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Travis Kelce lands role in Ryan Murphy horror series 'Grotesquerie'

It's the first major acting role for the Kansas City Chiefs player, who recently signed a two-year extension with the Super Bowl-winning team.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce points to the Chiefs decal on his helmet.
Posted at 9:01 PM, May 08, 2024

Travis Kelce is known for being a pretty fun-loving guy, but he's pulling a switch reminiscent of girlfriend Taylor Swift's "Reputation" era with his first major acting gig.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is TV's newest scream king, adding horror series character to his growing resume.

This fall on FX, the podcaster and upcoming host of an "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" will appear in Ryan Murphy's "Grotesquerie" opposite Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance and Lesley Manville.

Nash-Betts dropped the news in an Instagram video Wednesday in which the pair appeared to be on set.

"Guys, guess who I'm working with on 'Grotesquerie'?" Nash-Betts says in the video, which she posted with the caption, "This is what happens when WINNERS link up!!"

Kelce then comes into frame and says, "Jumping into new territory with Niecy!" He reposted the clip to his Instagram story with the caption, "Steppin into a new world with one of the legends!"

Little is known about other cast members or plot details beyond what Nash-Betts' presumed character said in a teaser released in February.

"I don't know when it started. I can't put my finger on it, but it's different now," she says in a voiceover in the clip. "There's been a shift, like something's opening up in the world, a kind of hole that descends into a nothingness."

It's not the first time Nash-Betts — or Vance, for that matter — have worked with Murphy. Nash-Betts won her first Emmy Award in January for her supporting actress work on the producer's Netflix limited series "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story." And Vance won an Emmy for playing the lead actor in the first season of Murphy's FX series "American Crime Story."

It's a major first for Kelce though, whose TV credits have so far included hosting "Saturday Night Live" in March 2023 and making a guest cameo last fall, starring in his 2016 reality dating show "Catching Kelce," and appearing as a fictionalized version of himself in an episode of Showtime's "Moonbase 8."

But although it's a new thing for Kelce, the Chiefs player's new gig isn't too surprising of a move, as he's been vocal about his plans to step more into the Hollywood spotlight. And that spotlight has already been thrust upon him more in recent years, particularly with his three Super Bowl wins — including the most recent — and his high-profile relationship with Swift.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce waves.

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He's not expected to stop his main job just yet though. Kelce recently signed a two-year extension with the Chiefs, making him the NFL's highest-paid tight end. And he's continuing to co-host his podcast "New Heights" with his brother Jason.

Other entertainment ventures on Kelce's horizon include hosting Amazon's "Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?" game show and producing an upcoming documentary about the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat called "King Pleasure."