A touching gesture made by Travis Kelce in tribute to his brother Jason may not be all that it seems.
While chatting with sports presenter Charissa Thompson on the Thursday, December 19 episode of her podcast, “Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce,” Jason’s wife Kylie poked holes in a story Travis previously told.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis, 35, claimed that the reason he wears the number 87 on his jersey is to honor his brother Jason, who was born in 1987.
Thompson, 42, recalled the moment Travis made the revelation in an interview for NFL Films, which she was involved in.
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“That’s when Travis told me he wears 87 because of Jason’s… that’s the year he was born,” Thompson said, before Kylie interjected.
“Jason still calls bull,” Kylie, 32, said. “Jason still calls bull on that revelation. He’s like, ‘No, you got given ‘87’ and were like, ‘Uh, how can I remember this? It’s my brother’s birth year.’”
Whether or not the story is true, Thompson acknowledged, “Well it’s a sweet sentiment. It’s a nice story.”
Kylie agreed, responding, “It was so sweet.”
NFL Films shared an interview with the brothers in December 2023, where Travis made the claim about his jersey number.
“If there is a Kelce legacy, two brothers making it to the NFL, it all started in 1987 because this big guy was born in 1987,” Travis said of Jason, 37, during the interview.
Travis and Jason have developed a strong brotherly bond over the years and neither are never shy about praising their sibling in public.
Jason gushed over Travis making it to his third Super Bowl in February 2024. He described the experience as “a little bit different” watching Travis play as opposed to being in the big game himself.
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“I love just being a fan. Being able to root and just watch good football. I can’t wait to watch it,” Jason told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe at the time. “Whenever you’re watching a loved one compete there’s a very prideful feeling that you have. That’s very different than competing [on] your own.”
Jason added, “Obviously, my brother and I love each other very much. We’re cherishing these moments because we know eventually, they’ll be gone.”
Meanwhile, Travis gushed over his older brother during his monologue while hosting Saturday Night Live in February 2023.
“Jason and I have actually been playing football together since we were little kids and he was always better than me — at everything,” Travis said of Jason, before quipping, “In high school, he was an honor student and I got kicked off the team because I failed French. And then, when we were in college, I actually got kicked off the team because I tested positive for marijuana.”
