Jason Kelce may be a late-night talk show host now — but that doesn’t mean he has a completely free hand when it comes to his language.
On Saturday, January 4, a new show by a former NFL player They call it Late Night with Jason Kelce debuted on ESPN. The premiere episode featured a host of guests, including fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, Within the NBA host Charles Barkley and musician Lil Dicky.
After taping a live episode on Friday, Jan. 3, the former Philadelphia Eagles center, 37, answered questions from reporters and revealed that ESPN gave him its blessing to push the boundaries with his language — but urged him to be “careful” about throwing the F -bombs during his show.
“I’m still waiting to see what the response is going to be, to be honest with you,” Kelce said of the first episode, which was heavy on the sweet words. “It’s a late night show. We’ll see how that works out the next morning whenever it airs.”
Although he admitted that he may have gone overboard with the swearing, Kelce told reporters that he had a good reason for it. In the end, it’s all about being the “authentic” self.
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Jason Kelce (center right) chats with Lil Dicky, Brian Baldinger and Charles Barkley during the premiere episode of ‘The Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce.’
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
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“We really wanted my language to be real and authentic,” he explained. “We went a bit overboard today, to prepare the audience for what to expect.”
“I think the F-bombs were the only thing they told me, maybe you should be a little more careful,” Kelce continued. “But we want to give you the ability to be who you are, so we knew we were exploring territory where the language would be kind of permissive.”
“I think it’s probably going to go down a lot in the next show,” he added, referring to his language.
A day ahead They call it late night’At the premiere, the former soccer player opened up to PEOPLE about what the audience can expect from the series. The goal, he said, is to combine sports and comedy.
“It’s a comedy, a late-night show,” he explained. “We have a bunch of really funny writers who are going to make the show funny, because I certainly can’t.”
The show, which airs Saturdays at 1 a.m. EST on ESPN, is taped in front of a live audience in Philadelphia.
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Jason Kelce performs his opening monologue during the taping of ‘They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce’.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
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“We’ll be using great footage and audio from the game’s past and history, as well as current weeks,” he added of the show’s football talk. “We will have panelists who will be able to provide perspective from former players and coaches, to fans, to other high-level athletes.”
Kelce also told PEOPLE that he wants to They call it Late Night to be “a place where we can come once a week… have fun and talk about the sport we all love and the culture that is near and dear to us.”
He added: “So I think I’m really, really looking forward to it.”
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Source: HIS Education