Turns out, we’ve been fumbling the ball when it comes to pronouncing Travis and Jason Kelce’s last name.
The duo’s moniker was thrust into the spotlight again this week after the NFL shared a clip on social media showing Kansas City Chiefs player Chris Jones realizing he’s been pronouncing “Kelce” wrong.
“Y’all know it’s not even Travis ‘Kel-see’?” the defensive tackle can be heard telling his teammate in an Instagram clip by Inside the NFL Wednesday. “It’s Travis ‘Kels.’ F–king crazy, right?”
Chiefs tight end Travis, 34, and his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason, 36, spoke out about the correct way to pronounce their last name on their hit podcast “New Heights” last year.
The brothers chatted to their dad, Ed Kelce, on the episode, before taking the time to clear up any confusion over their name.
Ed revealed that he’s to blame for the “Kel-see” pronunciation, after growing tired of correcting people.
“Why in the world did you change your name outta nowhere and now we are Kel-see?” Jason asked.
“I never changed my name outta nowhere,” Ed responded.
“Well, let’s talk about it. Why did we think that our name was ‘Kel-see’ … for the first 24, 25 years of our life? 25 for me, 27 for Trav,” Jason asked.
“I got tired of correcting people,” Ed answered.
“That’s a good [reason] to stop,” Jason laughed. That’s as good as I’ve heard. So you changed your entire family’s name over generations because you were tired of correcting people?”
Ed said he didn’t tell Travis and Jason the “real” pronunciation of their name because even their mother, Donna Kelce, was convinced it was pronounced “Kel-see.”
“Do whatever you want. I did,” Ed quipped.
Travis has spoken out on the topic back in 2021 during an interview with Barstool Sports’ Bussin’ With The Boys.
“I got ‘Kel-see’ and ‘Kels.’ My real name is ‘Kels,’” he said at the time. “I just kinda roll with the punches.”
It appears as though Travis’ candid admission was news to his teammate, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who realized he’s been pronouncing it wrong this whole time.
“You learn something new everyday,” he wrote on social media at the time.
