Donna Kelce, mom to NFL pros Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce, has joined the cast of Hallmark’s Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.
A veteran of NFL love stories in her own right, Donna, 71, has joined the network’s first NFL-affiliated romantic comedy. The casting news was shared by Hallmark in a press release on Saturday, July 13.
“Donna Kelce is off the bleachers and in the game, joining the cast of Hallmark’s Countdown To Christmas movie, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story,” Hallmark said in a statement. “Kelce will play Donna, the manager of the Kansas City BBQ Restaurant Norma & Nic’s.”
Mama Kelce spread the good news via Instagram alongside leads Hunter King and Tyler Hynes.
Holiday Touchdown follows Alana Higman (King) a Kansas City Chiefs superfan who is looking to win a “Fan of the Year” contest. The team’s director of fan engagement Derrick (Hynes) is tasked with determining whether Alana and the Higman clan are the biggest supporters in all of Arrowhead Stadium.
The loss of a family member’s lucky hat throws the budding couple into disarray, challenging Alana’s understanding of fate, destiny and “her future with Derrick,” per the film’s logline.
The movie is filming this month in locations around Kansas City, Missouri. The film is a part of Hallmark’s annual Countdown to Christmas as one of 40 new movies set to premiere over the holiday season.
The film comes after a whirlwind year of romance for pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The pair began dating in summer 2023 and made their relationship official during the 2023 NFL season when Swift appeared at Arrowhead to cheer on Travis.
Donna’s star has risen along with her sons, noting in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly that the newfound fame from her connection to Swift can be “a little unnerving at times.”
“Basically, everybody’s been very, very kind and respectful,” she shared with Us in May. “Every once in a while, I’ll have somebody that runs into the bathroom after me, and I’m like, ‘Can we wait until we get out of here before you take my picture?’”
As for Hynes, the Touchdown actor exclusively told Us that he felt the chance to bring together NFL and Hallmark fandoms was “a no-brainer.”
“There’s something about the two brands,” he said on Thursday, July 11. “The two fandoms are so paralleled and similar in their passion and their purity for what they love. Coming together seemed perfect.”
