Heidi Gardner is a massive Kansas City Chiefs fan, and when Travis Kelce came to host two seasons ago, it was clear that it was a very big deal for her. Now, she’s revealed that she’d actually been campaigning for him to host for years before it happened. However, to get the tight end on the show, she explained that Lorne Michaels had one requirement.
The comedian has been on SNL for a long time and worked with countless A-list hosts. However, when chatting about Season 50 airing on the 2024 TV schedule and the people she really wanted to lead the show, she explained on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast that her dream host was Travis Kelce:
The biggest swing I ever did in that department, and it did work, but it took a couple of years, was Travis Kelce...I don't want to take full credit [from] the show and the talent department, but I'm just obviously a big Chiefs fan, and I had seen him do other little acting gigs or just appearances. I was like, 'He's funny, he's charming.' I had done the ESPYs with him, announcing something together. And yeah, I just kept on going to the show [and asking].
As Gardner continued, she mentioned that she went to Michaels in 2022 to pitch Kelce, to which the podcast's host, Amanda Hirsch, passionately asked if this was before or after he started dating Taylor Swift. In response, the comedian said that the football player’s talents were “already on their way,” and she knew it, way before that relationship began. That’s why she asked SNL’s boss if he could host.
In response, Lorne Michaels told her:
Lorne was like 'Well, he has to win the Super Bowl.' And I was like 'Well, that is so much pressure to ask.' And then he won the Super Bowl.
Well, thank goodness he won the Super Bowl that year! Not only did Gardner’s dream come true, but we also got a great SNL host who isn’t an actor, and he killed it – as you can see if you go back and rewatch his Season 48 episode with a Peacock subscription. Honestly, now I’m hoping he comes back to host again.
After that, the actress dove into detail about the tailgate she threw in her dressing room with her family, friends and Kelce. She couldn’t have spoken higher about him, as she explained that he showed up to her little tailgate with Jason Kelce (who made a cameo in the episode too).
Overall, the experience seemed like a real highlight for Gardner, and when asked if there were any other host requests she had, she responded with:
I got a Chief, so I’m good for a while.
This hosting gig truthfully came at a perfect time, and Lorne Michaels’ stipulation made sense because Travis Kelce’s star had risen significantly after he played his brother Jason in the 2023 Super Bowl. However, in the time since then, his A-list status has grown exponentially because he’s dating Taylor Swift, his podcast has exploded, AND he won another Super Bowl with the Chiefs.
So, I think it’s time to invite him back. His episode and the cameo he made during Season 49 with Swift show that he’s down to clown. Plus, now he has done some acting too by working on the 2024 FX series Grotesquerie and the upcoming Happy Gilmore 2.
However, as of right now, Kelce isn’t part of SNL’s Season 50 hosts. That can certainly change, though, as there’s a lot of time left in its run on the 2025 TV schedule. And if the Chiefs win another Super Bowl maybe Lorne Michaels will give him a call. I’m sure it would make Heidi Gardner’s and fans’ year.
