Philly Leader

Jason Kelce debuted his new late-night talk show, "They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce," to a packed audience at Union Transfer in Philadelphia. The former Philadelphia Eagles center expressed disbelief and excitement as he addressed the crowd. "Wow, I have my own show," Kelce remarked.

Fans waited outside the venue for over two hours to witness the premiere. Kelce drew inspiration from childhood favorites like Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, saying, "I used to love Conan as a kid. Now I'm up here doing my own show."

The show is a collaboration between ESPN, NFL Films, Wooderboy Productions, and Skydance Sports. Kelce emphasized the importance of NFL Films' involvement: "We wanted to create a show that really embraced all of that...NFL Films is such a catalog of these sounds and these clips."

Development began in February with an aim to celebrate the NFL's history and culture. "You're building set design, you're building writers...what's the format?" Kelce explained.

The debut featured special appearances by Harold Carmichael serving beer and Jason's wife Kylie issuing a viewer discretion statement about language used on the show. A live band named Snacktime performed throughout the event.

Kelce acknowledged Philadelphia's influence on his career: "It was important to me...to be in Philadelphia, a piece of the Philadelphia scene." He also paid tribute to Jimmy Kimmel by seeking advice through a comedic skit.

Guests included Charles Barkley and rapper Lil Dicky (David Burd), who joined Kelce on stage for discussions. "I had Dave on my podcast, Charles on my podcast," said Kelce about their comfort level during filming.

The first episode ended with an engaging segment called "Chug Machine," where fans from different NFL teams competed in beer chugging contests.

Reflecting on the show's success, Kelce commented on its complexity: "It's really a challenge to do and pull together all the things in a show like this." He appreciated everyone involved in making it happen: "Whether it's audio guys...you feel like you develop team chemistry."

Kelce expressed gratitude for being part of such an ambitious project: "...just happy to be involved in this thing and have all these really talented people."