In a collision of sports media titans that felt more like a chaotic family reunion than a formal interview, the latest episode of the New Heights podcast delivered equal parts hilarity and heart. Jason and Travis Kelce welcomed Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson, the dynamic duo behind the Calm Down podcast and fixtures of NFL broadcasting, for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on everything from embarrassing on-air blunders to the cultural phenomenon of Taylor Swift.

However, what began as a lighthearted exchange of war stories quickly deepened into a poignant discussion about fatherhood, the changing landscape of the NFL, and the unexpected emotional ripples caused by the world’s most famous power couple.

The “Wingwomen” of the NFL

The episode wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room—or rather, the pop star in the stadium. It has been widely speculated how exactly Travis Kelce managed to catch the attention of Taylor Swift after his initial “friendship bracelet” attempt at her concert failed. According to Andrews and Thompson, they played a pivotal role in nudging the romance into existence.

During the summer of 2023, just days after Travis lamented on New Heights about being unable to meet Swift, the two broadcasters took to their own platform to publicly advocate for him.

“Taylor, I don’t know what you are doing besides rocking the world, but please try our friend Travis. He is fantastic,” Andrews had urged on her podcast at the time. Thompson had doubled down, assuring the singer that Travis would show her a good time.

On this week’s New Heights, the group revisited that pivotal moment with laughter. Travis, looking sheepish but grateful, acknowledged their assistance, though the playful banter suggested the “matchmaker” title is one the women are happy to claim, even if tongue-in-cheek. The segment highlighted the genuine camaraderie between the broadcasters and the players, setting a tone of easy intimacy that allowed for deeper subjects to surface later in the show.

The “Taylor Effect” and Jason’s Emotional Response

While the dating gossip provided the hook, the conversation pivoted to the substantive impact the “Traylor” romance has had on the sport of football itself. It is no secret that NFL viewership has seen a spike among young women, but for Jason Kelce, a father of three young daughters, the statistic is personal.

The group discussed the phenomenon of fathers and daughters bonding over football games—a bridge built largely by Swift’s presence in luxury suites across the league. Jason, who has often been stoic on the field, softened visibly as he spoke about the feedback he and Travis receive.

“You just mentioned Taylor and how much she’s gotten girls into the sport and dads and daughters together,” Jason said, his voice tinged with genuine appreciation. “That’s one of the coolest things, hearing from dads or hearing from daughters about Taylor and Travis. It’s an awesome thing.”

Thompson echoed the sentiment, noting the importance of those “little girls that maybe didn’t have an interest in football” suddenly sitting down to watch because of Swift. For Jason, whose life off the field is dominated by his role as a “Girl Dad,” the idea that football could become a shared language with his daughters thanks to this cultural crossover clearly struck a chord. It was a moment of vulnerability that showcased Jason not just as a Hall of Fame center, but as a parent looking toward the future.

Fear of the Teenage Years: “My House, My Rules”

The topic of daughters naturally segued into one of Jason’s recurring anxieties: the impending teenage years. With three girls under his roof, the oldest of whom is still a child, Jason took the opportunity to grill Andrews and Thompson for advice on how to handle the inevitable rebellion.

“As a girl dad of four—at some point I will have four teenage girls living under one roof,” Jason started, perhaps accidentally alluding to a fourth child or simply misspeaking in the heat of the moment, before asking, “Is there any advice that you guys have?”

Charissa Thompson offered a hilarious yet stern anecdote from her own adolescence to set the stage. She recalled coming downstairs wearing “Jenko jeans”—the ultra-wide-leg denim popular in the 90s—only to be immediately shut down by her father.

“He looked at me and goes, ‘What the… are you wearing?’” Thompson laughed. “He was like, ‘Not in this house you’re not.’”

Her advice to Jason was clear and somewhat terrifying for a modern parent: maintain boundaries. She quoted her father’s philosophy: “It’s not my job to be your friend, it’s my job to be your parent. When you turn 18, you can decide if you want to be friends with me.”

Andrews agreed, emphasizing that despite the temptation to be the “cool dad,” structure is what children ultimately crave. For Jason, who admitted he struggles to not “cave instantaneously” when his daughters give him “those eyes,” the advice was a sobering reminder that his toughest defensive assignments might be happening in his own living room in a few years.

Broadcasting Blunders: The Green Machine and The Frozen Mouth

To balance the heavy parenting talk, the quartet traded stories about their most humiliating professional moments. In an industry where perfection is expected, their failures were relatable and side-splitting.

Erin Andrews recounted her first major gig with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the Stanley Cup Finals. Wanting to make a splash, she went to the mall with her parents and purchased a bright green outfit she dubbed the “Green Machine.” Looking back, she described the look—complete with heavy lip liner—as a fashion disaster that her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll, still teases her about to this day.

Not to be outdone, Thompson shared a nightmare scenario from a game at the University of Minnesota. Working in freezing temperatures, her mouth physically stopped working due to the cold during a live hit.

“My mouth is frozen, I can’t correct myself,” she recalled, mimicking the slurred, incomprehensible speech that resulted. She eventually had to throw the broadcast back to the booth in defeat. “It’s almost like lying,” she joked about trying to cover up a live stumble.

The Wayne Gretzky Mystery

The episode was peppered with name-drops, but none funnier than a story involving NFL tight end Greg Olsen and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. The group is part of a text chain, and after hanging out with “The Great One,” Gretzky sent a polite follow-up text to Olsen.

The problem? Olsen didn’t have the number saved.

“Wayne texted Greg… and just wrote, ‘Hey this is 99,’” Thompson explained. Despite “99” being the most iconic number in sports history, synonymous only with Gretzky, Olsen text back: “I’m sorry, who is this?”

The recounting of the story left the Kelce brothers in stitches, illustrating the absurdity of their celebrity circles where even legends can get “left on read” by accident.

A Celebration of Sports and Family

By the end of the episode, the viewer was left with a sense of the deep, familial bond that permeates the sports world. Whether it was discussing the “brotherhood” of hockey players who proudly display their missing teeth, or the shared experience of having fathers who made everything—even sitting on the couch—into a game, the themes were universal.

Jason Kelce’s emotional reaction to the “Taylor Swift Effect” served as the anchor for the episode. It highlighted a shifting paradigm in the NFL, where the lines between pop culture, hard-hitting sports, and family bonding are becoming increasingly blurred. For the Kelce brothers, and their guests, football is more than just a game; it is the fabric that ties their lives, and now the lives of millions of fathers and daughters, together.