Like many of Us, Travis Kelce is binge-watching ABC’s hit sitcom Abbott Elementary — and he was starstruck to see his brother, Jason Kelce, make a cameo on one of his “favorite” shows.
“Holy s–t, Jason, you’re on that f–king Abbott Elementary premiere!” Travis, 34, proudly exclaimed on the Wednesday, February 21, episode of the brothers’ “New Heights” podcast. “Quinta [Brunson]’s awesome, dude. I love that show.”
Jason, 36, made an appearance on the season 3 premiere of the Emmy-winning sitcom alongside his Philadelphia Eagles teammates Jalen Hurts and Brandon Graham. In the episode, which aired on February 7, the three NFL stars surprise students and teachers through a Zoom appearance during the school’s career day.
Hurts, 25, is also part of a failed marriage proposal in the episode, prompting Kelce and Graham, 35, to tease the quarterback and coax him back to the football field. “Hey man, you’re late for practice,” Graham says, while Kelce adds, “What’s happening?”
When Hurts explains the proposal gone wrong, Kelce jokes, “Another proposal,” while Graham quips, “Jalen, you gotta say no to this kind of stuff.”
While Travis hasn’t finished watching every episode of the show, he couldn’t help but express his envy of his brother’s cameo.
“[Abbott Elementary] has got to be one of my favorites,” Travis added on the podcast. “I just started binge-watching the first season, so I haven’t even gotten to the second, but goddamnit, you’re always on the coolest Philadelphia shows. Why can’t Kansas City have a show?”
After seconding Travis’ “shout-out” to Brunson, the show’s writer, creator and star, Jason shared his own admiration for the show, which is a mockumentary-style sitcom about teachers at a Philadelphia public school.
“I love what this show represents,” Jason said. “Anything that sheds light on public schools and the Philadelphia school system is pretty special. And Quinta does a fantastic job, as does the whole crew over there at Abbott Elementary. So I was honored that they asked us to be part of it for sure.”
Audiences and critics alike agree with the Kelces’ praise of Abbott Elementary. The show has racked up four Emmys from 15 nominations in the last two years, including two Emmys for Brunson herself. The season 3 premiere of the show drew in almost 6 million viewers — the biggest multiplatform premiere viewership the show has ever seen.
This isn’t the first time Jason has made a cameo on a Philadelphia-based sitcom. The Eagles center also appeared on an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2018.
After being asked by Travis if his time on Abbott was “as fun” as It’s Always Sunny, Jason shared his honest reply.
“[Abbott] was on Zoom, not in person. Always Sunny was in person,” Jason said. “You got to see the set, how everything was done, so that was probably a more fun experience.”
Abbott Elementary airs on ABC Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
