Jason Kelce, a notable NFL player, made his debut as a late-night talk show host on ESPN. His new show, “They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce,” is part of a four-week experiment leading up to the Super Bowl. Recorded in a live setting at Philadelphia’s Union Transfer, the show combined Kelce’s on and off field personality with a dash of humor. The show opened with Kelce’s own monologue, though the execution was a bit rough, which was understandable considering his inexperience as a host.
The show really hit its stride during the second segment, where Kelce moderated a roundtable discussion with guests including rapper Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd, NFL analyst Brian Baldinger, and Charles Barkley. The talk show turned podcast-like conversation covered contemporary topics in the NFL, including the Eagles resting Saquon Barkley and the mindset of players entering the final week of the season. Kelce capitalised on his experience as a co-host of the successful “New Heights” podcast, making the chat feel casual and conversational.
However, as the show continued its hour-long runtime, the gimmicks felt strained, escalating in an awkward segment of the guests attempting to read their clunky cue cards. A subpar closing segment featured a beer-chugging competition among several fans. For future episodes, the show could benefit from a shorter runtime, somewhere around 30 minutes, to keep its content sharper and centred on what works best, which is Kelce’s expert moderation of guest conversations.
Another key component that requires more screen time is Kylie Kelce, Jason’s wife. Relegated to a small corner and used sparingly in the first episode, Kylie Kelce demonstrates potential as a strong contributor to the show, having recently overtaken Joe Rogan as the most popular podcast host on Spotify. A shift in the show’s structure to include more of Kylie Kelce could prove to be a robust addition.
Despite the uneven start, the debut of “They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce” has shown promise. Future editions can benefit from trimming its runtime and focussing on its strengths – Jason Kelce’s authenticity and conversation skills, significant guest appearances, participation from Kylie Kelce, and its amiably local Philly setting. Being a debut, there is considerable scope for birthdays in bridging the gap between the ideas from the writers’ room and the execution of the show.
