Kylie Kelce Reflects on Fame and Family

Kylie Kelce, the wife of former NFL star Jason Kelce—and soon-to-be sister-in-law to Taylor Swift—recently broke an unspoken rule among celebrities: don’t complain about being in the spotlight.

On a recent episode of her podcast, “Not Gonna Lie,” she pondered if her young daughters enjoy the fame. “First of all, yuck. Oh God, that’s terrible,” Kylie shared, noting the kids find it amusing when strangers approach their father, asking, “Are you Jason Kelce?”

The Kelce family has four daughters, aged between six and one year old. “Sometimes we catch them playing pretend, asking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m such a huge fan. Can we take a picture?’ without involving any adults,” she recounted.

“Yuck. I don’t like that our kids have picked up on this. I mean, they will when they’re out with their dad… It makes me sad that this is their reality. I want them to have as normal an upbringing as possible,” she expressed.

“I think we should try to keep them out of it. Okay, great. Let’s just do that,” Kylie concluded.

This feeling is understandable, but it does seem a bit contradictory. If one truly wants to shield their children from the limelight—especially after marrying a widely recognized NFL center—starting a podcast that prominently features them might not be the best strategy.

Jason Kelce has his own podcast, “New Heights,” which he co-hosts with his brother, Travis Kelce. Some of the most popular clips from this show include their children, attracting 11 million and 10 million views, respectively.

Kylie’s podcast episodes that include her children are among her most popular:

• “Kylie on Baby Finn’s Birth Story,” introducing her two-day-old child.
• A “back to school special” featuring three of her daughters.
• Discussion about the Kelce girls’ Disneyland experience, culminating in a Disney surprise, produced in partnership with Walt Disney World and AdventHealth.

The premiere episode titled “Kylie on Pregnancy Reaction, Parenting with Jason & Raising Boys vs Girls with Kaitlin Olson” racked up a million views. In its first week, it topped both Apple and Spotify podcast charts, even bumping “The Joe Rogan Experience” from its spot, according to reports.

All this considered, if Kylie wants the public to “leave them out of it,” it might be wise for her to set an example.

Kylie has actively embraced the spotlight, featuring former first lady Michelle Obama in a prominent episode—a notable achievement for any newcomer in the podcasting world. It’s clear that her association with Jason and Travis has accelerated her career.

Her podcast quickly attracted corporate sponsors. The inaugural episode was backed by Dunkin’ Donuts, while her most viewed episode was sponsored by Intuit TurboTax. Brands such as Liquid Death, Dove, Old Navy, and Toyota have also collaborated with her.

While I wouldn’t normally dwell on this, it raises questions regarding Kylie Kelce’s seemingly reluctant stance on fame. She is undoubtedly aware of the public’s fascination with her family, especially among Taylor Swift fans, and has benefited from it. However, it feels somewhat disingenuous when she acts as if fame is something she stumbled into, neglecting to recognize her own role in the dynamics at play.