How ‘SNL’s Heidi Gardner Supported Travis Kelce During His Hosting Gig

Heidi Gardner and Travis Kelce at the 2023 ESPYS

Saturday Night Live comedian Heidi Gardner has revealed the sweet way she offered support to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce when he hosted the comedic sketch show last year.

Gardner, 40, is a huge Chiefs fan, and  during an appearance earlier this week on the Games with Names podcast, she shared she was excited to have one of her hometown team’s players on the show. Kelce, 34, was invited to host the show for the first time in March 2023 after his team defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in  Super Bowl LVII.

Gardner told former NFL player and podcast host Julian Edelman that she “just knew” Kelce would be “awesome” on the show because he received tips all week leading up to the Saturday live show, much as he does before an NFL game.

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“It all seems overwhelming, but I was like, he’s used to this,” Gardner said. “He probably gets adjustments from coaches all week long, and then has to make those for the game. And he’s playing on a live game every week, just like ours is.”

Before Kelce stepped out onto the stage to begin his hosting duties, Gardner said she used the similarities between preparing for NFL games and an SNL show to support Kelce.

“I was asking him: ‘On game day, what are you eating?’ He’s like, ‘Uncrustables, all day long,’” Gardner recalled. “On Saturday, I had like four boxes of Uncrustables delivered to his dressing room. And he told me, he was like, ‘I’m pounding those.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, this is a game.’”

Related: What Jason and Travis Kelce Eat Before and After a Game, Unveiled (Exclusive)

One year later, Kelce and the Chiefs scored yet another Super Bowl victory with their win against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11. In addition to reaching for consecutive Super Bowl wins, Kelce had added media attention focused on him due to his relationship with pop star Taylor Swift.

While Gardner said she is “all for love” and thinks Kelce and Swift are “doing a great job” managing the heightened attention focused on their relationship, she admitted it made her nervous at first—because of how it could impact her favorite team.

“The only thing I was scared of as a lifelong Chiefs fan was, Travis is dating the biggest celebrity in the world at the beginning of the season,” Gardner said. “I just went a little bit full Chiefs fan, like, ‘Is that going to be a distraction?’”

Now that the NFL season is over, Gardner said it was “cool” to see Swift attending Chiefs games and appearing “so excited” as she watched from the stands.

“They seem really in love,” Gardner said.

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