Exclusive Interview: Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Young Dylan Talk Nickelodeon NFL Nickmas Game

CBS Sports and Nickelodeon will deliver a holiday gift for NFL fans of all ages—a special slime-filled presentation of the National Football League’s Christmas Day game between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Dec. 25, at 4:30 p.m. (ET). Following the success of the Sports Emmy Award-winning NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon production, the Nickelodeon NFL Nickmas Game will air alongside CBS Sports’ coverage of the game, which will be broadcast on the CBS Television Network and stream live on Paramount+.

CBS Sports’ Nate Burleson, Noah Eagle, and Nick star Gabrielle Nevaeh Green (That Girl Lay Lay) are returning to call this year’s collaboration, along with Nick star Young Dylan (Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan) as sideline reporter. SpongeBob SquarePants’ Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) will join the crew from Bikini Bottom to offer live commentary throughout the game.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Gabrielle and Young Dylan about the game!

PC: Young Dylan, you made your debut last year as a sideline reporter. What was it like getting the best seat in the house? Did anything surprise you about the experience?
Young Dylan: It was amazing. You know what surprised me? The players were actually a lot taller than I expected them to be. When I met them, I was looking up. I was like, “You don’t look this tall on TV.” [laughs] But it was an amazing experience. I’m a football fan. I know all about football and I love it. I felt like doing Slime Time with Nate [Burleson] gave me a good chance of doing the wild card game with them. When they called me to do it, I was like, “Yes, yes, yes. This is amazing. This is truly a blessing.”

PC: Gabrielle, you’re a pro at hosting these Nickelodeon specials. What are you most looking forward to with the Nickmas game?
Gabrielle: I’m really looking forward to everything that has to do with this game because it’s on Christmas! Christmas is such a big part of my life. I have my Christmas tree here, and it’s going to be amazing to do a special on Christmas. But I’m really looking forward to seeing Patrick [Star] because Patrick is our little secret weapon this year. He’s going to be commentating on the game. That’s something that’s never been done before. I’m really excited to see how that plays out and how the fans respond to that. I’m excited to reach a new generation of kids with this game.

PC: Young Dylan, you’re a massive football fan. Who are you rooting for: the Broncos or the Rams? Who do you think will win?
Young Dylan: Since I’m in LA, I’m going to root for the Rams. It’s a hard question to answer—who I think will win—because both teams have a lot of talent. Offensively, I have to give it to Denver. They have Russell Wilson and Jerry Jeudy. Defensively, I’m giving it to the Rams. Jalen [Ramsey] and Aaron Donald can really try to stick it to Jerry and Russell. I feel like it’s going to be a great game. I feel like both teams started off pretty rocky this season due to injuries. It can be like that sometimes, but it’s going to be a great game. It’s a coin toss.

PC: Gabrielle, you’ve also said that you’re always looking for that project that pushes you outside of your comfort zone. What have you learned being a reporter that you’ve now been able to apply to your acting career?
Gabrielle: I would say with this project that I’ve learned to go with the flow. Similarly to All That, when we’re doing sketches, improv, and things like that, I’ve learned that authenticity is what people are drawn to. When I’m asking questions and commentating, I’m asking things that I want to know, that my cousins want to know, or even that Dylan wants to know. Those are the things that people are really drawn to. Being your most authentic self is something that I’ve learned with this project and that I will apply to my other work.

PC: You both are friends and have worked together in the past. What’s one fun fact about the other that fans would be surprised to learn?
Gabrielle: Dylan has really great basketball skills.

Young Dylan: Gabby is a really good dancer. We’ll be doing TikToks, and I’m not a dancer at all. She’s always helping me with them. I just got my page back, and now that we’re verified, I feel like she’s definitely going to keep helping me out with these TikToks. I know she has like 500 drafts in her TikTok.

Gabrielle: I got you on Christmas day. I got you.

PC: Speaking of drafts, if you had to draft your own team with one of your co-stars that you’ve worked with in the past, who would it be and why?
Young Dylan: That’s a great question.

Gabrielle: I would do Isaiah Crews from Side Hustle because Isaiah is over six feet tall. His dad is Terry Crews. He knows about football. Isaiah would be dope on my team.

Young Dylan: I would name my team the White Deeds or Stanford Young Dylan. I’d draft Nate Burleson. He’s my co-star on Slime Time. He was once a football player.

Gabrielle: That’s cheating. [laughs]

Young Dylan: He was a deathtrap. He played football and he was really good.

Gabrielle: You can’t pick a former NFL player, Dylan.

PC: Every year this special continues to build on the success of the last year. How will this special continue to build on that trend? What can fans expect?
Gabrielle: Every year our broadcast has grown and expanded. I’m really looking forward to seeing the visual effects and seeing all of the different tidbits that we get from the players. That’s also what’s unique about our broadcast. We’re not just throwing out names like Russell Wilson and stating their position. We’re also sharing his favorite color, his favorite superhero, etc. That’s something that I think has expanded over time. We learn more about the players and the coaches.

Young Dylan: That’s a great answer, Gabby. I feel like what they’re looking forward to is that it’s not too serious. It’s a regular season game. Before we did a wild card game, and we made it fun, even though it was a wild card game. But it was serious because if you lost, you went home. But this game, it’s Christmas, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, it’s a regular season game, so everybody’s like, “Whew.” I feel like people expect a lot. Patrick Star is also commentating on it, and he’s commentating from the Bikini Bottom, so that’s going to be amazing.

PC: You’re both such dynamic storytellers. What’s next for each of you? What’s left on your bucket list?
Gabrielle: Monster High is out now on Nickelodeon. That’s an animated project. I play Clawdeen. She’s half werewolf, half human. That’s been a fun project. I also have Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. That’s coming out on HBO Max soon. I really hope to get into film and expand my television career. I want to do everything in entertainment. I want to dip my toe in every single bucket. We’ll see where that goes.

Young Dylan: I’ve still got my show, Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan. The fourth season is coming out soon. I’ve also got Slime Time with Nate and of course music coming soon.

Make sure to follow Gabrielle (Twitter/Instagram) and Young Dylan (Twitter/Instagram)