Travis Kelce opened up about the erosion of his parents’ marriage and the impact it had on his childhood and adolescence.
The Kansas City Chiefs star’s parents, Donna and Ed, got divorced after 28 years of marriage while he was a student-athlete at the University of Cincinnati. Travis played for the Bearcats from 2008 to 2012.
“They were always the ultimate partners in terms of being there for us as kids,” Travis, 35, said in his GQ cover story, which was published on Tuesday, August 12. “There was no division in terms of anger at each other. I think the romance of it all might’ve just kind of faded, being so focused on their careers and raising a family. It’s probably hard for parents to keep that romance, especially when you’ve got kids that are into fucking everything, you know?”
Donna, 72, and Ed, 74, also share son Jason Kelce, a former Philadelphia Eagles star and cohost of the “New Heights” podcast alongside his brother, Travis. Jason, 37, was also a star athlete at the University of Cincinnati, where he played from 2007 to 2010.
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“My brother was into so much more stuff than me — he was a musician, he was doing all this theater stuff — outside of just sports,” Travis explained. “I’m doing all these sports — two sports every season. So there’s so much s*** going on.”
Travis recalled how a note on the family’s refrigerator about his parents’ anniversary eventually allowed him to understand their marriage was in trouble.
“It had to be around 20. Let’s say 20,” Travis said. “I remember seeing it and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s their anniversary. I wonder what they’re going to do.’ And it was kind of just another day almost. Another day of knocking out things for the kids.”
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He continued, “I’m sure my father probably did something, ’cause he’s always been very good at making sure we celebrate our mother when it’s Mother’s Day and all that. He still to this day will text, like, ‘Hey, it’s your mom’s birthday coming up. Don’t forget about it.’”
Still, Travis — who opened up about his love for girlfriend Taylor Swift in the profile — admitted he “never saw the romance” in his parents’ relationship.
“A lot of friends I grew up with shared that,” he said. “The handful of my friends whose parents are still together and still thriving — those are situations I would love to have. Not that I think my parents dealt with it the wrong way or anything like that.”
Travis added, ““It’s more so, if we’re gonna start this and do it, why not try and do it to last forever? Not just in a ‘It’s just for the kids’ aspect.”
