Why Travis Kelce Turned Down a Major Reality TV Offer

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Travis Kelce is “way above that reality.”

After the success of Netflix’s reality TV series Strategist In 2023, Kelce, 34, was approached to be part of the follow-up series, RECIPIENTwhich is scheduled to premiere on July 10. Speaking with the Doing Business with Boys In June 2024, during a podcast, the Kansas City Chiefs player admitted: “I’d rather just play ball, man. I do enough with the podcast and everything.”

The rising star, who rose to fame thanks to his high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift, was referring to the show he does with his brother, former Eagles player Jason Kelce, called New heightsThe podcast has performed well on Spotify and Apple’s podcast charts since 2022, achieving even greater success thanks to Travis’ connection with Swift. The brothers are reportedly shopping the podcast around for a deal that could net them an eight-figure salary, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

That’s not the only reason Travis turned down the offer, as the star also joked, “I’m out of that shit.” In 2016, Travis starred in Hey! Reality Dating Series Catch Kelcewhich saw the NFL player date 50 women. Looking back, Travis wouldn’t necessarily say he regrets doing it, but he diplomatically called it a “learning experience.” Speaking with The pivot In a podcast in January 2023, he admitted that the lesson was that he would “never” return to reality TV.

He called the experience “extremely awkward” because he didn’t have much control over what they did on the show. “I don’t think I was ever presented as myself… I was asked to do more than I wanted to. It doesn’t always work out very well,” he told the hosts. Although he found the idea of ​​dating a woman from each state “pretty intriguing,” he initially rejected the offer.

“I told them no for probably a good three months,” Travis told the podcast. He ultimately changed his mind only because he was writing his NFL checks too quickly. “I was in such bad financial shape my first two years,” he said, adding, “There were times in the offseason where I was avoiding the rent lady. It was so bad.”

He did, however, make an appearance in his brother’s 2023 Prime Video documentary, KelceThe documentary followed Jason as he played one final season in the NFL before retiring. Travis praised his brother for doing it “the right way,” but he still didn’t think the idea was for him. “It was so him and I don’t know if I have the desire to do something like that,” Travis said on The pivot podcast. “I’d rather focus on the ball, baby.”