Watch Taylor Swift arrive to cheer on Travis Kelce, Chiefs
She’s at Arrowhead Stadium! USA TODAY Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West reports on Swift’s arrival for the Kansas City Chiefs’ first game of the season.
Now that football season has officially begun, Travis Kelce has returned to the TV (and the tight end’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift). This month, the Chiefs star is also expanding his acting career with Ryan Murphy’s FX drama “Grotesquerie” (Wednesdays, 10 EDT/PDT).
The 10-episode limited series focuses on Detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betts), who tries to find out who is behind a series of crimes and whose crimes torment her. Since she has no clue, she teams up with Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond), a nun and reporter, to find the culprit.
In May, Kelce told his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelce, that filming their podcast “New Heights” was “so much fun.”
Taylor Swift makes VMA history and thanks friend Travis Kelce for “fun and magic”
Although Kelce, 34, feels like an “amateur,” he is happy that he “hasn’t been fired yet. So we’re doing OK.” He isn’t sure how many episodes he’ll be in, but says, “Right now, I’m taking it one scene at a time and trying to memorize my lines.”
The road to “Grotesquerie” was paved with comedy and a little reality TV. Here’s a look at Kelce’s previous successes in entertainment.
His dating show “Catching Kelce” (2016)
While he’s now dating Miss Americana, Kelce once entertained 50 women, one from each state, for his E! dating show “Catching Kelce,” which aired in fall 2016. He and winner Maya Benberry of Kentucky reportedly dated for a few months.
On “The Pivot Podcast,” released in January 2023, Kelce described the experience as “extremely uncomfortable because I didn’t really have much say in what we were doing on the show.” He said he felt like he turned down the show “about 100 times” because of concerns about reality TV, but ultimately he couldn’t resist the payday.
“I literally went through my first few checks like it was nothing,” he said. “I had so much fun buying whatever I wanted and going wherever I wanted. I didn’t think I would need money later on. There were times in the off-season when I avoided the rental woman; that’s how bad it was. Then I heard about this situation where I could make six figures in two weeks… and 50 women? I thought, ‘That actually sounds a little better, a little fascinating.’ But at the end of the day, I don’t think I was portrayed as myself.”
While Kelce swore off reality TV on the podcast, he took part in Amazon Prime Video’s “Kelce,” a documentary that featured him and Jason duking it out in the 2023 Super Bowl.
All seven episodes of “Catching Kelce” will stream on Peacock.
“Moonbase 8” (2020)
Kelce appeared as himself (albeit a sophisticated, hot-headed version) in the premiere of the year-long Showtime comedy Moonbase 8. As part of a cross-promotion with the NFL, Kelce participated in training for astronauts (played by Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker and John C. Reilly) to man the first lunar base.
To solve the team’s water shortage, Kelce proposes the risky idea of digging a well. Spoiler alert: There’s a reason he’s only seen in the first episode: the ground gives way and Kelce is swallowed by a hole. His death is due to his own negligence (and thankfully, none of the astronauts).
Available for purchase on Amazon Prime.
“Saturday Night Live” (2023)
Kelce hosted NBC’s long-running Saturday Night Live on March 4, 2023, shortly after winning his second Super Bowl. And the champion showed how much the performance meant to him during his monologue. “I grew up watching ‘SNL’ with my mom,” Kelce said as his parents and brother sat in the audience.
“I love (Will) Ferrell, the Sandman (Adam Sandler), Chris Farley. And to be on that stage, phew, pretty surreal,” Kelce added, quite moved. “And tonight I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”
During the show, Kelce also played a guy in his American Girl Dolls and was joined by Jason for a skit about the feelings one experiences when unexpectedly running into an ex.
According to a writer for the show, Kelce’s time as host is what landed Swift. Last February, Ben Marshall (a member of Please Don’t Destroy) told Mike Birbiglia’s podcast “Working It Out” that the group worked with Swift and Kelce before they started dating.
“She told us she saw his ‘SNL’ episode and saw him in our video and thought, ‘Oh, this guy seems funny and cool,'” Marshall said.
Check out Kelce’s comedic skills in the episode, available on Peacock.
“Are you smarter than a star?” (October 16)
Kelce hosts Amazon Prime Video’s reimagining of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”, formerly hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” has been taped for 20 episodes, premiering October 16.
Each contestant competes for the $100,000 prize by doing their best to correctly answer 11 questions from the elementary school curriculum. Contestants can get help from a panel of celebrities. For the final question and cash prize, the player taps a celebrity to help them with the final answer.
Comedians Nikki Glaser, Natasha Leggero, Nicole Byer and Ron Funches will appear, along with Bravo stars Garcelle Beauvais (“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) and Lala Kent (“Vanderpump Rules”).
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Sequel to “Happy Gilmore” (to be announced)
Adam Sandler revealed during an August appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” that Kelce would try out for the “Happy Gilmore” sequel.
Sandler spoke in detail about the film and Kelce’s role as a guest in “New Heights.”
“We talked about you playing my son literally six months ago when we were writing,” Sandler said on the Aug. 28 episode. The comedian added that Kelce will be joined by “so many great golfers. It’s going to be incredible. They’re going to be funny as hell.”
In the belated sequel, Happy (Sandler), a hockey player who turned to golf to save his grandmother’s house, is out of shape: “There are some things going on in his life,” Sandler said. “He’s a little bit of a mess when you meet Happy, and then we’re trying to get his life back on track.”
The cast of the sequel to “Happy Gilmore”: Adam Sandler, Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce, more confirmed
