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For all the talk about Tom Brady’s TV debut in 2024, few professional athletes have made the transition from the field to the pop culture landscape more effectively than Jason Kelce, whose unique professional and personal alchemy includes: remarkable success on the field, including All-Pro honors, a Super Bowl title in Philadelphia and a role as lead artist on the Eagles’ “Tush Push”; media stars off the field as co-host, along with brother Travis, of the wildly popular “New Heights” podcast; and commercial ubiquity (Buffalo Wild Wings and Campbell’s Chunky Soup, among others).
That led to a multi-year deal with ESPN, including a stint on “Monday Night Countdown” and, starting at 1 a.m. ET on Saturday mornings, a new role as a late-night talk show host — perhaps one of the most challenging jobs in TV.
‘They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce’, recorded in front of a live audience at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, was the first of a four-week ‘pop-up’ experiment on sports TV leading up to the Super Bowl, and the results were a not-unexpected mix of raw, ragged and recognizable.
Here are the key takeaways from the show’s debut:
Kelce’s bearded, beer-swilling “everyman” vibe is at the heart of his charm
And the show leaned right into that. Kelce wore a letterman jacket and T-shirt, jeans and work boots.
He quickly set the tone and asked his audience, “How did we get here?” Actually, his very first words were “Holy s—.” The late-night license to swear was used liberally, but not particularly gratuitously (the s-word went unnoticed, the f-word kept bleeping).
From the show’s name, logo, and intro to the retro-fun set and some of its components, there was an ongoing tribute to the best of NFL movies. “They Call It Pro Football” was one of NFL Films’ first projects, and Kelce’s appreciation for NFL history was on display, from a warm studio cameo and toast with Hall of Fame Eagles receiver Harold Carmichael to Kelce’s awe for framed photos of the NFL’s most famous “mutilated hands” hanging in the studio.
First Photos From Jason Kelce’s New Show ‘They Call It Late Night’
📸: @ESPNPR pic.twitter.com/PPKD0lZ2qN
— Kelce Brothers (@kelcebrothers) January 4, 2025
Kelce’s opening monologue is graded on a curve
That’s because the late-night monologue in front of an audience is some of the most challenging work on television, let alone by someone with limited hosting experience. The audience was gracious and forgiving of the occasionally stuttering riff, if not laughing. The bits with actors — like a segment where Kelce met himself as a 14-year-old and as an older person — were more cringe than comedy.
The second segment shone
The show was at its best in the second segment, when Kelce brought out a roundtable discussion with guests: the rapper and actor Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd, the NFL TV analyst Brian Baldinger and – in an impressive flex from Kelce and ESPN – Charles Barkley.
Their roundtable discussion felt like listening to a podcast the right way: informal and conversational. From his experience as co-host of “New Heights,” Kelce seemed so much more comfortable as a moderator than as a solo star.
They covered some good “news” topics – the Eagles sat Saquon Barkley before he could attempt to set the NFL single-season record (Charles Barkley: “I’m glad he’s not playing.”), players’ mindsets away to Week 18 and Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell. It was a great idea to give four professional speakers a classic sports conversation framework.
The show could use a shorter running time
As the show got deeper into its hour-long runtime, the conceit and viewer experience became arguably more tense: a segment in which the four panelists were tasked with doing their best impressions of the legendary NFL Films voice (and Philly native) John Facenda was derailed because the panelists were completely unprepared to read their playing cards and the contents of the cards were clumsy and corny. (Burd: “I don’t know what I just read.”)
A final segment featuring four superfans in a beer-guzzling contest felt like a taped match and featured the fastest chugger being disqualified for not finishing by turning his mug on his head as directed. (Watching it was even messier than describing it.)
The show could – and should – benefit from a shorter running time (30 minutes makes sense), which would allow Kelce to really focus as an expert moderator of an interesting panel of guests.
The show needs more Kylie
There’s one area the show shouldn’t cut back on in the future: airtime for Kelce’s wife Kylie, who sits at a table in the wings (“Kylie’s Korner”) and acts as lead voiceover, which is unfortunately only used sparingly in the debut .
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) to play such a minimal, fringe role. The show would benefit from a lot more Kylie, and it could easily replace the last two blocks, with the pair talking about topics together – or adding Kylie to the roundtable.
Kylie Kelce is an announcer for “They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce” ❤️ @latenightwithjk | @JasonKelce pic.twitter.com/QnibuiP3eL
— espnW (@espnW) January 4, 2025
I have a lot of empathy and appreciation for a production team trying something new, and debut episodes are when all your fun ideas in the writers’ room come to fruition.
In this case, they don’t need the canned bits and actors – they have Kelce, in all his authenticity and talent for carrying a conversation; they have Kylie; they have the power of ESPN to bring in big names like Barkley; they have a friendly Philly crowd and a welcoming studio setup – and they should let Kelce do what he does best.
Required reading
(Photo: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)