Scoop: How the "Manningcast" landed Obama

After a three-week hiatus, the "Manningcast" returned on Monday night with its biggest guest yet: Former President Obama.

Driving the news: Obama joined the Manning brothers for the first quarter and saw his Bears have some early success en route to a 33-14 win over the Patriots.

• The 44th president shared plenty of laughs with Peyton and Eli, while also promoting his voting rights and awareness campaign.

How it happened: Peyton golfed with the former president and Larry David at Riviera Country Club (Los Angeles) last May, where the idea of him coming on the show was planted, a source tells Axios.

• Conversations started up again this season when Bears-Patriots was selected as a "Manningcast" game.
• The booking was locked in late last week — with only a handful of people from Obama's team, the NFL, ESPN, and Omaha Productions aware.

Zoom out: Omaha has quickly established a reputation for its booking power, with A-list celebrities routinely making appearances on the "Manningcast" and other shows. Let's see if they can top this one.