Jason Kelce may be retired from the NFL, but he’s as busy as ever.
The former center for the Philadelphia Eagles is getting ready to host a late night show on ESPN, aptly titled They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce.
Though this will be his first foray into late night, Kelce, 37, has plenty of experience on-camera and behind the microphone. Kelce joined ESPN’s team in April 2024 as a member of the Monday Night Countdown crew alongside Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears, and has cohosted his “New Heights” podcast with younger brother Travis Kelce since September 2022.
By delving into late night, Jason is taking a page out of his younger brother’s off-the-field playbook, adding “TV host” to their resumes. Travis, 35, hosts Are You Smarter than a Celebrity, the Amazon Prime revival of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?
Jason broke the news of his new venture while appearing on the Thursday, November 21 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“I loved late-night shows, I’ve always loved them. I remember sleepovers watching Conan O’Brien with my friends,” he said. “We’re going to have a bunch of guys up there — legends of the game, friends that I played with, coaches, celebrities.”
Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce.
What is Jason Kelce’s New Late-Night Show?
The show will look like a traditional late-night show, but with a football focus. Jason described what to expect on They Call It Late Night on the Wednesday, November 27 episode of “New Heights.”
“I thought it’d be fun to have live music and do something in front of a live setting of people. And I was like, ‘What has that?’ I was like, ‘Late night shows have that,’” Jason explained. “When I think of the NFL, I think of those old, iconic NFL songs that make you feel like you’re in the middle of football and I thought it’d be cool to have a band play some of that music, celebrate the game.”
Why Is Jason Kelce Getting a Late-Night Show?
Jason revealed the inspiration behind his new venture on “New Heights,” crediting everything from old NFL films to childhood sleepovers. The name comes from the first-ever NFL Films production, in which broadcaster John Facenda famously said, “They call it pro football.”
His love of late night TV goes back to his childhood, when he would watch Conan during sleepovers the night before hockey tournaments.
“I like any of those late night shows to be honest with you,” he said. “We would be up as kids watching Conan on a little TV up in the attic.”
How is Jason Kelce preparing for his new role?
When Jason appeared on Kimmel, he took the opportunity to shadow the veteran host and soak in as much late-night knowledge as he could.
“Jimmy was the man, [he] offered tons of advice, I got to follow him around all day,” Jason recalled. “To just go there and talk to him, get all the ins and outs of how to run a late night show, how to talk into the camera, how you choose topics, how you prepare, it was honestly a very, very beneficial trip to make.”
When Will ‘They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce’ Premiere?
They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce will premiere at 1 a.m. ET on Saturday, January 4, leading into the final weekend of the NFL’s regular season. It will air on five consecutive weekends, taking fans through the Super Bowl bye week.
He plans to record the show at Philadelphia’s Union Transfer just hours before it is scheduled to air on ESPN.
Which Guests Will Appear on ‘They Call It Late Night?’
Jason plans to welcome voices from around the pro football world.
“We’re going to have a panel, we’re going to have a bunch of former players, head coaches, maybe a current player,” he said on “New Heights.”
Travis, naturally, interjected with a “pick me, pick me, pick me,” and Jason confirmed that his brother is welcome on the show.
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