Travis Kelce has reportedly landed his first acting gig, with the Chiefs tight end to star in Ryan Murphy‘s new horror show.
The 34-year-old, who recently became the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, has joined the star cast for Grotesquerie, according to Deadline.
Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance and Lesley Manville will be involved alongside Kelce, who was recently named the host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?
While representatives from FX, Murphy, and producing studio 20th Television declined to comment, sources told Deadline that Kelce was cast for the show expected to premier in the fall.
Nash-Betts, who has previously worked with Murphy winning an Emmy for her role in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, shared a video from set to her Instagram.
Travis Kelce landed his first on-screen acting role in Ryan Murphy’s new show ‘Grotesquerie’
Murphy has helped stars from other fields, such as singer Lady Gaga, transition into acting
Kelce’s name has been on demand since his high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift
‘Guys, guess who I am working with on Grotesquerie?’ the actress, 54, teased, before panning over and revealing Kelce.
‘Jumping into new territory with Niecy!’ the Kansas City Chiefs tight end proclaimed.
‘We on site!’ Niecy-Betts added.
Kelce reposted the video to his own Instagram story, writing: ‘Steppin into a new world with one of the legends,’
The reported casting for Grotesquerie comes after Kelce’s acting debut as a host on Saturday Night Live in March of 2023. With his high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift launching his fame to new levels, Kelce also made a cameo with the 14-time Grammy winner on SNL in October.
The Kansas City Chiefs star had a go at unscripted TV in 2016 when the reality dating series ‘Catching Kelce’ ran for one season.
Kelce reposted a video with actress Niecy Nash-Betts, teasing his upcoming role
Additionally, Kelce has done some work behind the scenes. His most recent project came in his executive producing debut on the indie film My Dead Friend Zoe, which premiered at SXSW. Kelce will also produce a documentary called King Pleasure, revolving around artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Kelce has long had his sights set on the TV and movie industries, but the tight end is not waiting until the end of his NFL career to get his toes in the water. In January, Kelce revealed that he plans to be as famous as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
His agents, twin brothers Andre and Aaron Eanes, have worked hard on helping Kelce find success off the field, which includes building his on-camera reel.
The Eanes brothers’ efforts have helped their client land commercial gigs with the likes of Pfizer, Bud Light, and Experian.
Before the Super Bowl in February, Kelce reiterated his love for comedy and acknowledged Hollywood talks while emphasizing his focus on his football career.
His new role comes after Kelce made his acting debut as a host on Saturday Night Live in 2023
Kelce’s agents Aaron and Andre Eanes have been responsible for landing him commercial gigs
The Chiefs tight end has starred in commercials for Pfizer, Bud Lights, Experian and Subway
‘Man, I’m comedy all the way,’ Kelce said in a press conference. ‘I don’t know if I’m anything else. I just like to have a fun time and make people laugh.
‘I’ll dabble into everything, though. Just to see if I have fun doing it. And I know there’s definitely Hollywood talks out there, but I’ve been focused on football throughout the season so I’ll probably have a lot of those meetings and conversations when it is all said and done.’
Kelce working with Murphy may play to his advantage as the director has a history of helping stars from other fields cross into acting. In 2015, Murphy gave singer-songwriter Lady Gaga her first acting role in American Horror Story.
Like Kelce, Gaga also hosted SNL before working with Murphy. In 2018, she made her debut as a lead actress in a movie in A Star Is Born, earning an Oscar nomination for her performance.
