They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce is calling it quits.
NFL vet Jason Kelce has decided against a second season of his ESPN late-night show, Awful Announcing reports.
Kelce “wanted to explore other opportunities during the off-season,” the outlet says, noting that “ESPN remained supportive of continuing the program” and “the decision came from Kelce.”
LateNighter has reached out to ESPN for comment.
The news comes just days after They Call It Late Night scored its first awards season nomination, nabbing a WGA Award in the Comedy/Variety Series—Talk or Sketch category.
The retired Philadelphia Eagles player launched his late-night entry on ESPN in January of 2025, less than a year after signing a $24 million deal to serve as an NFL analyst for the sports network. The series, which was picked up for five episodes, taped in Philadelphia and aired Fridays at 1 a.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, and both ESPN and Jason Kelce’s YouTube channels.
While Kelce as a host showed promise, the ratings didn’t. After premiering to 290,000 total viewers (per Nielsen’s Live+Same Day ratings data), its second episode benefitted from the Goodyear Cotton Bowl lead-in to reach a high of 881,000. But by Episode 4, the show reached a low of 110,000 viewers.
On YouTube, the premiere drew 353,000, then averaged 151,000 across the remaining four episodes.
As a lifelong Conan O’Brien fan, Kelce staffed his writers room with several Late Night with Conan O’Brien veterans, drafting Andy Blitz, Jon Glaser, and Kevin Dorff—as well as Tami Sagher (How I Met Your Mother, Inside Amy Schumer). Glaser also served as executive producer.
Ahead of the premiere, Kelce turned to Jimmy Kimmel for advice, and in return got a master class in hosting tips.
They Call It Late Night produced some memorable moments for sports fans, including appearances by brother Travis Kelce and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Kelce was joined each week by his wife, Kylie, who served as announcer, with former Eagles teammate Beau Allen eventually added alongside her. Philly-based soul outfit SNACKTIME served as the houseband.
As They Call It Late Night wrapped its run, ESPN offered little information on whether the show would see a second season. “For me, it’s going to be a little bit more art than science,” ESPN content head Burke Magnus told the New York Times during the show’s penultimate week. “Do people think it’s good and funny? Does it have the potential to grow?”
Kelce’s decision to focus his efforts elsewhere should come as no surprise. After two years of serving as an NFL analyst for ESPN, the football star just added hockey coverage to his list of duties for the cabler.
His podcast with Travis, New Heights, continues to be one of the biggest shows of its medium, boasting over 3 million YouTube subscribers. The brothers signed a deal with Wondery for the show that was reportedly worth more than $100 million.
As for its WGA nomination, They Call It Late Night will compete against The Daily Show, Have I Got News for You, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Saturday Night Live for the honor. The winner will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday, March 8.
