Paul Rudd reflects on being a Chiefs fan after an “embarrassment of riches”

After a run of several Super Bowl appearances and nearly a decade of division wins, the Kansas City Chiefs are out of the playoff picture in 2025. Actor and Chiefs superfan Paul Rudd is disappointed, but he’s not in despair, and he explained why on the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast this week.

Paul Rudd isn’t panicking about the Chiefs, and here’s why

Appearing on the latest episode of New Heights, the lifelong Chiefs fan offered a calm, reflective take on Kansas City’s season, one shaped not by frustration but by gratitude after years of unprecedented success.

“I am so happy to be a Chiefs fan,” Rudd said. “The joy and the memories and everything that the Chiefs have given me, with my family, with my kid… it’s been an embarrassment of riches.”

Rudd’s comments came at a moment when Chiefs Kingdom has been forced to re-evaluate expectations. After years of Super Bowl championships and deep playoff runs, the success finally slowed. Injuries, narrow losses, and a season that didn’t go Kansas City’s way brought unfamiliar feelings.

But Rudd framed that reality as part of the cost of dominance.

“You’ve played an extra season of football compared to everyone else,” he said. “So I’m like, ‘Oh good. You get a break and a chance to kind of rest up.’”

Instead of anger, Rudd expressed empathy for players, for fans, and especially for injured quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whom he said he was “thinking about” and wishing “a speedy recovery.”

What makes Rudd’s perspective unique is how he measures success. It’s not just by banners or rings, but by the memories the team created for him and his family.

“I’m excited for whoever does it for their fan base that they get to share the same kind of things that I got to share with my son for all three of those victories,” Rudd said.

“And even the losses, you know...it’s the best.”

That outlook resonated with Travis Kelce, who acknowledged how difficult it is to sustain excellence year after year in a league built for parity.

“Sometimes you score a touchdown and they call a phantom face mask,” Rudd said, summing up the thin margins that define NFL seasons. “It happens to every team.”

Rudd made it clear he isn’t checked out or apathetic. He’s simply realistic.

“This wasn’t the year, but that’s okay,” he said.

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