Travis Kelce had plans to step into the entertainment world “long before” his romance with Taylor Swift helped his career soar!
According to an Us Weekly insider on Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was tapped as the new host of Amazon Prime‘s upcoming game show, Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity, way before he got extra famous. The series, which is based on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, will see contestants face off against a panel of three stars. Production is already underway with filming to begin this summer!
The 34-year-old athlete, who has dabbled in the TV world amid his football career, will begin rehearsal and media coaching in the next couple of weeks to prepare. Exciting!
Related: Inside Taylor & Travis’ Easter Weekend With Their Families!
While it’s definitely an unusual move for the NFL star right now considering he’s one of the most famous athletes who could probably be doing any kinda media deal he wanted, it turns out he got locked into this production early. The source claimed this deal was made “long before Travis’ profile was raised, and now he has to honor the contract.” They explained:
“[They’ll shoot] several test episodes and really fine-tune the show and Kelce so this doesn’t embarrass him.”
LOLz! Sounds like maybe Travis or his team is worried this show might affect his brand now that he’s one-half of the new “it” couple? But we bet he’ll be a hit — and if they can snag high-profile celebrity guest appearances, then there will be nothing to be embarrassed about! Besides, game shows are a great gig, ask any host!
This doesn’t have to be the only thing he does either! He’s also in talks to star in a $100 million action movie with his recently-retired brother Jason Kelce and has been open about exploring every opportunity his new fame has afforded him. He teased in an interview with People earlier this week:
“I’m out here in the entertainment world trying to dabble into that before I get back locked in on football and knowing that that’s going to be my focus until I’m done playing. … But to dabble around in the entertainment space is something that I’m really interested in.”
It’s a natural next step since he’s already had some super successful SNL appearances, including hosting the show last year! Not to mention his reality series Catching Kelce!
FWIW, Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity hasn’t formally been announced yet and when reports first surfaced last month about Travis’ involvement, Deadline noted it wasn’t a done deal — and it was unclear if Trav’s football schedule would allow time for the project. But despite no official announcement yet, it sure sounds like everyone is committed!
Reactions? Are you excited to see him in this? Let us know (below)!
[Image via Nickelodeon/SNL/YouTube & MEGA/WENN]