The premiere of Jason Kelce’s new ESPN late-night chat show was reportedly watched by just 290,000 viewers, with one industry insider describing the figures as ‘not particularly good’.
The first episode of ‘They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce’ aired at 1am ET on Friday. It featured cameos from his wife Kylie, parents Ed and Donna and even Jimmy Kimmel.
The show was not well received by many supporters on social media, some of whom branded it ‘awful’, a ‘disgrace’, ‘cringe’ and ‘painfully unfunny’.
Others did leap to Kelce’s defense, calling it ‘a great product’ and ‘funny as hell’. But the show drew only 290,000 viewers, according to TV insider John Ourand.
The figures were branded ‘not particularly good’, with Ourand revealing that the same time slot in January 2024 drew an average of 436,000 viewers.
Two weeks ago, meanwhile, he claims that more than 700,000 fans were watching ESPN at 1am ET on Friday night.
Former NFL star Jason Kelce endured a tough start to life as a late-night talk show host
The first episode of ‘They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce’ aired on ESPN last Friday night
They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce premieres on ESPN 🔥 @latenightwithjk | @JasonKelce pic.twitter.com/OaDvYUUtkE
— ESPN (@espn) January 4, 2025
But, it’s claimed, ESPN is happy to be working with the former Eagles center – despite the initial figures.
That partnership is said to matter more to the network than the viewing figures of the late-night show, which is initially slated to run for just five episodes.
During last week’s premiere, there was no sign of younger brother Travis, with whom Kelce co-hosts the award-winning podcast New Heights.
Instead the show was a Philadelphia takeover, with Kelce chatting to NBA legend Charles Barkley, former Eagles star Brian Baldinger and Philly rapper and comedian Lil Dicky.
The show featured plenty of bad language and ended with Kelce chugging beers with fans. The panel also discussed the big talking points in the NFL, including the Eagles’ decision to rest Saquon Barkley for their regular season finale.
