During one of ESPN’s behind-the-scenes ManningCast rehearsals, Eli Manning once used a sock puppet to explain a two-deep safety coverage. Peyton? He responded by deadpanning, “I played 18 years in the NFL for this?” That’s the Manning brothers in a nutshell—two Hall of Famers who’ve turned Monday nights and media events into their own comedic playground.

So when Peyton recently compared their “dangerous” workday to that of Tom Cruise clinging to the side of a plane, it wasn’t just a joke. It was peak Manning: self-deprecating, absurdly relatable, and perfectly timed. Ahead of the highly anticipated release of Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part Two, Peyton Manning took to Instagram with a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Tom Cruise—one that hilariously pulled Eli into the frame.

Posting alongside the official movie poster of Cruise dangling off an aircraft, Peyton captioned: “Tom Cruise’s work day: dangling from planes and jumping off motorcycles. Mine: a 3-hour Zoom with Eli where he uses his golden retriever and flying pillows to demonstrate a pass rush… We both live dangerously.”

It’s a classic Peyton move—mixing self-awareness with playful jabs at Eli, all while riding the promotional wave of one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises. Cruise’s cinematic death-defying stunts are legendary, especially as he approaches 63 and continues to perform them himself. But the Mannings? Their brand of danger involves dodging rogue stuffed animals and managing Eli’s ever-growing prop collection.

While Cruise fights rogue AI in Dead Reckoning as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, the Mannings are creating their own form of media magic. Whether on the set of ManningCast, through Omaha Productions, or roasting each other on national television, Peyton and Eli have become the NFL’s premier comedy duo. Their longevity mirrors Cruise’s in a strange but effective way—different mediums, same principle: keep reinventing, keep entertaining.

Peyton, the disciplined “first-born quarterback,” and Eli, the “freewheeling youngest brother” with two Super Bowl MVPs, have extended their football relevance into pop culture through parody, producing, and perfectly-timed punchlines.

Side note: Peyton succeeded at Tennessee to later become one of the NFL’s most decorated QBs, including one Super Bowl MVP award with the Colts. Eli, who was more reserved, took to building his legacy at Ole Miss. Playing with the Giants, he won two Super Bowl MVPs. Off the fields, Peyton and wife Ashley Thompson are raising twins, Marshall and Mosley, while Eli and Abby McGrew are parents to four.

Manning brothers’ hilarious segment at Disney’s 2025 upfronts

That wit was on full display at the Disney 2025 Upfronts, where the Mannings opened the show with a full-blown musical number to promote their upcoming Hulu docu-comedy Chad Powers. In true Manning fashion, they quipped that Disney didn’t have “enough Mannings,” then broke into song—rebranding Abbott Elementary as Abbott Eli-Manning-tary, and Only Murders in the Building as Only Mannings in the Building.

Jimmy Kimmel roasted the bit in signature fashion: “What if two jars of mayonnaise could sing? The answer is, they can’t.” And he didn’t stop there. “That was worse than what the Menendez brothers did. Too soon or too late?”

Still, the segment was a hit with advertisers, helping launch Chad Powers, a fictional series based on the ESPN+ character Eli created. The show stars Glen Powell as a disgraced QB who adopts a fake identity to join a struggling college football team—a mix of The Ringer meets Friday Night Lights.

Raised in New Orleans’ Garden District by NFL icon Archie Manning and wife Olivia, Peyton, Eli, and older brother Cooper were born into football—but have since expanded into entertainment. Peyton has become a media mogul, producing docuseries (Peyton’s Places), live programming (ManningCast), and scripted comedies. Eli, while more reserved, brings dry humor and low-key charisma, a contrast that’s helped the duo click on-screen.

Their media empire, Omaha Productions, now stretches across streaming, live sports, and scripted comedy, proving the Mannings aren’t just football royalty—they’re entertainment’s first family of sports satire. Peyton’s Tom Cruise comparison might’ve been a joke, but it tapped into something real: the wild ways athletes and actors stay relevant. One clings to airplanes at 63; the other survives Eli’s visual aids on Zoom. But both have one thing in common—they’re built for reinvention.

Whether it’s a fake mustache (Chad Powers), a Zoom pillow blitz, or a Top Gun-style roast of their own careers, the Mannings continue to win where it matters now: attention, longevity, and laughs. And if you’re wondering who’ll outlast them? Good luck. That mission… might be impossible.