It’s been another eventful week for former Eagles center Jason Kelce, a man so busy in his post-Birds career that we had a little fun with it in this year’s DIY Philly Halloween costumes guide.
This week’s big news came late Thursday, when Kelce revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he will host his own Friday late-night show on ESPN and ESPN+ at the tail end of the NFL season. Kelce has been an analyst for the sports network’s Monday Night Football coverage this season.
Kelce almost got the date right. They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce will actually start airing at 1 a.m. Saturday Jan. 4, during the final gameweek of the NFL’s regular season. The show will have a five-episode run, with reruns on ESPN2 and on both ESPN and Kelce’s YouTube. The final show, on Feb. 1, will air at 1:30 a.m.
“I loved late-night shows. I’ve always loved them. I remember sleepovers watching Conan O’Brien with my friends,” Kelce told Kimmel. “We’re going to have a bunch of guys up there: legends of the game, friends that I played with, coaches, celebrities.”
The show will tape at Philly’s own Union Transfer and Philly brass band Snacktime will provide the music. 1iota will manage the tickets to see the taping, according to the Inquirer.
As with most weeks this fall, there was more Kelce news.
“A Philly Special Christmas Party,” Kelce’s Christmas album project with current Eagles stars Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata, also dropped Friday, and the former Eagle revealed on the New Heights podcast that “Operation Snowball” will be part of this year’s project. In partnership with The School District of Philadelphia, funds raised from this year’s album sales will go towards a gift for every child in the Philly public school system.
Also, news dropped that one of the songs on the album, “Loud Little Town,” will feature Kelce singing with his wife, Kylie.
And there was some controversy, too. TMZ got its hands on footage of Kelce being berated by an autograph seeker as he was leaving Kimmel’s show. On Nov. 2 at the Ohio State-Penn State game, Kelce grabbed and spiked the phone of a fan who used a homophobic slur to refer to Kelce’s brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce. Kelce later apologized for his reaction.
