Tony Shalhoub will be at Packers-Chiefs game: 'It'll be me and Taylor Swift, just sharing a bag of cheese curds'
GREEN BAY - Taylor Swift can keep everyone guessing all she likes, but Tony Shalhoub is a sure thing.
The star of the upcoming “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie” will be at Lambeau Field on Sunday night for the Kansas City Chiefs-Green Bay Packers game, and he has something to endear himself to the crowd that even the world's biggest pop star does not: hometown roots.
Shalhoub was born and raised in Green Bay, so you better believe he’ll be cheering for the Packers. Always so calm and composed when he’s at the podium accepting Emmy Awards for “Monk” or “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” it’s a different story when he’s watching a Packers game.
“That’s where I unravel completely,” he said this week during a phone interview with the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
His visit for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” coincides with the premiere of “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie,” which is available beginning Dec. 8 on Peacock, the NBCUniversal streaming service.
It has been 14 years since Shalhoub ended his eight-season run as the titular character on “Monk,” the TV series adored by viewers and critics alike. The cast and creators reunited for the film project, which finds the former San Francisco homicide detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder trying to solve a case involving his stepdaughter, Molly.
More from Monk Tony Shalhoub talked about memories of hometown, UWGB during Green Bay stop. And yes, a 'Monk' reboot came up.
Shalhoub is well-aware that Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, could be at the game, too.
“It’ll be me and Taylor Swift, just sharing a bag of cheese curds,” Shalhoub said.
“I’m hoping I get a chance to meet her and say hello. I want to introduce myself as ‘Tony Not So Swift.’”
Shalhoub grew up one of 10 children in Green Bay. His dad had Packers season tickets and occasionally Shalhoub would get to go to a game with him. He has those season tickets now and tries to get back as much as he can for games.
Back home in New York City, he sometimes goes to a Packers bar to “cheer with like-minded maniacs.”
After checking the forecast for Sunday’s game at Lambeau, which calls for temperatures around 35 at kickoff with a chance of flurries, Shalhoub was hoping he might be in a box, but as a Green Bay native, he’s always ready for the weather.
“I have all the good gear, except for when it rains. I just haven’t quite figured that one out yet. Snow I don’t mind ...” Shalhoub said. “I’ve been to some really cold games, and I don’t mind it, because all the gear, unlike when we were kids, the gear is so much better.”
Look for more of the Press-Gazette's interview with Tony Shalhoub next week.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Tony Shalhoub will be at Packers-Chiefs game ahead of 'Mr. Monk' movie
