The guy on the Chiefs is about to become the guy on the screen. Travis Kelce leaving the football behind to take on his first major acting role: a part in an upcoming Ryan Murphy show. Kelce will star in the new horror series alongside acting greats like Niecy Nash, Courtney B. Vance, and Lesley Manville.
The show where Kelce will prove his acting chops is called Grotesquerie, and many details about it are still a mystery. Murphy first teased the project back in February, posting a snippet of Nash speaking about a horrific event along with the announcement that the horror drama will be premiering on FX in fall. Kelce was officially added to the cast on May 7, as the show entered production. Nash shared a video of herself and Kelce on set to confirm the big update.
The show will mark Kelce’s first major acting job. His only previous acting credit is playing a fictionalized version of himself on an episode of the 2020 Showtime comedy Moonbase 8. He also helmed the 2016 E! dating show Catching Kelce, and hosted Saturday Night Live in 2023.
Grotesquerie is the latest development in Kelce’s foray into Hollywood. The NFL star was also recently announced to host Prime Video’s spinoff of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, called Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? Along with jumping into TV hosting, he’s also begun producing films, investing in buzzy indie projects like the recent release My Dead Friend Zoe and an upcoming documentary about the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Of course, Kelce’s fame has grown exponentially in the past year since he began publicly dating Taylor Swift in the fall of 2023. The power couple has received considerable attention for showing up to support one another, with Kelce attending Swift’s Eras Tour concerts and Swift cheering him on at his NFL games. That being said, could Kelce’s new acting gig include a subtle Easter egg shouting out his girlfriend? It wouldn’t be the first time a Ryan Murphy production has referenced Swift.
