity, and the winner will receive the ultimate sports trophy, a Golden Gherkin. (If I may suggest a sponsorship tie-in, this can and should be known as the Vlasic Classic.)

Pickleball is gaining popularity so quickly that it’s become the fastest growing sport in the country. If you’re unfamiliar, the sport is a cross between tennis, ping pong, and badminton, and played on a court that’s roughly one third the size of a tennis court.

While no celebrity contestants have been announced yet for Pickled, the game does have its share of high-profile fans, from George Clooney to Leonardo DiCaprio, who both have pickleball courts at their homes, and Ellen Degeneres who designed her own pickleball paddles.