Travis Kelce is primarily known for two things: He’s the multiple world record-holding NFL tight end who has helped the Kansas City Chiefs win three Super Bowls and counting. And he has also become a household name to people who don’t even know what “NFL” stands for thanks to being the boyfriend — and now, fiancé — of a certain pop superstar and box office record breaker named Taylor Swift. But in 2024, Kelce waded into another arena of celebrity when he made his acting debut in the Ryan Murphy horror series “Grotesquerie.” 

No stranger to the camera before this, Kelce appeared in the Prime Video documentary “Kelce” about his brother, Jason, who is also an NFL player, and also played himself in an episode of the Showtime sci-fi comedy series “Moonbase 8.” He also hosted the game show “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” Perhaps most infamously, he starred in his own reality series, “Catching Kelce,” which was devoted entirely to finding him a girlfriend. But “Grotesquerie” marks his first screen credit in a TV drama where he isn’t just playing a version of himself.

“Grotesquerie” is another horror series from Ryan Murphy, co-creator of “American Horror Story” and “Scream Queens.” In its first and thus far only season (there is no word on future plans for the series as of this writing), “Grotesquerie” follows a small-town detective named Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betts) who digs into the possible causes of strange things happening in the area, with neither she nor the audience prepared for what she finds.

Travis Kelce plays Ed Lachlan, an orderly at the hospital where Lois’s husband is being treated. To say much more than that would be to spoil the many twists and turns that make “Grotesquerie” such a delightful pleasure, not to mention that the show’s narrative is far too complicated and layered to be summed up in a few sentences. But it’s worth noting that there are two different “versions” of Ed, each with some baseline similarities but also some incredibly stark differences. Again, though, we won’t spoil anything by explaining why there are two versions of him to begin with, let alone the specifics of how they differ.

While it’s not quite an example of an actor playing multiple roles on the same show, as it’s technically two versions of the same character, it’s an impressive feat nonetheless — especially for someone only just getting into acting. Though some athletes who try to become actors fail miserably, Kelce seems like he’s off to a strong start.