A live episode of the Kelce brothers’ “New Heights” podcast drew big-name guests at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on June 15—setting up a June 17 release that fans expect to touch on the 2026 World Cup and delivering a pop-culture storm with Will Ferrell,
The cheers started before anyone could actually hear the episode.
On Monday. June 15. Travis and Jason Kelce brought their hit podcast “New Heights” to the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles for a live episode recording that—months in the making for fans—was expected to drop on June 17. In the seats, people didn’t just show up to listen. They came with spoiler alerts. ready to react to whatever the Kelce brothers might tease during the hour that would eventually turn into a released show.
The episode is expected to be centered around the 2026 World Cup, and the live taping was also built around special guests whose identities were only partly a mystery until the doors opened and the stage filled up.
Will Ferrell was one of the biggest names to emerge. Jason Kelce had earlier referred to a guest as “probably the funniest person on the planet,” and comedian and actor Will Ferrell ended up taking that spotlight during the recording.
World Cup royalty followed. The Kelce brothers brought out Alex Morgan, a two-time women’s World Cup winner, and Kelley O’Hara, a two-time World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist. Fans in the room watched both appear as part of what the Kelce brothers positioned as World Cup-centered energy.
Family was present in another way too. Donna Kelce—Travis and Jason’s mother—was in attendance during the recording, even though she was not described as an active part of the show.
Then came football’s newest headline attraction: Myles Garrett. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has a new home in Los Angeles after the Rams made a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns. Garrett stopped by the “New Heights” live recording show. with the expectation that the conversation would include at least some discussion of the deal—because this is. after all. a football podcast.
Andrew Whitworth was also on stage. Whitworth joined Garrett and the Kelce boys for conversation. He played 16 NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Rams.
And for fans hoping for a Taylor Swift appearance, the answer was complicated. There was no Taylor Swift guest during the live episode recording. But the night didn’t pass without Swift content of its own. Fans got a poster starring Swift and Travis Kelce that read “Pretty Man. ” with a caption saying. “he walked off the field. into her life. and stole her heart.”.
To close out the show, the Kelce brothers played a video of Swift feeding Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end flipping off the camera as they exited. The stage emptied to cheers and applause echoing in the background.
By the time the lights finally settled, the point wasn’t only who showed up. It was how quickly the night made the eventual June 17 release feel like more than a podcast episode—like a live event built for the moment. with major names. NFL headlines. and pop-culture references all wrapped into one crowded Los Angeles room.
New Heights Kelce brothers Travis Kelce Jason Kelce Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles Will Ferrell Myles Garrett Alex Morgan Kelley O'Hara Andrew Whitworth Donna Kelce Taylor Swift 2026 World Cup
June 17 release?? I thought podcasts were already out automatically lol.
So wait Will Ferrell was on the Kelce show and it’s about the 2026 World Cup…? That’s random but I’m kinda here for it. Also why do people already have spoiler alerts at a live taping, like calm down.
Myles Garrett joining a podcast already feels like a PR stunt. Like isn’t he supposed to be training or whatever. And Alex Morgan being there is cool, but I don’t get how this helps the 2026 World Cup like at all. Guess it’s just celeb chaos.
I’m confused—was Donna Kelce actually on stage or just “in attendance”? They said it was live and months in the making but then people were yelling spoilers before they could even hear… sounds like a whole mess. Also Orpheum Theatre LA is such a weird venue for football talk, but then again it’s Will Ferrell so sure.