Travis Kelce had somebody at Saturday Evening Reside pulling for him.
SNL repertory participant Heidi Gardner lately revealed on an episode of Amanda Hirsch’s Not Skinny However Not Fats podcast that she campaigned for the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish to host the NBC late-night sketch present for some time — one thing government producer and creator Lorne Michaels ultimately agreed to on one situation.
“The most important swing I ever did in that division, and it did work, nevertheless it took a pair years, was Travis Kelce,” Gardner, who was born and raised in Kansas Metropolis, Mo., recounted. “I don’t wish to take full credit score [from] the present and the expertise division, however I’m simply clearly an enormous Chiefs fan, and I had seen him do different little appearing gigs and appearances, and I used to be like, ‘He’s humorous, he’s charming.’ I had performed the ESPYs with him, saying one thing collectively.”
The Shrinking actress mentioned this was previous to Kelce’s explosion in a differing sphere of popular culture, on account of his relationship with celebrity singer Taylor Swift.
“Lorne was like, ‘Nicely, he has to win the Tremendous Bowl.’ And I used to be like, ‘That’s a lot strain to ask!’ After which he gained the Tremendous Bowl!” (Kelce has since racked up three coveted Tremendous Bowl rings.)
Kelce hosted the present in March 2023 alongside musical visitor Kelsea Ballerini. His time on SNL was obtained warmly, poking enjoyable at his cultural cachet with the memorable Bowen Yang sketch referred to as “Straight Male Pal” and Gardner’s personal “Abby the Ex-Girlfriend.
Elsewhere on the podcast, Gardner mentioned she’d like to see further sports-hailing hosts like Kelce’s teammate, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and LeBron James, in addition to veteran actors Catherine O’Hara and Nicolas Cage. She additionally famous that her Shrinking co-star Harrison Ford, regardless of being a staple in Hollywood, has by no means graced Studio 8H.