George Clooney reflects on fame and the ‘Jay Kelly’ what-if story
George Clooney reflects on fame, failure, and a life lesson from his dad about chasing forever through movies.
No matter where he goes, George Clooney can’t hide his love for Cincinnati, especially while talking to two University of Cincinnati alums.
Clooney, an Oscar-winning actor, filmmaker and humanitarian, who was raised in Greater Cincinnati, joined Jason and Travis Kelce on their “New Heights” podcast to promote his new film “Jay Kelly,” which follows an aging movie legend who realizes in the twilight of his professional life that he’s prioritized work over loved ones.
During the hour-and-a-half-long Dec. 3 podcast, Clooney spoke with the brothers about his upcoming movie, acting and, of course, Cincinnati sports.
Clooney, a Bengals fan, said Travis Kelce ‘broke him’
It wouldn’t be a Kelce brothers podcast if they didn’t somehow discuss the Cincinnati Bengals or the Queen City. In Clooney’s episode, the actor revealed that Travis, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, has “broken him.”
“I’m a Bengals fan, dude. I grew up in Cincinnati,” Clooney said. “And I have to, you know how many times I’ve thrown like a hoagie at my TV at your face?”
Travis rebutted, saying the Bengals actually left him broken after selecting a tight end ahead of him in the 2013 NFL Draft. “I was a Cincinnati Bearcat,” he said. “I was sitting in the backyard.”
Travis’s response prompted Clooney to take a trip down memory lane and revisit his college days in the Queen City. The 64-year-old actor confirmed to the Kelce brothers that he attended their alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, for “a minute.”
“I lived on Straight Street on that hill, where if it snowed and you parked, the cars would all end up at the bottom of the hill,” Clooney said.
The famed actor recalls connections to Cincinnati sports teams
Even though Cincinnati loves to claim Clooney (and vice versa), he was born in Lexington, Kentucky, so he had to make it known on “New Heights” that he was also a University of Kentucky kid.
“I would side with UK for basketball because, you know, you kind of wanted to have a winner (to cheer for) and I’d been a Bengals fan for a long time and, you know, we’d lost an awful lot of games when I was (young).”
Clooney also recalled returning to Cincinnati in September. The actor headlined Film Cincinnati‘s 2025 Association of Film Commissioners International Cineposium on Sept. 15-18. The gala, which celebrated the association’s 50th anniversary, featured an event titled “A Conversation with George Clooney.” During the talk, Clooney, who lived in Mason from 1968-74, discussed various topics such as film, family, and the future of storytelling.
“I was back in Cincinnati a couple weeks ago and it was funny,” Clooney told the Kelce brothers. “I went back and the owner of the Cincinnati Reds (Bob Castellini) came out. I was speaking in front of a couple of thousand people… and I had a couple tryouts for the Reds when I was younger.”
Clooney said Castellini also read off his scouting report from when he tried out for the team in high school, calling it the “most humiliating thing you’ve ever seen.” The report said the actor had “no arm” and “no speed.”
Despite all that, Clooney remembered he “looked good” in the uniform.
The famed actor also gave his two cents on whether Bengals’ star quarterback Joe Burrow should’ve returned to the helm or let Joe Flacco finish out the rest of the season.
“Well, I worry because it’s not like (Joe) Flacco wasn’t putting up good numbers,” he said. “Listen, it’s an interesting thing to be a Cincinnati fan in general.”
He also told the Kelce brothers that he’s a big fan of Burrow but has yet to meet the superstar quarterback.