Before Fame, Jason Sudeikis Helped A Friend in Need — Now He’s Helping Thousands

January 23, 2026

Twenty years ago, Kansas City musician Billy Brimblecom was facing the fight of his life.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Brimblecom endured 13 rounds of chemotherapy. The treatment saved his life—but it also cost him his leg. As he worked to rebuild his future, he ran into another devastating reality: his insurance would only cover about half of the $60,000 needed for a prosthetic limb.

That’s when one of his oldest friends stepped in.

Billy Brimblecom and Jason Sudeikis / CBS News

Jason Sudeikis — who would later become a household name through Saturday Night Live and Ted Lasso — had met Brimblecom years earlier at an improv workshop in Kansas City. When Sudeikis learned his friend couldn’t afford the prosthetic he needed, he did what good friends do.

He fired up a good old-fashioned Kansas City barbecue.

The fundraiser raised more than enough money to help Brimblecom get his new leg. But it didn’t stop there. What began as a one-time act of friendship turned into something far bigger.

That barbecue evolved into Thundergong!, an annual variety show packed with music, laughter, and plenty of heartfelt moments. The event raises money for the Steps of Faith Foundation, which helps uninsured and underinsured amputees across the country afford prosthetic limbs.

Since 2017, Thundergong! has helped more than 2,000 people regain mobility—and confidence.

“I think a big reason that something like Steps of Faith is important is because you get people an arm that they lost through some tragedy or a leg that they lost—you’re giving them their confidence back,” Sudeikis said.

The impact continues to grow. The 2025 Thundergong! special raised an incredible $1,135,588, bringing the nine-year total to more than $5 million raised for amputees in need.

For Brimblecom, the mission became deeply personal. After losing his leg, he once visited another amputee who was struggling emotionally. The conversation only lasted a few minutes—but it changed his life.

“I don’t even remember what I said,” Brimblecom recalled. “But I remember how I felt, and how he was looking at me. I could see the excitement and the hope in his eyes. And I said, ‘Gosh, I wish that could be my job.’”

Today, it is. Brimblecom now serves as the CEO of the Steps of Faith Foundation.

“It’s about hope, confidence, surviving, and thriving,” Brimblecom said.

And for Sudeikis, it's simple.

“To do something that you love with people you love, to help people you may never meet,” he said, “I wish it on everyone.”

Watch the interview below: