Travis and Jason Kelce’s live “New Heights” show at the University of Cincinnati took an unexpected turn.
The UC alums were surprised with a graduation ceremony at Fifth Third Arena on Thursday as neither of the football standouts were able to properly receive their diplomas during their respective ceremonies.
As the show came to an end, the university’s Director of Athletics John Cunningham came out to thank the brothers and dropped the exciting surprise.
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Cunningham, along with university president Neville Pinto, handed the brothers cap and gowns and even had Travis' old helmet in hand. Because Travis lost his helmet back in the day, he was not permitted to walk at his college graduation ceremony in 2012.
But would it be a proper Kelce celebration without a few chugged bears?
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After Travis received the keepsake from Dr. Pinto, he downed a beer before spiking it onto the stage.
Travis took a moment to say a few words at the podium. In a similar fashion to his post-Super Bowl LVIII appearance, he quoted the Beastie Boys and led the crowd in a chant of, “You gotta fight for your right to party.”
The brothers had their parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, on stage during their personal ceremony. Donna supported her sons by wearing her Chiefs-Eagles jersey. She also had numerous balloons that featured each of the teams along with a heart-shaped balloon that read "world's best mom."
While Travis’ girlfriend Taylor Swift was not in attendance, he made sure to give the pop star a special shoutout when her hit tune was played. He yelled out “'Shake It Off,' that’s one of my favorites!"
During the live "New Heights" show, the Kelce brothers hosted the first-ever Lombaby Games, which pitted two teams - one of student-athletes and another of student academics - against each other. The night also featured numerous star guest appearances including Bengals players Joe Burrow and Orlando Brown Jr., and Bearcats legend Desmond Ridder.
The Kelce brothers launched “New Heights” in September 2022 and it quickly grew to become one of the most popular sports and pop culture podcasts in the world.
The show gives the Super Bowl champions a platform to provide insight into different players in the league while hitting on trending news and headlines in the sports landscape.
