Jason Kelce stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday night (Nov. 21) to talk about his new ESPN talk show, though the conversation naturally ended up pivoting to his younger brother Travis and Trav’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
After some perfunctory talk about the former Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl-winning center’s salad days with the team and how he keeps himself busy now that he’s retired, the pair got down to the really important stuff: what gifts is Jason getting Travis and Taylor for Christmas?
“At Christmastime will you buy individual gifts for Travis and Taylor, or will you buy them a couple’s gift?” Kimmel wondered. “And what do you get them?”
“It’s tough to shop for people that can have anything that they want,” Jason admitted. “So you gotta go to handmade gifts, something sentimental maybe that is near and dear to them?” When Kimmel asked if Jason was crafty enough to make his own hand-made gifts, the former baller said he never has, but that it might work “really well” this holiday season.
“I’ve got something up my sleeve year… a macaroni necklace would be [a good gift]. It works on me with my kids,” said Kelce. “It would be funny if you make Taylor a macaroni necklace and then all of a sudden millions of girls are wearing macaroni necklaces,” Kimmel joked as Kelce coined the sure-to-be-viral-soon phrase “friendship macaroni necklaces.”
Jason Kelce will debut his new ESPN talk show, They Call it Late Night, on Jan. 3, with the post-season series slated to air every Friday during the playoffs. “I’ve always loved [late night shows]. I remember sleepovers watching Conan O’Brien with my friends,” he told Kimmel. “For me, the biggest thing players say they miss when they leave the sport is being around the guys, the locker room, the banter.” Which is why the new show will feature a rotating cast of football legends, friends, celebrities, former teammates and a live band, all in Philadelphia, of course.
When Kimmel asked if Travis might be on the show, Jason said the Kansas City Chiefs tight end will “probably” be busy — the Chiefs are 9-1 and are on track to cruise to the playoffs again this year — but “hopefully” he can’t make it because he’s tied up trying to win an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl.
“If he says he can’t make it on a Friday and then we see him at one of girlfriend’s concerts on a Friday, we’re gonna have a problem probably,” Kimmel joked about Travis’ frequent trips around the world to catch Swift on her soon-to-conclude Eras Tour. “We all know who the priority is,” Jason said.
Watch Jason Kelce on Kimmel below.