Travis Kelce Defends Brother Jason Kelce Over Phone-Smashing Incident With Heckler
Travis Kelce knows all too well how his brother Jason Kelce is feeling.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end comforted the ESPN correspondent during their Nov. 6 New Heights podcast episode after Jason made headlines for an altercation with a heckler.
“I know it’s weighing on you, brother,” Travis told Jason. “That s--t sucks. You shouldn’t feel this much, obviously the scrutiny and the media view on it and everybody passing around the videos that are out there. That’s gonna make it a bigger situation than what it really is.”
And for those wondering exactly what went down, Travis clarified, noting, “The real situation is you had some f--king clown come up to you and talk about your family and you reacted in a way that was defending your family. And you might have used some words that you regret using.”
However, the Grotesquerie star is viewing the ordeal as a teachable moment.
“That’s a situation you just gotta kind of learn from and own,” he said. “And I think you owning it and speaking it, shows how sincere you are to a lot of people in this world.”
The situation in question happened Nov. 2 outside of Beaver Stadium at Penn State University, when a man approached Jason with his phone up and asked, "Kelce, how does it feel that your brother is a [homophobic slur] for dating Taylor Swift?"
The ESPN NFL analyst then turned around and responded, "Who's the [homophobic slur] now?" before smashing the man's phone.
"I'm not happy about the situation, me reacting gave him the time of day and it also gave the situation notoriety," Jason said on New Heights. "That's what I regret. It didn't deserve attention, it's really stupid."
The 36-year-old continued saying that the "thing that I regret the most is saying that word, to be honest with you. The word he used it's just f--king ridiculous, and it takes it to another level. It's just off the wall, f--king over the line."
At the end of the day, Jason admitted, the man got under his skin. “What I do regret,” he noted, “is now there's a video that is very hateful, that is now online that has been seen by millions of people and I share fault in perpetuating it and having that out there."
However, Travis made his stance clear, concluding, “I love you, brother. I think you said that perfectly.”
For more from Jason’s family, read on.
After a not-so-smooth first date, Jaso Kelce and Kylie Kelce would hit off when they went out again, with the two making their relationship Instagram official in November 2015.
After tying the knot in 2018, Kylie reflected on celebrating the wins in life alongside her now-husband.
"This off-season was my favorite yet," she wrote in a social media post that July. "It was short but oh so sweet. I am so incredibly proud to call this man my husband, and I can’t wait to watch his hard work and dedication through another season."
By October 2019, the couple expanded their family, welcoming baby Wyatt into the world.
Two years later, their second daughter Elliotte, joined her big sister.
Just one year later, Kylie shared that "another Kelce lady" would be added to the bunch with an adorable set of photos.
In February 2023, the couple welcomed their third child, with her arrival coming nearly two weeks after Jason faced off against brother Travis Kelce at the 2023 Super Bowl.
The NFL star shared a glimpse at his oldest daughters holding a huge prize in May 2023, writing on Instagram, "Never in a million years did I think I’d hold the Larry O’Brien trophy, let alone that it would be in my house!! Unbelievable honor to see it in person. The size is incredible, looks so small when NBA players are holding it, but it’s actually massive!! The girls were very interested in it."
The couple shared a look at the family of five while on the field that August, joking in a joint Instagram post, "Here for the Rita’s and obstacle courses with dad after practice."
The family rang in Wyatt's fourth birthday in October 2023 on the Philadelphia Eagles' home turf, with Kylie quipping on Instagram, "We were celebrating a 4th birthday when the Birds went 4-0."
Kylie shared this pic of her and Jason's daughters Wyatt, Elliotte and Bennett on Instagram in June 2024, writing, "Parents know… 2 out of 3 isn’t bad!"
Jason and brother Travis Kelce's mom Donna Kelce commented, "The cutest beautiful bunch of 'lucky charms' under that rainbow!!!!