Travis Kelce says he struggled with ‘SNL’ hosting gig because he “can’t really read that well”

"It was kind of a fucked situation"

Travis Kelce says he struggled with hosting Saturday Night Live because he “can’t really read that well”.

Kelce hosted the show back in 2023 and he’s now reflected on the appearance in a new interview on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast.

Kelce hosted the 14th episode of SNL in season 48 of the long-running US entertainment show. He was joined on the show by musical guest Kelsea Ballerini.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end said he thought that the “hardest” part of the hosting gig was the pre-show table read with other cast members because he “can’t really read that well.”

He explained: “The writers’ rooms were fun because you’re just getting pitched ideas,” Kelce explained. “The table reading, for a guy that can’t really read that well, it was kind of a fucked situation.”

He continued: “I felt like I was just trying to get through the reading instead of actually acting it out and giving it a voice and giving it a character and things like that. I was just focused on, ‘Don’t fucking skip this line.’”

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Once he was through the table read, he said he felt  “so much more comfortable” then engaging with “the comedy” and “the silly stuff.”

He added: “There was still a sense of like, ‘I need to be a professional here.’ I want to take advantage of this, but I want to have fun doing it, but I don’t want to look like a loser doing this. I want to make them respect my approach and how I’m like taking it serious. But it was just a fun roller coaster, man.”

Kelce has ventured into acting more in recent years, lading a recurring role in FX’s Grotesquerie and an appearance in the upcoming Happy Gilmore sequel alongside Adam Sandler.

In a short teaser video shared last year, Sandler’s Gilmore returns to playing in a golf tournament. Kelce is seen in one shot, as is Bad Bunny. The teaser clip also showed short scenes with Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald, the latter two of whom are reprising their roles from the original 1996 film.

The original film starred Sandler as the titular Happy Gilmore, a hockey player with anger management issues who discovers he’s also good at golf. Gilmore enters a golf tournament to win money to save his grandmother’s house, facing off with the arrogant Shooter McGavin along the way. The film also starred Carl Weathers and Bob Barker.

Besides Adam Sandler, Bad Bunny and Travis Kelce, Happy Gilmore 2 will also include Margaret Qualley who recently revealed that her role was landed by her husband Jack Antonoff, who lied to Sandler that she was a good golfer.

Eminem has also been confirmed to have an “insane” cameo in the upcoming film.