Retired NFL star Jason Kelce said the scrutiny he and his family are subjected to has intensified exponentially since his brother, Super Bowl champ Travis Kelce, began dating pop star Taylor Swift.
“It’s been crazy. … Travis and Taylor have taken it to another level,” the former Philadelphia Eagles center said Friday on Andrew Santino’s“Whiskey Ginger” podcast.
Jason said his wife, Kylie Kelce, and their three daughters were used to a certain level of fame, but the dramatic boost their family has gotten from the Taylor Swift effect has made it difficult to live a normal life.
“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,” he said.
Jason said the glaring attention is a double-edged sword, in that it can be uncomfortable, but it also brings attention to charitable causes he and his wife want to spotlight.
“She’s a little bit uncomfortable with, I guess, you know, how much it’s become. And our family’s out there, and people know what our kids look like,” he told Santino. “I think we’re both a little bit — we’ve tried to retract from that a little bit.
“But I think she enjoys that fact that she, you know, 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 and all these other things. She enjoys that aspect of it.”
That said, Jason noted that “it’s hard to always be available” to fans.
Lest anyone think Kelce is whining, he underscored that his interactions with fans are overwhelmingly positive and he’s grateful for all his blessings.
Is Taylor Swift getting too much attention?
“I think more often than not, it’s such an awesome interaction whenever you’re doing that stuff,” he said. “And the vast majority of people are beyond, just like, respectful and appreciative.
“And you realize that we’re in a position of great fortune to be able to be where we’re at, and it’s all because of these people that are really, really big fans.”
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
Kelce’s reaction is a stark contrast to the annoying kvetching and entitlement complex of WNBA star Angel Reese and some of her pals.
Last week, Reese and a few of her Chicago Sky teammates whined on X that they had been “harassed” by a fan while walking to their hotel.
Video footage of the alleged “harassment” appeared to contradict these claims.
“Turns the ‘harassment’ was a guy politely asking a question to the chick that hip-checked Caitlin Clark,” Greg Price of the State Freedom Caucus Network wrote on X.
“They demand to be treated the same as NBA players but not with the scrutiny of being a public figure that comes along with it.”
Angel Reese and a bunch of other players on the WNBA’s Chicago Sky claimed that they were “harassed” while getting to their hotel in DC.
Turns the “harassment” was a guy politely asking a question to the chick that hipchecked Caitlin Clark.
They demand to be treated the same as… pic.twitter.com/ygBuXuMtca
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 6, 2024
Jason Kelce’s laidback attitude is reminiscent of the saying that fame and money don’t change people; they merely amplify who they’ve always been.
Exhibit A: Indiana Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, who has remained polite and humble despite her meteoric rise to superstardom.
