The NFL star’s performance on the sketch show was praised by critics, who said he far “exceeded expectations” as a comedic actor.

Kelce also mentioned the grueling nature of the week of preparation leading up to the gig of hosting “SNL,” saying, “You’re there all week, up ‘til 2, 3 in the morning everyday, just trying to knock stuff out, do some of the prerecorded stuff. That was insane, that was a crazy ride.”

But Travis Kelce says his biggest challenge came before the audience had even filed in. The Kansas City Chiefs' star tight end reflected fondly on parts of pre-production his stint as host of the March 4,

This year’s edition of TEU included a surprise appearance from Kelce’s girlfriend Taylor Swift, who took the stage to perform during the “Tight Ends and Friends” portion of the weekend. The gathered crowd, understandably, went nuts. On this week’s episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce explained how the surprise cameo came together.

Taylor Swift stunned fans with a surprise TEU performance, and Travis Kelce revealed the behind-the-scenes story of how it all happened

That’s probably the only thing I didn’t really grasp until you’re in it," the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said.