The story of how Chiefs’ Travis Kelce landed ‘SNL’ hosting gig has been revealed
As Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s star power continues to grow, his business managers are getting noticed.
The website Andscape wrote a story in November about André and Aaron Eanes, and the New York Times had a feature on the twin brothers this week.
The latter story — with the headline, “The People Who Brought You Travis Kelce” — was written by Zach Schonbrun and includes details about how the Chiefs tight end had dreamed of appearing on “Saturday Night Live” for years.
The story notes that “Catching Kelce” convinced everyone involved that reality television wasn’t the way to go. Kelce told his managers they should try to get him on “Saturday Night Live.”
After the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV, the wheels were put in motion. But they quickly stopped.
“Aaron Eanes reached out to the show’s producers during the 2020 season, but their reciprocated interest sounded lukewarm at best” Schonbrun wrote. “That changed in October 2021 after Mr. Kelce dropped into an ‘S.N.L.’ after-party before a game in Philadelphia and went to work, chatting up (and impressing) Lorne Michaels.
“The day after the Chiefs defeated the Eagles in the Super Bowl last February, Aaron Eanes’ phone rang at 9 a.m. It was ‘S.N.L.’
“’I don’t think he’s even been to sleep yet,’ Mr. Eanes told the booking agent.”
So, yeah, “Saturday Night Live” didn’t waste any time in getting Kelce to agree to host. And he made his appearance on March 4.
Not long after Kelce hosted “Saturday Night Live,” he signed a deal with the talent agency, Creative Artists Agency.
Kelce has been a familiar face in commercials these days, but the number of spots may actually decline in the future. That’s because he is eyeing bigger projects in the entertainment industry.
“The Eanes brothers coordinate it all, managing the surging flow of incoming traffic for a piece of Kelce Inc.,” the Times story said. “Film scripts have been shared among the team. Game shows are a consideration. Maybe a few less commercials.”
Travis Kelce, game-show host, or Travis Kelce, game-show contestant? Either way, that would be interesting to see.
This story was originally published January 3, 2024 at 10:30 AM.
