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New Episode: SuperFan Diaries Trades Sticks for Singalongs with NHL's Ryan O'Reilly & Kelly James (Mac N Cheeze)
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Mac N Cheeze perform at a Nashville Predators game (Photo Courtesy Nashville Predators Facebook)
SuperFan Diaries J.R. Greene Studio Shot (Photo Courtesy Superfan Diaries Website)
Host JR Greene talks with the Predators forward & his longtime friend about hockey careers, lifelong fandom, & their kids music project sweeping North America.
It's not every day you get to see a future Hall of Fame hockey player wearing a giant macaroni noodle on his head! Ryan and Kelly were super-fun on the show!”
NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, May 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- SuperFan Diaries, the breakout sports and fandom podcast hosted by J.R. Greene — known nationwide as ESPN's "Big Orange Tux Guy" — releases its newest episode today, Thursday, May 21, featuring a duo unlike any guests the show has hosted before: NHL veteran Ryan O'Reilly and his longtime friend Kelly James, better known to families across North America as children's music duo Mac N Cheeze.— J.R. Greene, Host of SuperFan Diaries
O'Reilly is the 17-year NHL veteran who has played the last three seasons with the Nashville Predators. James is his former Erie Otters junior hockey teammate and good friend. Together, the two have built a playful, music-first kids' project dreamed up by two longtime friends who traded hockey sticks for kid-friendly hooks — with O'Reilly as Mac, James as Cheeze, and a growing universe of characters, animated videos, and singalongs designed to make families laugh, dance, and sing together.
In this week's conversation, Greene gets the full story behind both halves of their lives. O'Reilly and James walk listeners through their hockey careers — from junior days with the Erie Otters to the NHL — and the kind of die-hard sports fandom that shaped them. Then they pull back the curtain on Mac N Cheeze, including a Raffi concert two summers ago that sparked the whole idea, the Nashville studio sessions that turned silly living-room songs into a polished record, and the moment the Predators locker room officially adopted "Pizza Party" as a post-win anthem.
The duo's debut album, Pizza Party, was released April 10, 2026 on Dine Alone Records and features collaborations with Dallas Green (City and Colour), Thumpasaurus, Alle Bernardi, and Jig Jam, produced by Chris Kimmerer, who also drums for Thomas Rhett. The project's reach has extended well beyond music, with animated music videos, live mini-shows, behind-the-scenes content, toys, merch, a TV show, musicals, and even a boxed macaroni and cheese in the works — plus a philanthropic component supporting foster care initiatives, music-focused charities, and youth sports programs.
"It's not every day you get to see a future Hall of Fame hockey player wearing a giant macaroni noodle on his head," said J.R. Greene, host of SuperFan Diaries. "Ryan and Kelly were super-fun on the show, and their new band Mac N Cheeze will make every child smile who hears them."
It's the kind of crossover story SuperFan Diaries was built for: pro athletes, lifelong fans, and the unexpected places passion can take you.
The episode is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms.
It is the latest in a breakout run for the show. SuperFan Diaries boasts over 200,000 total downloads, with per-episode numbers growing to 35,000 and continuing to climb, and some viral TikTok and YouTube videos clearing over 1.5 million views. The show has racked up 40+ episodes and continues to build a growing global audience with no signs of slowing down. Previous guests have included Cubs World Series hero Ben Zobrist, esports Team Liquid CEO Steve Arhancet, Bills Mafia founder Del Reid, Atlanta Braves icon "Mr. Freeze," Green Bay Packers' "Frozen Tundra Man," Madison Reed founder and CEO Amy Errett, sports and entertainment attorney Gary Spicer, and seven-time Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Brent Maher.
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Matt Bjorke
PLA Media
+1 615-815-9424
matt.bjorke@plamedia.com
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