Travis Kelce divides fans with 'cringe-inducing' acting debut - but some think he deserves an Emmy

Travis Kelce has left audiences divided after his first acting performance as many viewers couldn’t help but “cringe”.

FX’s Grotesquerie, created by American Horror Story and Monsters producer Ryan Murphy, already caused a rift amongst fans by announcing the casting of the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.

The new thriller follows detective Lois Tryon (played by Niecy Nash-Betts) who teams up with a local nun, Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond), when a series of horrific crimes is committed in their small community.

In episode three, which aired this Wednesday, Travis’ role was finally revealed to be Ed Lachlan.

Ed is a kind-hearted orderly at the facility taking care of Lois’ comatose husband Marshall (Courtney B. Vance), who comes to the rescue when the controlling Nurse Redd (Lesley Manville) tries to convince her to relinquish her power of attorney over him.

By the end of the third episode, Lois and Ed are running off together after drink-driving lands her in hospital, so it’s fair to assume he’ll be playing a major role in the upcoming episodes.

Unfortunately, the casting of Travis has proven distracting for some fans, who admit his performance has taken Grotesquerie’s quality down a few notches.

One viewer said on X (formerly Twitter): “lmao i just saw a clip of Struggling Boyfriend Travis Kelce in grotesquerie and his mama is right he can’t act.”

Another wrote: “With all due respect, Mr. Travis Kelce, we love you so much for your authentic lovely personality that seeing you act serious is kind of cringe. There are so many fake people in the world, please just be you.”

“travis kelce should leave acting roles to real actors cuz this is awful,” a third added.

Over on Reddit, another embarrassed fan commented: “Okay Ryan Murphy got a little too confident thinking he could turn Travis Kelce into an actor, next to Niecy he looks bad.”

To which another replied: “He’s so unbelievably bad and his dialogue sucks. The scenes with him are uncomfortable to watch.”

Despite the backlash, Travis also had his fair share of defenders, with one X user insisting: “This man can ACT!!!! #Grotesquerie.”

Prompting replies like, “Travis did an excellent job. Can’t wait to see more of the series”, and “So charming, his charm is so freaking exuding.”

And another penned: “I'm gonna be p***ed off if Travis Kelce doesn't get an Emmy nomination. I said what I said!!”

Could Travis generate some buzz for next year’s awards season? Or will he heed the other fans’ advice and stick with football? Time will tell for the Kansas City Chiefs star.

Grotesquerie continues Wednesdays on FX in the US and Thursdays on Disney+.