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While former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has only been with ESPN for a few months, the company apparently likes what they’ve seen enough to double down on the Super Bowl winner as an on-air personality, as reports indicate he’s in talks with the network to host a late-night show.
After spending the entirety of his playing career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelce retired from the NFL at the conclusion of the 2023 season and has been one of the hottest properties on the sports media market, as evidenced by the success of the New Heights podcast that he hosts with his brother Travis.
According to a new report from Puck News, the 36-year-old is in talks with ESPN to host a late-night style TV show that wouldn’t be a highlight show but would feature Kelce interviewing athletes and other celebrities. Kelce currently serves as a host on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown.
“Kelce’s people and the network are still trying to nail down the specifics, but my sources say the gig wouldn’t be a highlight or recap show. Rather, the concept that seems to have gained the most traction is a late-night show, featuring Kelce with other athletes and celebrities,” reported John Ourand of Puck News.
“The show would be produced by NFL Films and licensed to ESPN, which will air it on five consecutive Friday nights—likely 1 a.m. ET on Saturday, to be precise—starting in January, with the hope that the show will create clips that go viral on social over the weekend.”
ESPN joining a late-night field that already includes Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel would certainly be an interesting development in the space, especially considering that Jimmy Kimmel Live! is on ABC, which is also owned by ESPN’s parent company, Disney.
ESPN has dabbled in the late-night space before with series such as Quiet Frankly with Stephen A. Smith from 2005 to 2007 and Barstool Van Talk in 2017 (which lasted just one episode before being canceled.