Travis Kelce has been making headlines with his now-wife, popstar Taylor Swift, for their spectacle of a wedding held at Madison Square Garden. But, apparently, Kelce is hoping to make a name for himself in the entertainment world another way. Though he just resigned to a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year, Kelce apparently still wants to develop his promising Hollywood career, With that, the sportsman is reportedly turning to the man who officiated his wedding for help: Adam Sandler.
Travis Kelce may have come to fame through becoming a football star, and subsequently Taylor Swift’s other half, but his future in media seems bright. However, as with many athletes who enter Hollywood, there’s a certain level of proof audiences need to see before they consider you a true actor, over just a cameo. Kelce made a splash hosting Saturday Night Live in 2023, but a source claimed to In Touch Weekly that the Chiefs player really needed someone to take a bigger chance on him, and one Hollywood vet allegedly took him under his wing:
For all the hype around Travis eventually having some kind of big acting career after his football days are done, Adam Sandler is still the one figure in Hollywood who has actually delivered.
Kelce had dabbled in a few TV guest spots like Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie and Moonbase 8, but Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2 was his first feature movie credit. On that note, the NFL superstar reportedly couldn’t ask for better experience:
Adam creates a safe space on all of his sets, and the friendly atmosphere on that movie allowed Travis to be funny and show his real personality without making a fool out of himself. People assumed Travis might go the action movie route, like by showing up in a Fast & Furious movie, but Adam was the one who saw comedy potential in Travis before anybody, and then he actually did something about it.
I was lucky enough to be in the audience when Travis Kelce made his SNL debut as host back in 2023, and I can confirm the guy has a natural charisma and a knack for comedic timing. That was the first time I could see the three-time Super Bowl champ as a potential actor, and perhaps that’s when the Grown Ups actor realized it, too.
Sandler previously admitted to having Kelce in mind when he was writing Happy Gilmore 2. Originally, the “Sandman” was thinking of making the Chiefs Tight End his adult son in the highly anticipated sequel to his 1996 hit. Eventually, they landed on Kelce playing the waiter who fires busboy-turned-caddy Oscar.
While Benito “Bad Bunny” Antonio Martinez Ocasio truly stole the show as a new comedic talent, Kelce was no slouch, proving he also carried a solid set of acting chops in his few scenes. One of the best moments of the whole movie involved Ocasio’s Oscar slathering a shirtless Kelce in honey to be mauled by a bear in a revenge fantasy.
Post-Happy Gilmore 2, it seems like there is interest in Kelce and Sandler allegedly fostering a potential mentorship, according to the source:
Adam isn’t quite ready to pass his comedy crown off to the new generation. He still has a lot of work left in him, but he does have the proven ability to find and nurture talent like Travis and even build an entire movie around him.
Sandler has tested his dramatic acting skills a number of times. Punch Drunk Love became a beloved cult classic for many fans, Uncut Gems received large critical acclaim upon release, and Sandler’s recent film, Jay Kelly with George Clooney, earned him a Golden Globe nod.
But, at the end of the day, Adam Sandler’s bread and butter films belong to the comedic genre. Even if he’s not acting in them, I’m pretty sure the Sandman will make feel-good, laugh-out-loud movies via his production company, Happy Madison, until the day he dies. I could definitely see the Murder Mystery actor welcoming Travis Kelce into his Happy Madison family, and I would support more of this unexpected dynamic duo. Catch them together in Happy Gilmore 2, which available to stream with a Netflix subscription.
