This comedian makes his love for the Kansas City Chiefs part of his stand up routine
When your earliest memory of the Kansas City Chiefs is one of the team’s most painful playoff losses of all-time, and you choose that as your opportunity to become a fan, you know you’ve earned your place in the Chiefs Kingdom.
Dustin Slentz says he remembers being at Arrowhead Stadium as a child with his mother on that freezing cold day in 1996 when Chiefs kicker Lin Elliott missed three field goals, two in the fourth quarter, and quarterback Steve Bono threw three interceptions in the Chiefs’ divisional playoff game 10-7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The legendary loss put an end to the season for a team that, for many fans, looked like a Super Bowl contender.
Slent, 38, recounts the memory with a smile and a bit of humor. He talks about many of his ups and downs as a Chiefs fan in a way that is likely to make anyone listening laugh. Part of that is because he is a standup comedian and his life as a loyal subject of Chiefs Kingdom has become part of his comedy routine.
In a video clip showing Slentz performing on stage he tells the audience about his mother who is a die-hard Chiefs fan. The crowd laughs while he recounts with a little snark and sarcasm how his mother got married in the parking lot at Arrowhead Stadium before a game.
“My mom married my second stepdad—err (pause)—one of my stepdads at Arrowhead Stadium. It was in the parking lot, before the Chiefs and Packers game, at 9 a.m.,” he says during his performance.
“KC Wolf, the Chiefs mascot, was there. Not only was he there, that’s who walked my Mom down the aisle.” The crowd chuckles along with his recounting of the non-traditional wedding.
Along with sharing what he thinks are the funny things about his experiences with his favorite NFL team, Slentz holds a deep appreciation for what it means to be a loyal Chiefs fan and carries that with him on the road while performing his comedy.
Traveling from Denver to Texas to Ohio, Slentz is immediately pegged as a Chiefs fan, which comes with some sour looks due to the Chiefs recent success. He relishes the idea of the team being labeled as the “villians” of the NFL. He’s waited a long time for this feeling.
“I spent most of my life just wanting a playoff win, now people being jealous of us, that’s pretty fun,” Slentz says from his Overland Park living room.
His comedy even got him a rare opportunity to perform directly for the team as part of a promotional video. Slentz says a Chiefs PR person approached him after a set about the story of his mother’s wedding, complimenting him on the joke. Six months later, he was hired to shoot a video with Chiefs legend Danté Hall, one of his favorite players of all time.
With the Chiefs success recently, he’s had to make room on the bandwagon for fair weather fans, even though in the past he was reluctant to welcome them.
“Now I’m just like, hop on, welcome to the bandwagon. Welcome to the Kingdom. But you don’t get to leave if we start sucking again.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2025 at 3:12 PM.