Mattias and Magnus Ferrell said that they destroyed their dad on the basketball court when they were in elementary school. Will Ferrell’s sons are all grown up as they troll him on the red carpet Mattias and Magnus Ferrell said that they destroyed their dad on the basketball court when they were in elementary school. By Wesley Stenzel :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/WesleyStenzelauthorphoto32b61793a2784639af623f2ae091477e.jpg) Wesley Stenzel Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at . He began writing for EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines July 10, 2026 2:26 p.m.

Mattias and Magnus Ferrell said that they destroyed their dad on the basketball court when they were in elementary school.

Will Ferrell’s sons are all grown up as they troll him on the red carpet

Mattias and Magnus Ferrell said that they destroyed their dad on the basketball court when they were in elementary school.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

EW's editorial guidelines

July 10, 2026 2:26 p.m. ET

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Will Ferrell in Los Angeles on July 9, 2026; Mattias Ferrell and Magnus Ferrell in Los Angeles on July 9, 2026. Credit:

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty; Phillip Faraone/Getty

- Will Ferrell’s sons Mattias and Magnus said that they could beat him at basketball from an early age.

- “By the time I was 8 years old, I could destroy him in a 1-v-1,” Mattias Ferrell said.

- “That’s such a lie, there’s no way,” the *Anchorman* star responded.

Will Ferrell is getting walloped in the paint.

The *Anchorman* star brought his sons Magnus, 22, and Mattias, 19, to the premiere of his new Netflix series *The Hawk*, and they leapt at the opportunity to put their old man down in an interview.

When E! asked the younger Ferrells about the first time that they can remember beating their dad in a competitive setting, Magnus quickly responded, “Basketball, we started bodying him.”

Mattias then added, “By the time I was 8 years old, I could destroy him in a 1-v-1.”

Magnus concurred, “Took him to the post, bro.”

Magnus Paulin Ferrell, Will Ferrell, Mattias Paulin Ferrell, Viveca Paulin Ferrell, and Axel Paulin Ferrell in Los Angeles on Nov. 5, 2017.

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

The *Elf* star then attempted to correct the record in a separate interview with E!

“Eight years—that’s such a lie, there’s no way,” he said. “When they got into high school, there were too many bony elbows and they would muscle me out of the way.”

Ferrell explained that he voluntarily gave up on competing with his kids. “It hurt too much to play against them, so I just kinda quit,” he said. “They never really beat me, I quit.”

In an interview with *Entertainment Tonight* at the same event, Magnus called his dad’s SKIMS ad “super sexy,” while Mattias opined that the comedian “got a great body” and added that “we thought he did a great job with that.”

Ferrell responded to his sons’ positive feedback in a separate interview with the same outlet. “Well, they’re right,” he said. “I mean, that’s the right answer.”

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The *Stranger Than Fiction* star also reflected on what it felt like to bring two of his sons to the premiere — and explained his third son’s absence from the festivities.

“It’s kind of unbelievable,” he said. “I’m very proud of them. I’m proud of all three of my sons. I’m sorry Axel can’t be here, but he’s in Richmond playing basketball right now.”

He continued, “He’s dunking on people in Richmond, Va. No, but it’s really fun that they’re able to be here and have such a good time.”

Will Ferrell in ‘Semi-Pro’.

Frank Masi/New Line

*The Hawk* stars Ferrell as an aging golfer who attempts to mount a late-career comeback as his son (Jimmy Tatro) threatens to eclipse his glory on the green. The show also stars Molly Shannon, Fortune Feimster, Luke Wilson, and Chris Parnell.

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Ferrell is no stranger to sports-based comedies. He previously starred in the soccer movie *Kicking and Screaming*, the NASCAR satire *Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby*, the ice skating comedy *Blades of Glory*, and the basketball film *Semi-Pro*.

*The Hawk* hits Netflix on July 16.

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Published: July 12, 2026 at 12:00AM on Source: PRIME TIME

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