A Chiefs Star Revealed We’re Not Pronouncing Travis Kelce’s Name Right. The Wild Story Behind How The Family Changed Their Name
Since the Kansas City Chiefs tight end started dating Taylor Swift, there has been more attention focused on Travis Kelce and his brother Jason. The musician’s fan base has welcomed her boyfriend and his family wholeheartedly, which has increased sales of Travis’ No. 87 and Jason Kelce’s No. 62 Philadelphia Eagles jerseys. So is it possible that the name that is printed on the back of those jerseys has been mispronounced by all of us? We have, according to one of Travis’s teammates.
Chiefs Player Reveals We’re Mispronouncing Travis Kelce’s Name
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones spilled a little bit of tea while on the sideline of a recent game, informing a teammate that we’ve all been mispronouncing the celebrities’ name. Travis Kelce’s name should be said as just one syllable, “Kels,” as opposed to the two-syllable “Kel-see” that is commonly used. The moment was caught on camera and shared by the NFL on Instagram:
That’s quite the interesting development, but what do the Kelce brothers have to say about it? Turns out, the issue came up about a year ago on their New Heights podcast, and their dad had a pretty funny story about changing the family name.
Why Ed Kelce Chose To Change The Pronunciation Of Their Name
When Jason and Travis invited their father Ed Kelce on the show in February 2023, the topic of how to pronounce “Kelce” actually came up. According to the Philadelphia Eagle, neither he nor Travis realized their name was only supposed to have one syllable until they were in their mid-20s. When Jason questioned Ed about why, in the world, he had changed their name “out of nowhere,” his father responded,
While Jason Kelce admitted that was as good a reason as any — though he seemed to think it was ridiculous that he’d change “your entire family’s name over generations” just for that — he still didn’t understand why he and Travis were never clued into their name’s traditional pronunciation, and it turns out they weren’t the only ones. Ed responded:
So it was actually Jason and Travis Kelce’s grandfather who apparently went along with the two-syllable pronunciation for convenience, and Ed followed his example to keep from having to constantly correct people.
How Should We Pronounce Kelce Now?
Now that we know the truth, should we continue saying “Kel-see,” or revert to the one-syllable way? Jason asked his father this very question, and Ed gave pretty much the best response, saying:
A highly amused Travis Kelce said he was going to go by both, but Jason Kelce seemed to have a strong preference, telling his family and listeners:
That’s it for now, people. Even though we were all pronouncing the football players’ names incorrectly, it seems that they were as well, and they plan to keep doing so. I suppose it doesn’t make it incorrect after all since it’s their name and that’s how they want it said.
Jason Kelce talked about his potential retirement after the Philadelphia Eagles’ season-ending loss, which saddened the Swifties and led to speculations spreading. On Sunday, January 21, at 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs will resume their postseason journey by taking on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional round. Make sure to also take a look at our 2024 TV schedule to see what upcoming premieres.
