While everyone is talking about Tom Brady's TV debut in 2024, few professional athletes have transitioned off the field and into the world of pop culture as effectively as Jason Kelce. His unique professional and personal alchemy includes: All-Pro honors, a Super Bowl win with Philadelphia, and a role as the lead performer on the Eagles' “Tush Push.” He rose to off-field media stardom as a co-host with his brother Travis on the wildly popular podcast New Heights. and commercial adoption (such as Buffalo Wild Wings and Campbell's Chunky Soup).
This resulted in a multi-year deal with ESPN that included an appearance on “Monday Night Countdown” and a new role as late-night talk show host (arguably the most rewarding in television) starting at 1 a.m. ET on Saturdays. One of the jobs) has been decided.
Recorded in front of a live audience at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, “They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce” was part of the four-week “They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce” run on sports television leading up to the Super Bowl. The results of the first “Popup” experiment were as follows. A mix of loud, creepy, relatable and unexpected.
Here are some key takeaways from the show's debut:
Kelce's bearded, beer-drinking, “regular guy” vibe is the core of his appeal.
And the show was leaning into exactly that. Kelce was wearing a letterman jacket and T-shirt, jeans and work boots.
He quickly set his tone and asked the audience: “How did you get here?” In fact, his first words were, “Holy…” The license to swear late at night was used liberally and not particularly gratuitously (the S-word didn't go off, the F-word did).
From the show's name, logo, and intro to its retro and fun sets and bits and pieces, homages to the best NFL movies abounded. “They Call It Pro Football'' was one of NFL Films' earliest projects, and from studio cameos to warm productions like a toast with Hall of Fame Eagles receiver Harold Carmichael, it was about the NFL. Kelce's appreciation for NFL history exploded, right down to his awe for the framed photo. The most famous “broken hand” hangs in the studio.
First photo of Jason Kelsey's new show 'They Call It Late Night'
📸: @ESPNPR pic.twitter.com/PPKD0lZ2qN
— Kelce Brothers (@kelcebrothers) January 4, 2025
Kelce's opening monologue is scored on a curved line
That's because the job of a host delivering a monologue in front of an audience late at night is one of the most difficult jobs in television, especially for someone with little experience as a host. The audience was friendly and forgiving, if not laughing out loud, at the occasionally stodgy riffs. The parts that involved actors were more cringe than comedy, such as the segment where Kelce meets his 14-year-old self and his older self.
The second segment shined
The show reached its climax in the second segment, when Kelsey invited a roundtable of guests. They were rapper and actor Dave “Lil Dicky” Byrd, NFL television analyst Brian Baldinger, and, in an impressive production by Kelsey and ESPN, Charles Barkley. .
Their roundtable conversations felt like listening to a podcast in a casual, conversational, and proper way. After co-hosting “New Heights,” Kelce seemed much more comfortable as a host than as a solo star.
They covered some good “newsy” topics – the Eagles sitting Saquon Barkley before he set the NFL single-season rushing record (Charles Barkley: “I'm glad he didn't play” ), players' mindset heading into Week 18, and Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell. It was a great idea to provide four professional speakers with a framework for classic sports talk.
The running time of the show could be made shorter.
As the show deepened into its hour-long running time, the conceit and viewer experience became noticeably more tense. In a corner where the four panelists were tasked with doing their best impressions of legendary NFL movie voice (and Philadelphia native) John Facenda, the panelists were completely unprepared to read the cue cards. But the story went off the rails because the contents of the card were clumsy and trite. (Bird: “I don't know what I read.”)
The final segment featured four superfans in a beer chugging contest, where the person who chugged the fastest would be disqualified for not finishing by flipping the mug over their head as instructed. (It was even rougher in person than it would be to describe it.)
This show could and would benefit from a shorter running time (30 minutes would be reasonable). This will allow Kelce to focus on being an expert moderator for a panel of interesting guests.
We need more Kylie on the show
One area that the show should continue to not skimp on is the airtime of Kelsey's wife Kylie, who sits at a table in the wings and provides lead narration (“Kylie's Corner”), but unfortunately only a small amount of it in her debut. It was only used.
Kylie, who recently replaced Joe Rogan as Spotify's most popular podcast host, is far too talented (and far too big of a star in her own right) for such a minimalist role. They cannot play a peripheral role. The show would benefit from more Kylie, and the last two blocks could easily be replaced by couples joking around about topics together, or even adding Kylie to a roundtable.
Kylie Kelce is the announcer for “They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce” ❤️ @latenightwithjk | @Jason Kelce pic.twitter.com/QnibuiP3eL
— espnW (@espnW) January 4, 2025
I have a lot of empathy and gratitude for production teams who try something new. The debut episode is the moment when all the fun ideas in the writers' room meet reality.
In this case, they do not need canned fragments or actors. They have Kelce, with all his integrity and conversational talent. They have Kylie. They have the calling power of ESPN to land a big name like Barkley. They have a friendly Philadelphia crowd and a welcoming studio setup, and should focus on letting Kelce do what he does best.
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(Photo: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images)
