Kansas Chiefs' Travis Kelce to Host NBC Saturday Night Live On March 4
The NBC Network has revealed its next round of Saturday Night Live hosts, and the lineup features one of the most celebrated sports figures of 2023. That's none other than Travis Kelce, the tight end who led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl LVII this month. He will be accompanied by musical guest Kelsea Ballerini for the episode on March 4.
Travis announced the exciting news on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. He mentioned that he was a fan of SNL and used to watch it with his mom. Jimmy embraced the Super Bowl LVII winner and welcomed him on the show with the crowd cheering him on.
.@tkelce announces that he will be hosting @nbcsnl with musical guest @KelseaBallerini on March 4th! #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/PeeEMc7ASw
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) February 17, 2023
Kelce is not the first NFL athlete to host SNL. According to CBS, his predecessors include legendary stars like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Charles Barkley, and Tom Brady. In February 2020, J.J. Watt hosted an episode of the live comedy show
Kelce came on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon as a star guest to chat about the historic Super Bowl LVII win alongside Chiefs' quarterback champion Patrick Mahomes, reports Marca. They also took this opportunity to roast the NFL on FOX crew for their pre-game prediction. The news about Travis Kelce hosting SNL March 4 episode was announced on the official social media handles of the NBC show too.
EW reports that last year, SNL cast member and an ardent Kansas City fan, Heidi Gardner, had told noted sports writer, Bill Simmons, that she wanted Kelce or Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to someday host the live show. At the same time, Kelce had tweeted that hosting SNL "would be a dream come true" — and indeed it has become a reality for the Chiefs' tight end star player.
Kelsea Ballerini, the country-pop singer and songwriter, is the second guest hosting the live show on NBC along with Travis Kelce. It will be a monumental appearance for the 29-year-old Nashville singer since this marks her debut on Saturday Night Live. The NBC Showrunners have confirmed her performance days after Ballerini surprised fans with Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, a six-song release which is based on her life experiences.
The singer was excited to announce the news to her fans via Twitter and mentioned that she is crying and throwing up in anticipation of appearing on the celebrated, iconic show. Kelsea is expected to perform a few of her country-pop numbers for the audience.
it’s not 7am and i’m not on a mountain with a view but i am in my living room screaming crying and throwing up. see you on march 4th pic.twitter.com/3cPd9wxAet
— Kelsea Ballerini (@KelseaBallerini) February 17, 2023
This season of SNL also features Jack White, a regular celebrity guest who returns to the show on February 25, alongside host Woody Harrelson; and Netflix's Wednesday actor Jenna Ortega will be seen hosting the March 11 episode, alongside the pop band The 1975. Saturday Night Live airs on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC.
