The actress said she took the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, “right under my wing” while filming the FX series

Niecy Nash-Betts was just as surprised as everyone else when she learned Travis Kelce was joining Grotesquerie.

“I did not know that was going to happen,” the actress told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the 2024 Emmy Awards. “But it did. Travis is a part of our Grotesquerie family and I was pleasantly surprised.”

Nash-Betts, 54, said she took the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, “right underneath my wing and I was like, ‘Come here, baby, we’re gonna get you right.’ “

“I think the audience is really gonna love him in the series. He did such a good job,” she continued.

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She also teased that fans will “get to see him quite a bit” in the Ryan Murphy series, which premieres later this month.

“Every time I see another scene or another episode, I text him, I’m like, ‘You did it again. You came through again.’ ”

Nash-Betts’ wife Jessica Betts will also be making an appearance on the show, which she said made her “so deliciously happy.”

PEOPLE confirmed in May that the Super Bowl champion would be making his acting debut in the FX series, and Nash-Betts began posting behind-the-scenes clips from set with Kelce to tease fans about what’s to come.

A source told PEOPLE that the pair “had the best time filming” and the actress “just adores” Kelce, who “got the automatic green light from her.”

“He was super happy ons et and he and Niecy vibed really well, nothing felt forced.”

Related: Niecy Nash-Betts Is Hunting an ‘Unhuman’ Evil that Travis Kelce Warns Will Lead to ‘No Future’ in Grotesquerie Trailer

The FX series sees Nash-Betts star as Detective Lois Tryon, who finds her small town unsettled by a “series of heinous crimes” that she feels are “eerily personal,” per the official description.

Courtney B. Vance and Lesley Manville also star, as Nash-Betts’ husband Marshall and as Nurse Redd, respectively, along with Micaela Diamond as Sister Megan Duval, Raven Goodwin as Merritt Tryon and Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Father Charlie Mayhew.

The details of Kelce’s character remain unknown.

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