Jason Kelce Describes 'Whirlwind' Amid Travis and Taylor Swift's Love Life
Travis Kelce's celebrity has spiked significantly over the last year—a blessing and a curse.
The blessings: Kelce is famous in part because his team, the Philadelphia Eagles, has the best record in the NFL entering Monday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce was also named one of the sexiest men alive by People magazine, and his podcast New Heights with his brother Travis enjoys enviable status on podcast charts.
The curse?
"Harder to go out," Kelce told NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Went to the airport. That's more difficult now than it used to be. But outside of that, I think you just try and keep doing what you've been doing. Obviously, something's working."
Jason Kelce (C) at Soldier Field on November 9, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois. Kelce discussed his newfound celebrity, including his brother's relationship with Taylor Swift, in a recent interview. Photo by Cooper Neill/That's not a bad trade-off for the 36-year-old, who has hinted that retirement is in his near future. Kelce might not enjoy the same celebrity status after he finishes his football career, but he is setting himself up nicely off the field for a time when on-the-field earnings are no longer possible (look no further than his recent partnership with Minted for his family holiday card—getting paid for things you were going to do anyway is a solid setup).
Kelce wasn't a stranger to the spotlight before this year, of course. He was already a popular figure in Philadelphia before he took off nationally this year, and his teammates have made the case for him as the greatest center of all time.
Still, Kelce admitted that the last year has been a wild ride.
"It's been a whirlwind," Kelce told reporters. "It kind of started last year with the podcast and everything and it's continually built up more and more from the Super Bowl and my brother's love life and People magazine. Shout out to People magazine. I think it's continued to get more and more."
Kelce is right about one thing: The entire family's celebrity shot up significantly when Travis began dating Taylor Swift . Details about their relationship started to leak out on New Heights, which turned the weekly release of a podcast that largely covered the NFL and granular details about how two popular athletes' lives into de facto news conferences about the romance (complete with athlete nonanswers from Travis).
When Swift made an appearance in a luxury box at a Chiefs game with Kelce's parents, Donna and Ed became household names. How many other athlete mothers have partnerships with Barefoot wines?
Their spotlight might have grown brighter over the last year, but the Kelce brothers already had their own undeniable success before Swift ever entered the picture.
