Jason Kelce makes his late-night debut in Philly, F-bombs and all

Jason Kelce officially entered the world of late-night television, and he brought his foul mouth with him.

The retired Eagles star-turned-ESPN personality is probably best remembered for his profane victory speech following the Birds’ Super Bowl victory in 2018. So it’s only fitting the first episode of his new show, They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce, was filled with language you don’t often hear on the Disney-owned sports network.

“Is this not the f— best?” Kelce said early on to his pregnant wife, Kylie, who serves as the show’s announcer.

“To our viewers, this evening’s program is intended for mature audiences. Young viewers, such as your children, may hear language that is inappropriate for them,” Kylie Kelce said. “Not our kids. They hear s— like this all the time, right, J?”

Jason Kelce said ESPN gave him its blessing to do a show authentic to his personality and language, but admitted the network warned him to be “a little bit cautious” about using a ton of F-bombs. After taping his first episode Friday night at Union Transfer in Philly’s Callowhill section, Kelce wasn’t sure how much would make it into the broadcast. But when it aired at 1 a.m. Saturday, ESPN left everything in but the F-word, which was bleeped out (though the full, uncensored episode is available to stream on Kelce’s YouTube page).

“Listen, we overdid it a little bit today to kind of prep the audience what to expect,” Kelce said. “I think that we’ll probably naturally scale back significantly the next show.”

It’s not as if there’s no cursing on ESPN. Pat McAfee’s two hours during the day can be as colorful as they come, but the program is shown on a delay so the network can bleep out much of the foul language. Kelce’s late-night show was taped at Union Transfer in Philadelphia about six hours before it was telecast, in front of about 300 fans, family, and friends, including former teammate Lane Johnson and 94.1 WIP host Joe DeCamara.

Kelce said he pushed ESPN hard on the language front because he wanted his guests to be authentic and speak as if they weren’t appearing on TV.

“ESPN was more than accommodating to make this vision a reality,” Kelce said. “It was important to me that people felt comfortable to be their actual selves.”

As for the show itself, it had a little bit of everything — Jimmy Kimmel meets Saturday Night Live, with some Philly sports talk and NFL Films thrown in. One skit involved Kelce speaking to a 11-year-old version of himself who wasn’t too thrilled to find out he grew up to become a late-night TV host. Another bit involved an audience member munching on a Wawa hoagie while mentioning Gritty’s unmentionables.

The core of the show was a panel discussion featuring three guests, including NFL Network analyst and former NFL lineman Brian Baldinger and rapper Lil Dicky, whose real name is Dave Burd. But the star of Kelce’s first episode was Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, making his first of many appearances on the network after ESPN struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to show Inside the NBA next season after TNT loses its TV rights.

If Kelce wanted authenticity, he certainly got it with Barkley, who mocked the 76ers’ chances this season, bashed overpaid NBA players — including Joel Embiid — for avoiding playing in back-to-back games, and agreed with the Eagles’ decision to bench running back Saquon Barkley, who trails the NFL’s single-season rushing record by only 101 yards.

“If Saquon Barkley went out and then got hurt, we would kill them,” Barkley said.

» READ MORE: Charles Barkley’s best comments on Jason Kelce’s new show didn’t make it onto ESPN

Kelce said he hoped to land the Eagles running back on the show, but timing with the Birds’ season made it difficult. It’s unlikely Kelce will get players on playoff teams to show up in Philly to record a show, but the season will officially end for 18 teams Sunday, opening up the pool of potential guests.

“I really want former and current players,” Kelce said. “That’s a vibe that I love.”

Ahead of the Super Bowl, every network with NFL media rights was interested in Kelce. Part of his decision to go with ESPN was its openness to allowing him the opportunity to do the show in the first place, something he intended to do from the beginning.

“We knew we were going to set out to do the show,” Kelce said, noting that discussions began back in February. “It literally took up until today to figure this stuff out.”

A number of things didn’t make it to ESPN’s telecast, from Kelce attempting to act out a slow-motion replay to a lengthier back-and-forth with Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael. There was also a monologue by Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who touted motivational nuggets of wisdom like “Effort requires no talent.”

Another cut bit featured Kelce’s parents, Donna and Ed, leaving the taping early. Kylie Kelce seemed reluctant to jokingly insult the duo, telling a producer the joke she was supposed to deliver was “so mean.”

“My mom can take it,” Jason Kelce shot back. “My dad? Not so much.”

So far, ESPN has signed off on only five episodes, which will run leading up to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. How the show’s success will be judged is unclear, especially considering ESPN telecast it at 1 a.m. Saturday, but Kelce is certainly open to continuing his late-night duties if the show catches on with fans.

“I do think that there’s room for this, especially within the football season,” Kelce said.