Ed O’Neill, well-known for his role as Jay Pritchett in Modern Family, is not just an accomplished actor but also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under the renowned Rorion Gracie. In Season 1 of Modern Family, O’Neill demonstrated his BJJ skills in a scene that subtly showcases his expertise in martial arts.

During the scene, O’Neill’s character casually executes a BJJ submission technique, likely an homage to his real-life passion for the discipline. Although the moment is brief, it serves as a fun Easter egg for fans who know about his BJJ background. His involvement in BJJ is well-documented, with O’Neill training for over 20 years before earning his black belt, a significant achievement in the martial arts community.

This crossover of his martial arts skills into his acting role highlights not only his talent as an actor but also his dedication to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Rigan Machado lists Charlie Hunnam and Joel Kinneman as his favorite BJJ students

ADCC stand out, Gordon Ryan is insisting that BJJ is close to achieving main stream popularity. Data indicates that BJJ did indeed spike in popularity thanks to ADCC 2022 but it’s still far from a forgone conclusion.

When we talk about advocating for BJJ, it’s unavoidable to mention Joe Rogan who has been one of the biggest advocates for BJJ over the course of the last decade. A growing population of Hollywood stars is interested in jiu-jitsu.

This is in part due to efforts of the Machado family. Rigan Machado is the man behind the famous stunt team that worked on John Wick and has been mentioned as the instructor to the stars often.

Machado is contractually obligated not to discuss many of his famous students. But he has revealed a nugget or two over the years. In a podcast appearance, Rigan revealed:

“I have a group of maybe six guys that have a lot of respect. One’s Joel Kinnaman. Joel Kinnaman, he don’t care, That guy’s like ‘I want to compete, I want to spar any one,’. You know, it’s crazy.”

“The other guy I like a lot, he loves jiu-jitsu more than life. Is that Charlie Hunnam.”

“He loves to spar. Another day, One day he arrive here with bruises. I go ‘Charlie Hunnam, take it easy,’ . You get scratched too much”

How is BJJ taught to celebrities?

When asked about what the sessions for his celebrity class look like, Rigan offered:

“I don’t do more than three techniques. And I go to something called super review. You’re going to have to drill each one a number of times. You have to do a mix of blending techniques, one, two, three…”

“A lot of stretch, a lot of cardio. Sometimes I bring a team of professionals to do the stretch and do the cardio”