Television moments rarely spark a global conversation before a show even premieres. Usually, it takes a shocking death or a massive cliffhanger. But in 2016, all it took was a well-placed "Terrible Towel" and a very brief flash of skin. Honestly, if you were online at the time, you couldn't escape the discourse surrounding the Milo Ventimiglia butt reveal in the This Is Us pilot trailer. It was a literal overnight sensation.
Funny enough, the man himself didn't think it was going to be a big deal at all.
Milo was convinced that because the show was airing on NBC—a network with notoriously strict standards and practices—they wouldn't actually show anything. He figured the camera would skirt around his hip or catch a side profile. Basically, he thought he'd be wearing "nude briefs" and the rest would be TV magic.
Nope.
When he showed up to the set, he was handed what he described as varying sizes of nude-colored cloth and tape. It was the "birthday suit" scene for Jack Pearson, and the production was going for full authenticity. This wasn't just a gratuitous shot; it was the audience's introduction to one of the most beloved TV dads in history. But before we knew him as the patriarch who made everyone "ugly cry," the world knew him for a specific five-second clip of his backside.
The Story Behind the Birthday Suit Scene
The scene itself is actually quite sweet, which makes the viral frenzy even more ironic. It’s Jack Pearson’s 36th birthday. His wife, Rebecca (played by Mandy Moore), is extremely pregnant and trying to do a little celebratory dance for him. Jack is standing there in nothing but a small yellow towel—a nod to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ "Terrible Towel"—before Rebecca’s water breaks.
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It was supposed to be a humanizing, funny moment.
Dan Fogelman, the creator of the show, later admitted he didn't expect the internet to implode. He told The Hollywood Reporter that he envisioned the shot being funny in the way a "normal" guy's butt would be funny. He didn't realize that casting Milo Ventimiglia, a man who clearly spends time at the gym, would turn a comedic beat into a thirst trap that carried the show's entire marketing campaign.
Mandy Moore had to deal with the view for an entire day of filming. She joked in interviews later that she was "totally fine with it" because, well, "it's a really good butt." The chemistry between the two was built on these kinds of vulnerable, slightly awkward filming days.
How He Actually Trained for the Role
One of the biggest misconceptions is that Milo went on some crazy "bootcamp" specifically for that scene. He didn't. In fact, the producers actually told him to stop working out at one point.
They wanted him to have a "dad bod."
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Because This Is Us jumps through time, the producers were worried that Milo looked "too modern." They wanted Jack Pearson to look like a guy from the late '70s and early '80s. Despite the "stop working out" orders, Milo’s natural baseline is pretty athletic. He’s worked with trainer Jason Walsh (the founder of Rise Nation) for years.
Walsh eventually spilled the beans to People magazine about what goes into that physique. There’s no magic pill. It’s a lot of:
- Heavy sled pulls and pushes
- Barbell deadlifts
- Single-leg squats
- Front squats
Basically, a lot of compound movements that build functional strength. Milo has often said he doesn't care about the scale; he just wants to be strong enough to do his own stunts and keep up with a grueling 15-hour filming schedule. When he was asked about the scene later, he simply said, "My ass was prepared."
The Cultural Impact of a Five-Second Clip
Why did this matter so much? In 2016, network TV was struggling to compete with the "prestige" cable shows on HBO and Netflix that could show whatever they wanted. By putting a bare butt in a trailer, NBC signaled that This Is Us was going to be "real" and "adult," even if it was a family drama.
It worked. The trailer racked up over 50 million views on Facebook in just a few days.
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Years later, the "short shorts" saga of 2021 proved that the public’s interest in Milo's legs and physique hadn't waned. He was spotted leaving a gym in West Hollywood wearing very short, rolled-up gym shorts. The internet lost it again. Milo’s response? He just likes to hike them up so he can move better during his workouts. He’s pretty chill about the whole thing, honestly. He finds the "hoot and hollering" from his gym friends funny and doesn't take himself too seriously.
What You Can Learn from Milo’s Approach
If you're looking for the "Jack Pearson" results, the takeaway isn't about vanity. Milo’s approach to his body is incredibly grounded for a Hollywood A-lister.
- Consistency beats intensity. He’s been training with the same guy for over a decade. He doesn't just "get fit" for a role; he stays ready so he doesn't have to get ready.
- Functional over aesthetic. He focuses on mobility and boxing. This helps with the physical toll of acting, like the "Vietnam" sequences in later seasons of the show.
- Ignore the noise. Whether it’s viral butt shots or short-shorts memes, he keeps his head down and does the work.
Ultimately, the Milo Ventimiglia butt moment was a perfect storm of casting, marketing, and a very small towel. It helped launch a show that would go on to win dozens of awards and change the landscape of network television. Not bad for a five-second clip he didn't think would ever make it to air.
If you're curious about the specific workouts mentioned, you might want to look into Rise Nation's methods or Jason Walsh’s "VersaClimber" routines, which Milo uses to stay conditioned without destroying his joints. Focus on those sled pushes if you want the "prepared" look he talked about.