Apparently draft day came and went for Jason Kelce‘s new ESPN late night show, and two former Late Night with Conan O’Brien writers were the first-round picks. Andy Blitz and Jon Glaser are both working on They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce.
That’s according to Blitz himself, who spilled the news in an interview with Marc Maron this week. The former Conan writer didn’t go into much detail on what can be expected from They Call It Late Night, but he did share that “It’s not gonna be like he’s gonna come out and do a monologue or anything like that, I think.”
“You guys are working on sketch ideas?” Maron asked him.
“Yeah,” Blitz answered. “We’re having fun so far.”
Blitz and Glaser were both writers and sketch performers on O’Brien’s NBC show, with Glaser joining the show in 1998 and Blitz following in 1999.
Late Night fans might best remember Blitz from remotes in which he appeared as himself—like the one where O’Brien takes him apartment hunting, or another where he hails a cab from New York City to Canada. Glaser’s appearances included numerous audience plants and multiple turns as the Gorton’s Fisherman.
Blitz and Glaser also made up two-thirds of The Slipnutz with Brian Stack.
Kelce has expressed his admiration for O’Brien’s show, citing him as one of his late-night inspirations during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last month. “I love late-night shows. I’ve always loved them. I remember at sleepovers watching Conan O’Brien with my friends,” he told Kimmel.
Glaser can be seen in behind-the-scenes footage of that visit to JKL, in which Kimmel gives Kelce a mini masterclass in hosting a late-night television show. In fact, Glaser and Kelce briefly talk sketch content in that video. Kelce relays how Kimmel suggested he do a shower-based bit on his show. “That can be a good cold open,” Glaser replies.
They Call it Late Night With Jason Kelce premieres Friday January 3rd on ESPN. It will be carried simultaneously on ESPN+ and on the ESPN and Jason Kelce YouTube channels.
