Jason Kelce has exhibited a lot of peak dad moments in the last year, but leaving his wife home alone with a newborn so he could join his brother Travis on "Saturday Night Live" probably wasn't one of them.
A Prime Video documentary about the 2022 - 2023 football season, simply titled "Kelce," has introduced viewers to a softer side the burly Philadelphia Eagles center. On the field, he may be a force to be reckoned with, but at home, he's simply "Dad."
Jason Kelce and his wife Kylie are parents of three girls: Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 2, and Bennett, who was born just a few days after Jason Kelce faced his brother Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 Super Bowl.
Jason Kelce's Saturday Night Live moment
The moment in the documentary that has viewers buzzing happened just a week after Bennett’s birth.
Jason Kelce traveled from Philadelphia to New York City to appear in a taping of "Saturday Night Live," hosted by his brother Travis, mere days after Bennett's birth. His sketch wasn’t the only "live" moment caught on camera.
“You can’t say no to ‘Saturday Night Live,’” Kelce said in the documentary. “I’ve been watching it my whole life, and it’s an incredible moment for my brother. But also, I’m missing my daughter’s birthday today and I have a seven-day-old child at the house.”
Backstage in New York on a video chat with his family, Kelce tried to wish Elliotte a happy birthday. Elliotte ignored him. So he asked his wife, "How's the day going?"
After a very pregnant pause, she answered tersely, "Fine."
"Just fine?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said.
Sensing unease, Jason Kelce assured his wife of his arrival time at home the following day. "I am going to make it home by 3 p.m. tomorrow," he said. "All right?"
"OK," his wife answered.
While Elliotte cried, "I'm very sad," Jason Kelce said his goodbyes.
After Kelce hung up, he sighed heavily. "Well, that went great," he said. He glanced at the documentary camera and added, "Yeah. Not up for Dad of the Year right now. Or Husband of the Year."
What the Kelces thought of the replay
Jason and Kylie Kelce discussed that all-too-relatable moment in an interview with TODAY.
"I really felt like I appropriately iced him," Kylie Kelce said of the moment. " Citing the "amnesia" that kicked in after the baby was born, she said she didn't remember the phone call but she did not regret it. Instead, she doubled down.
She said, "I didn't really remember having that phone call, but watching it back, I thought, 'Yeah. Feel that.'"
"I did," Jason Kelce deadpanned.
Kylie Kelce emphasized the importance of showing the "real" side of a football family. "It's been easy to portray that because that's how our house is, and how I am," she said.
Watching the documentary helped Jason Kelce appreciate everything his wife does to keep the family running. On top of raising the kids and overseeing the household, "Kylie keeps me sane," he said. "She's way smarter than me."
Kylie Kelce added, "That's only 'cause he gets hit in the head."
