CELEBRITY
Exclusive: Travis Kelce confirms casting in new Ryan Murphy horror show: ‘Jumping into new territory’
NFL star Travis Kelce is poised to add “horror series actor” to his ever-growing list of job titles.
Kelce, who is not only the highest-paid tight end in the league but also a podcaster and the host of an upcoming “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” spinoff show, has been tapped to act in “Grotesquerie,” a new horror drama series by Ryan Murphy set to premiere on FX this fall.
Kelce confirmed the news in a Tuesday Instagram Story, in which he re-posted an Instagram Reel that co-star Niecy Nash-Betts shared of the two of them behind the scenes on set.
“Guys, guess who I’m working with on ‘Grotesquerie’?” Nash-Betts says in the video, as Kelce chimes in: “Jumping into new territory with Niecy!”
“This is what happens when WINNERS link up‼️ @killatrav Welcome to Grostequerie!” Nash captioned her post.
In his Story, Kelce wrote, “Steppin into a new world with one of the legends! @niecynash1.” Nash-Betts won her first Emmy in January for best supporting actress in a limited series for Murphy’s Netflix show “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”
Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance and Lesley Manville have been confirmed for the cast of “Grotesquerie.” However, other details about the series are scarce.
Kelce – who recently signed a two-year extension with the Kansas City Chiefs – has broadened his imprint in Hollywood in recent months.
During the “Saturday Night Live” season premiere in October, he and girlfriend Taylor Swift made separate surprise cameos, though that wasn’t the first time he’d stepped into Studio 8H. The Chiefs player also hosted an episode of the NBC show last March.
Last month, Amazon Prime confirmed the tight end will be hosting “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” – a 20-episode series that challenges contestants with elementary school-level questions, with a $100,000 prize on the line. A premiere date has not been announced.
Kelce is also credited with a role in the 2020 Showtime comedy series “Moonbase 8” starring John C. Reilly and Fred Armisen and the reality dating show “Catching Kelce,” which aired on E! in 2016