Travis Kelce’s Hollywood moment has finally arrived. It took a long time.
Kelce, 34, has won three Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now he is also a regular in a Ryan Murphy series and the host of a new game show on Prime Video.
His managers began working to help the NFL star break the zeitgeist before his famous girlfriend, Taylor Swift, even entered the picture.
According to the New York Times, Kelce’s agents André and Aaron Eanes told the Kansas City Chiefs tight end in 2022 that he could be “as famous as the Rock.” It looks like their plan is right on target.
He’s not new to exploring projects outside of his sport by any means: he hosts a culture and sports podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce, called New heights. He has also appeared in commercials for major brands and starred in his own E! reality tv dating show, Catching Kelce, and hosted Saturday evening live in 2023.
Jane Owen, a Hollywood PR expert, told Yahoo Entertainment that the careers of professional athletes tend to have extremely short lifespans.
“If I were on his team, I would push him to take massive advantage of his current spotlight,” she said. “I believe he would have his moment… no matter what. He has the trifecta of good looks, charisma and being at the top of his game.
While he has been busy gaining cultural relevance for a while now by being a talented and likable player on the best NFL team, his relationship with Swift has taken things to the next level. Throughout the 2023-2024 football season, Kelce was everywhere.
Owen said it definitely won’t hurt Kelce’s career if he’s dating arguably the most famous person in the world right now. It seems like his goal has always been to break into the entertainment industry.
Toni Ferrara, a talent manager and publicist, told Yahoo Entertainment that many athletes pursue this because they are “born entertainers.”
“With huge fan bases and followers that can easily turn into eyes for TV shows and ticket sales, it’s a marketing dream,” Ferrara said. “I would say the biggest [athlete] post-NFL career success story would be Michael Strahan. Watch how he went from one of the best in the NFL to one of the most sought-after on-camera announcers.”
Hosting is certainly in Kelce’s playbook, but that’s not the only project he has in the works. Here’s a look at where fans can catch Kelce off the court.
Big question
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What we know: The FX horror series follows a detective who investigates a series of disturbing crimes that unsettle a small community. Kelce plays a nurse at the local hospital with a troubled past.
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His co-star, Niecy Nash-Betts, told Yahoo Entertainment that she worked “very closely” with Kelce and acted as his “coach.” Raven Godwin and Courtney B. Vance also praised Kelce for the hard work he put into becoming an actor.
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Status: The first episode aired on September 25 on FX.
Are you smarter than a celebrity?
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What we know: Kelce hosts the game show, in which adult contestants must rely on a classroom full of celebrities to help them answer 11 questions from an elementary school curriculum in an attempt to win $100,000.
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It’s a spin-off from Are you smarter than a 5th grader? The original show was hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, and another Nickelodeon spin-off was hosted by John Cena.
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Status: The first three episodes were released on Prime Video on October 16. The remainder of the 20-episode season airs weekly on Wednesdays.
Happy Gilmore 2
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What we know: Adam Sandler revealed this during his appearance on August 20 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that Kelce would appear in the sequel to the beloved golf comedy, which Sandler is co-writing.
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Kelce’s role has not been revealed, but Sandler said the football player is “a big, handsome guy” and “so funny.”
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Status: According to Sandler, filming for the Netflix sequel began in September.
Loose guns
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What we know: Kelce is in talks to land his first leading role in a film as one of two “rogue cops who are paired together in an attempt to get them both straight,” according to Variety.
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John Wick director Chad Stahelski has signed on to direct the action-comedy film.
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Status: To be determined
Updated, October 16, 2024: This story was originally published on August 21, 2024 and has been updated to include Kelce’s latest projects.
