Travis and Jason Kelce’s father, Ed Kelce, takes the blame for the widespread mispronunciation of their last name, revealing a surprising twist to the family name saga.
For some NFL fans, it’s not breaking news, but it turns out that many have been mispronouncing Travis and Jason Kelce’s last name.
The pronunciation of “Kelce” recently resurfaced in the media after a video clip on Instagram featured Kansas City Chiefs player Chris Jones shedding light on the correct pronunciation.
In the video, Jones informs his teammate, “Y’all know it’s not even Travis Kel-see? It’s Travis Kels. Fucking crazy, right?”
Both Travis and Jason have addressed the issue on their popular podcast, “New Heights.” In a February 2023 episode, they invited their father, Ed Kelce, to discuss the confusion surrounding their last name.
Jason questioned his father about the sudden change in their name, asking, “Why did we think that our name was ‘Kel-see’ for the first 24, 25 years of our life?” Ed denied ever changing the name and explained, “I got tired of correcting people.”
When pressed about why he didn’t inform the boys of the correct pronunciation, Ed revealed that even their mother believed it was “Kel-see” because that’s how he pronounced it at work. Asked about the future pronunciation, Ed nonchalantly replied, “Do whatever you want. I did!”
Travis had previously discussed the correct pronunciation during an interview on Barstool Sports’ “Bussin’ With The Boys” show in 2021. “I got ‘Kel-see’ and ‘Kels.’ My real name is ‘Kels,’” he stated, adopting a laid-back approach to the ongoing confusion.
Please tell me you are kidding @tkelce is my whole life a lie??? pic.twitter.com/FDeOEnuMm6
— Braiden Turner (@bturner23) July 14, 2021
The revelation surprised Travis’s teammate, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who humorously responded on Twitter, “You learn something new every day,” accompanied by laughing emojis.
The Kelce family’s journey to set the record straight on the pronunciation of their last name adds a unique twist to the NFL narrative.