Summary
The new Hulu sports dramaClippedfeatures an impressive ensemble cast, with many actors portraying real-life NBA players and coaching staff.Clippedis based on the controversial true 2014 scandal about Donald Sterling, the former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team. The 2013-2014 NBA season was big for the LA organization, which to this day has yet to win an NBA title, because of the acquisition of former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, who coached the 2008 C’s to their first NBA Championship since 1986. Rivers is portrayed by the legendary Laurence Fishburne in the new Hulu limited series, which consists of six total episodes.
The firsttwo episodes ofClippedpremiere exclusively on Hulu on June 11, 2025, with the remaining four episodes released weekly on Tuesdays until the series finale airs on July 01, 2025. The series features Ed O’Neill as the controversial figure Sterling along with Jacki Weaver playing his wife Shelly, and Cleopatra Coleman as V. Stiviano, Sterling’s assistant/mistress who recorded his conversations and released a clip of Sterling making extremely offensive and hate-fueled comments. As a result, Sterling received a lifetime ban from the NBA, lost ownership of the team, and was fined a staggering $2.5 million.
DeAndre Jordan
Laurence Fishburne as Doc Rivers
Actor:Laurence Fishburne is a prolific actor who is best known for his role as Morpheus inThe Matrixfranchise. He is a 3-time Emmy winner for his work in#Freerayshawn(2020),Miss Evers' Boys(1997), andTribeca(1993). He was also nominated for Best Actor in 1993’sWhat’s Love Got to Do With It?and is a4-time Emmy nominee for Oustanding Comedy Series as an executive producer onBlackish. Fishburne has appeared in more than 130 films and television series after rising to prominence in 1979’sApocalypse Now.Fishburne also stars inFrancis Ford Coppola’sMegalopolisand is set to appear inTransformers One,Slingshotalongside Casey Affleck, andThe Amateuralongside Rami Malek and Rachel Brosnahan, which releases in 2025.
Mystic River(2003)
Whitey Powers
Character:Fishburne portrays Doc Rivers in Clipped, the real-life NBA coach who joined the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013 after coaching the Boston Celtics to their first NBA title in 22 years. Rivers has coached several other NBA teams including the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers and is currently the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Ed O’Neill as Donald Sterling
Actor:Ed O’Neill is a celebrated actor best known for his role as Jay Pritchett onModern Family(2009–2020). At 78 years old, O’Neill has starred in dozens of classic films and television series such asWayne’s World(1992),Blue Chips(1994), andLittle Giants(1994).He was the protagonist ofMarried… with Children, an Emmy-nominated sitcom that aired 263 episodesfrom 1987 to 1997, 260 of which O’Neill starred in. O’Neill has also been featured in some now-classic animated movies such asWreck-It Ralph(2012) andFinding Dory(2016).Clippedmarks O’Neill’s highly anticipated return to television afterModern Familyended in 2020 with 250 episodes. O’Neill has been nominated for 3 Emmys for his work onModern Family.
Finding Dory(2016)
Hank
Character:O’Neill portrays Donald Sterling in Clipped, the controversial former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team who received a lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine. An infamous tape was released in 2013 of Sterling making extremely offensive and racist comments in response to his mistress V. Stiviano wanting to invite NBA legend Magic Johnson to a Clippers game.
Jacki Weaver as Shelly Sterling
Actor:Jacki Weaver is a celebrated actress who was nominated for 2 Academy Awards for her supporting roles inSilver Linings Playbook(2012) andAnimal Kingdom(2010). Weaver, born in 1947, alsohas a recurring role inYellowstoneas Caroline Weaverand has starred in other recent television series such asHello Tomorrow!andBloom. Weaver has also appeared in critically acclaimed films such asThe Five-Year Engagement(2012),Parkland(2013),Magic in the Moonlight(2014),The Disaster Artist(2017),Bird Box(2018),Widows(2018),Poms(2019),Stage Mother(2020), andFather Stu(2022). The actress has starred in more than 90 films and television series after making her feature film debut in the 1966 Michael Powell movieThey’re a Weird Mob.
Yellowstone(2012–2022)
Caroline Weaver.
Character:Weaver portrays Shelly Stelring, the wife of Donald Stelring who was at odds with V. Stiviano, her husband’s assistant and mistress inClipped.
Cleopatra Coleman as V. Stiviano
Actor:Born in 1987, Cleopatra Coleman is best known for her roles as Em Foster in Brandon Cronenberg’s psychological horrorInfinity Pool(2023) starring Alexander Akarsgård andrising horror star Mia Goth. She can also be seen as Grace Pell in the critically acclaimed Hulu limited seriesDopesickwhich also stars Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlberg, Rosario Dawson, and Will Poulter. Recently, Coleman starred as Devra in Zack Snyder’sRebel Moon - Part One: A Child of FireandRebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver. She made her television debut as a regular on the sci-fi seriesSilversunin 2004. She is currently 36 years old and is originally from Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, Australia.
Rebel Moon - Part One(2023)
Devra
Character:Coleman portrays V. Stiviano, who plays a crucial role in exposing Donald Sterling’s racist comments to the public inClipped.
Clipped Supporting Cast & Characters
Kelly AuCoin as Andy Roeser:Kelly AuCoin portrays Andy Roeser inClipped, the former President of the Los Angeles Clippers. AuCoin is best known for his work onBillions,The Girl from Plainville,The Americans,Law & Order, and the celebrated Oscar-winning 2023 dramaThe Holdovers.
Rich Sommer as Seth Burton:Rich Sommer is best known for his celebrated role as Harry Crane in the Emmy-winning drama seriesMad Men. He portrays Seth Burton inClipped, the former Senior Vice President of Communication for the Los Angeles Clippers. Sommer recently starred in the HBO limited seriesWhite House Plummersand the acclaimed 2023 filmBlackberry.
Corbin Bernsen as Pierce O’Donnell:Corbin Bernsen portrays Pierce O’Donnell inClipped, an experienced attorney who represented Shelly Sterling in the $2-billion sale of the Clippers. Bernsen’s most notable works includeKiss Kiss Bang Bang,Major League, and the recent Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone comedy seriesThe Curse.
Clifton Davis as Elgin Baylor:Clifton Davis appears as Elgin Baylor in Clipped, an NBA Hall of Famer who played for the Los Angeles Lakers and was the former Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Clippers. Davis is best known forMadam Secretary,Iron Fist,Billions, andAny Given Sunday.
Clipped
Cast
“Clipped” takes viewers inside the Los Angeles Clippers' organization during one of its most controversial periods. The series follows Coach Doc Rivers, portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, as he navigates the fallout from owner Donald Sterling’s racist remarks. The scandal, captured on tape and broadcast globally, sparks a fierce power struggle involving Sterling, his wife Shelly, and his ambitious assistant V. Stiviano. As Rivers works to keep his team united and focused on winning, the show explores the broader implications of Sterling’s actions and the quest for accountability and change within the sports world.
