The Kelce family was famous even before younger brother Travis began dating Taylor Swift last year, but Swift—and, as a result, the Kelce family—now is famous on a completely different level. It’s an echelon of fame Jason Kelce calls “crazy,” telling the “Whiskey Ginger” podcast that with that level of celebrity, the possibility of being a normal person goes out the window.
The Philadelphia Eagles center, who announced his retirement from the NFL earlier this year, said that, of their family’s fame, “Travis and Taylor have taken it to another level.” He added “That’s a whole other side of it. [His wife] Kylie and I think we have it bad, and then we go hang out with one of them for a second. This is a whole other situation here—you can’t be a normal person at that point.”
The Kelce family is made up of parents Donna and Ed and brothers Jason and Travis, who also plays in the NFL (no chance you weren’t aware of that fact) as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Jason said that the 2023 Amazon Prime documentary Kelce elevated the family’s level of fame, but nothing like when Swift entered their lives. He admitted that Kylie was “a little but uncomfortable” with “how much it’s become.”
“Our family’s out there, people know what our kids look like,” Jason said of his and Kylie’s three daughters. “We’ve tried to retract from that a little bit. But I think she enjoys the fact that she gets to go and do charitable outings, she gets to give back to the community, she gets to do clinics with little girls with field hockey.” Jason added that Kylie “enjoys that aspect” of fame but is more “hesitant” when it comes to other areas of celebrity, adding that “it’s hard to always be available.”
Not all moments of the Kelce family’s superstardom has been positive—back in February, Jason appeared on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast, “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” and discussed some of the “drawbacks” Travis has had to deal with, including having to “completely move out of his house.” He explained that, in regards to Travis’ former home, “people were just staying by his house,” so he moved for “safety reasons”: “The first day he moved in the new house, a gated community, somebody knocks on the back door—a window—of the house,” Jason said.
But, as Jason said on the “Whiskey Ginger” podcast, “I think more often than not, it’s such an awesome interaction whenever you’re doing that stuff,” he said. “The vast majority of people are beyond respectful and appreciative. You realize that we’re in a position of great fortune to be where we’re at, and it’s all because of these people that are really, really big fans.” (But seriously, fans, stay off the property, mmmkay?)
In an interview with ABC News, Travis opened up about his life in the limelight, telling the outlet “When you have good family and friends around you, it makes that aspect of life that much easier. I’ve always been a very grounded guy, you know. It might not come off like that when I’m playing football, but off the field, I just want to be a genuine person.”
And maybe a little bit normal, too?
