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Travis Kelce is currently one of the most recognizable players in the NFL thanks in no small part to his relationship with Taylor Swift, but he apparently had some trouble getting past a bouncer tasked with letting people into a Saturday Night Live afterparty a couple of years ago.
On March 4, 2023, Travis Kelce joined the list of professional athletes who’ve gotten the chance to show off their comedic chops inside Studio 8H when he hosted Saturday Night Live a few weeks after the Chiefs triumphed over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
That episode aired well before he became romantically linked with T-Swift, but in October, he got the chance to return to SNL for a cameo in a sketch inspired by the obsession surrounding their relationship.
Kelce and Swift were spotted heading to an afterparty together after his second appearance, and while it’s safe to assume the tight end didn’t have any trouble getting in, that apparently wasn’t the case when he tried to gain admission to another one in 2022.
On Tuesday, SNL cast member Punkie Johnson stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers, and during the conversation, the host pulled out a picture of her and Kelce that she posted on Instagram on November 1, 2022 (a few days after an episode where Jack Harlow served as both the host and musical guest).
Johnson revealed the photo was the end result of her swooping in to rescue him after he tried (and failed) to get into a post-show gathering, saying:
“The crazy thing is he came to the show, we saw him at the show, and then he goes to the afterparty and he’s just looking. I’m like, ‘Oh that’s Travis Kelce’ and they’re like, ‘You can’t get in, bro. You’re not on the list.’
I’m sitting there like, ‘Why isn’t he listing his résumé?’ ‘I’m on SNL—I’m a D-list celebrity—I would’ve been like, ‘I’m on SNL! I know Lorne Michaels!’ But he was just being so innocent…
I went over there and I was like, ‘This is a Super Bowl champion! He is the greatest tight end in the NFL!’ I was saying everything he should’ve said. I was like, ‘He’s on my list. C’mon Travis!’”
At least it all worked out in the end.
