Jason Kelce disagreed with a major “New Heights” decision after Taylor Swift lost out on the No. 1 spot in a ranking of the podcast’s 92 best moments.
In the September 9 episode of “New Heights,” Jason and Travis Kelce reacted to the countdown created by producer Intern Brandon and Social Media Manager Jest Jake. The two hosted a series of audio-only episodes leading up to the season 5 premiere on September 2.
Brandon ultimately ranked Jason and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s emotional conversation after Super Bowl LVII as the greatest moment in the podcast’s history.
Jason thought another Travis moment deserved the honor.
Jason Kelce Makes His Case for the Taylor Swift Moment
Jason disagreed with Brandon’s decision to put the brothers’ emotional Super Bowl conversation at No. 1. He believed the “New Heights” episode featuring Swift, where she unveiled her album “The Life of a Showgirl,” deserved the top spot.
Brandon acknowledged there was no question about the Swift episode’s popularity while defending his ranking.
“I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that Taylor is not the most popular goddamn thing we’ve ever done. I’m not saying that,” Brandon said.
Jason then pointed to the unlikely series of events that ultimately led to Swift appearing on the podcast. Travis first publicly expressed interest in Swift after attending her stadium tour, the two began dating, and Swift later joined the brothers on “New Heights” to unveil her album.
“When do you think it’s gonna happen again, Brandon, where somebody professes his love for the most popular person on the planet, and then they end up actually starting to date, and then they end up coming out and releasing their album a year after that?” Jason said. “When do you think that’s gonna happen again, Brandon?”
When Brandon noted that plenty of athletes have podcasts now, Jason pointed out the part of the equation that would be considerably harder to duplicate.
“There’s only one Taylor Swift,” Jason said.
Travis then jokingly laid out what would have to happen for another athlete to recreate the sequence of events.
“We’re gonna need a stadium tour. We’re gonna need someone who goes to the stadium tour and podcasts,” Travis said.
Travis Kelce’s Emotional Super Bowl Conversation With Jason Took No. 1
The top-ranked moment came from a February 2023 episode after Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs defeated Jason and the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
Travis explained why he kept his interaction with his older brother brief after the game.
“I mean, I didn’t say much because I wanted you to go celebrate with your team,” Travis said. “You know, I knew that you were gonna feel bad for me, and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want that to be how you remembered that. So I just kind of made an emphasis to go hug you, tell you I love you, congratulations, and go be with your teammates, because I didn’t want to be the guy that was gonna bring down that moment for you.”
Jason remembered telling Travis that it had been “the funnest year of my life,” with the brothers noting that “New Heights” had given them a chance to talk more throughout the NFL season.
Travis then credited Jason with setting him on the path to the NFL.
“The crazy part is that I would never be playing this damn game if it wasn’t for you,” Travis said.
Travis recalled following Jason into several sports as a child before the brothers eventually found themselves on opposite sides of the NFL’s biggest game.
“And to go through everything leading up to this moment, or leading up to this year, and then having the year that we had, and then meet you at the mountaintop, brother,” Travis said. “It was like we were on top of that thing together, man.”
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs open the 2026 season against the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football.”
Jason Kelce Pushes Back on Surprising Decision Involving Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift