This is in no way shade or disrespect to the many celebrities who come to Kansas City every year to raise money for Children’s Mercy during Big Slick Celebrity Weekend.
But there are two stars in particular who tend to draw the wildest cheers from the KC crowds: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his football BFF, tight end Travis Kelce.
So the good news for their fans today is that both are on the guest list for this year’s event.
The two-day event takes place May 30-31. The annual weekend raises money for pediatric cancer research at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.
Organizers on Wednesday announced two other guests from the sports world: Longtime FOX NFL Sunday host Curt Menefee and WWE star now Food Network chef Tom Pestock (previously known as Baron Corbin), a Kansas City native. Both are Big Slick veterans.
At previous Big Slicks, Mahomes and Kelce have created some of the event’s most memorable moments. They’ve smashed home runs in the celebrity softball game at Kauffman Stadium, helped auction off big-ticket Chiefs gear and pumped up the party crowd at T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center) by their very presence.
In his first appearance in 2019, Mahomes helped set a fundraising record at the 10th event, auctioning off the biggest money-maker at the party. “Where are my Chiefs fans at?” he asked the crowd as he launched bidding on a barbecue and whiskey dinner for eight, with him and other teammates including Kelce, Dustin Colquitt and Eric Fisher. Then Chiefs owner Clark Hunt hopped on stage to say he’d attend as well. Then they threw in the custom jacket Big Slick co-host Paul Rudd had worn months earlier when he got to announce that Mahomes had won NFL MVP, a jacket with “Mahomes 15” on the back. Mahomes autographed it for the winning bidder.
At the show in 2023, hulking he-man Kelce proved to be a big baby when it comes to hot wings, his face turning crimson after he tasted KC-made sauce Da’ Bomb Beyond Insanity during a trivia game, leading someone to yell: “Travis, those sunglasses don’t hide the tears.”
Laughs are always plentiful at Big Slick, thanks to guest lists heavy on fun and funny entertainers. On Monday, organizers announced that “Saturday Night Live” veteran Kenan Thompson will make his debut this year. Comedian Adam Ray, who impersonates Dr. Phil McGraw in the Netflix comedy special “Dr. Phil Unleashed,” is another first-timer.
Thompson’s “SNL” castmate Heidi Gardner, Rudd, Rob Riggle, Jason Sudeikis, David Koechner and Eric Stonestreet — the hosts of the event — bring celebrity friends and colleagues from TV and Hollywood with them, many of whom are regulars now.
This year’s guest list so far also includes mostly familiar faces:
David Cook, Blue Springs native, singer, returning guest Fortune Feimster, comedian, returning guest Anthony Hill, KC native, actor, “Grey’s Anatomy,” returning guest Johnny Knoxville, actor, stunt man, returning guest Kevin Pollak, actor, comedian, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” returning guest Sarah Tiana, comedian, writer, returning guest
As always, this year’s event involves two core events: The Big Slick Celebrity Classic Softball Game will take place on the main field at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, May 30, before the Royals play the Detroit Tigers. Everyone with a Royals ticket can watch the softball game, which begins at 5 p.m. The Big Slick Party & Show, the weekend’s main event, is Saturday, May 31, at T-Mobile Center. The raucous event includes musical performances, skits and an auction for big-ticket items.
Tickets, starting at $75, are available at bigslickkc.org or T-MobileCenter.com. Since its first year in 2010 as a celebrity poker tournament and party, Big Slick has raised more than $25 million for the hospital and children it serves. The guest list will be rolled out daily this week on Big Slick’s social media channels and its website, bigslickkc.org.
