Everybody Loves Donna (Kelce)
In preparing for this interview, I got on YouTube and watched the latest episode of New Heights, the top-ranking sports podcast hosted by her sons, Jason and Travis. And if there’s one thing you’ll take away from the comments section, it’s that everyone loves Donna Kelce. I tell her exactly that; how great a job she did raising such upstanding lads, but true to her sweet nature, she doesn’t take the compliment without acknowledging others who helped mold them, beyond the effort of their parents. It takes a village, as they say.
“There were a lot of people that were that helped raise those two,” she tells StyleCaster via Zoom. “I don’t think two people can do it on their own. A lot of coaches, a lot of teachers, and a lot of other parents were very, very much involved in the raising of my two sons. And it’s just been a sheer joy because I still keep in contact with the majority of them.”
Sunday, February 11, 2024, is a big day for the family. The Kansas City Chiefs, for which Travis is the star tight end, face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. The Chiefs have been here before—they’ve been in the Super Bowl four times in the last five years, in fact—and in those years, there’s one ritual Momma Kelce doesn’t skip.
“I just send them a text and wish them good luck, hoping that they’re going to leave it all out on the field and hope that they come home with a win. I think that’s enough,” she says. “I tried to tie it in with whoever they’re playing. I’ll send them a picture of them on a horse if they’re playing against the Broncos or whatever.”
I’ve gotten so many letters from dads to say ‘Thank you. My daughter’s finally watching football. She’s understanding the game, she’s enjoying it. This is something that we can share.’ So just for that, it’s just making families feel more at one
Donna Kelce
For many fans, this will be their first Super Bowl because, if you hadn’t heard, Travis and his relationship with a certain pop star is all anyone can talk about. The Taylor Swift effect has been the catalyst for a tidal wave of new football fans; particularly young women and girls who’ve historically been left out of the conversation. There are the detractors, of course—there are any time male-dominated things get shaken up by a woman—but Donna can’t see anything but the positives.
“I’m so happy that more women and young ladies are finally finding football and finding out how exciting it is, how fun it is,” she says. “I’ve gotten so many letters from dads to say, ‘Thank you. My daughter’s finally watching football. She’s understanding the game, she’s enjoying it. This is something that we can share.’ So just for that, it’s just making families feel more at one.”
It’s why Donna’s collaboration with Barefoot Wine makes so much sense. Wine can be complicated; so too can football, but you also don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of either to enjoy them. “That’s one of the things that we’re trying to get across is that beginners are great; they can enjoy wine and figure out what kind they like. Sometimes they pick them by colors just like they would a team,” she explains.
Speaking of teams, there was a time before playoffs when pundits had their doubts about the Chiefs. There have been more losses and more hard-fought victories this year. You might even say they started off on the back foot. Travis began the season injured; dodging a career-threatening ACL tear and ending up with a bone bruise that saw him sidelined for the kickoff game against the Detroit Lions. I ask Donna if, as a mother, she worries about the game’s physicality. While Travis was lucky, players can and do get seriously hurt.
“I am a true fan. I love football. And I can compartmentalize,” she says. “I’ve seen them go down, they’ve been taken off the field on a stretcher, this or that. But you can get into a car tomorrow and have an accident. Football is something that they believe in so much and for you, as a parent, you want your children to do what they love. It makes me feel happy that they are doing what they love to do.”
A lot of people love what the Kelces do, so much so that “the Travis” has become a sought-after haircut in barbershops (by his own admission, by the way, he didn’t invent the fade). “I’m sure everybody will look good,” says Donna, adding that her son’s bold fashion choices are an opportunity for him to be playful. “He does not take himself seriously. He always says, ‘I like to put a smile on people’s faces.’” And smile they do. I mean, can you blame them?
