Jason Kelce’s ESPN late-night show won’t return for Season 2, according to recent reports. Since retiring in 2024, Kelce has embraced a full-fledged media career, from his work as a sports analyst to co-hosting the hugely popular New Heights podcast with his brother, Travis Kelce. Now, he has chosen to explore other opportunities rather than commit to another run of the Friday night show, as per reports.
Jason Kelce’s late-night show reportedly not returning on ESPN
Jason Kelce’s ESPN late-night show, They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce, reportedly won’t return for Season 2. It was Kelce’s decision not to go ahead with next season, as he wants to explore other opportunities during the offseason rather than commit to another run of the show.
However, fans can be assured that there is no bad blood between former professional football center and ESPN, and the network will work with him on other projects going forward (via Awful Announcing).
Notably, Kelce announced the show on Jimmy Kimmel Live in November 2024. He hosted five episodes from Union Transfer in Philadelphia during the final weeks of the regular season and playoffs. His show aired late Friday nights and early Saturday mornings on ESPN. Fans could watch reruns on ESPN2 or stream them on ESPN+ and YouTube.
They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce borrowed certain elements from orthodox late-night television, highlighting that weekend’s games and focusing on NFL storylines.
Interestingly, NFL Films partnered with Kelce’s Wooderboy Productions and Skydance Sports to create his eponymous show. The 38-year-old did not want to compromise on the comedy and hired former Late Night with Conan O’Brien writers Andy Blitz and Jon Glaser, among others, to create the comedy bits and sketches.
In fact, the show’s name was an ode to NFL Films’ 1967 film They Call It Pro Football. Legendary talk show hosts like Conan O’Brien served as an inspiration for the Eagles alum to headline his own eponymous show.
Despite tremendous ratings and response, Jason Kelce acknowledged the challenges he faced while guesting on the Fitz & Whit podcast. He noted that it would have been easier to do a traditional sports-talk show with panelists than to do a comedy skit.
