The crossover between pop music and NFL fans might seem far-fetched, but as the romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce continues to make headlines, the two worlds have never felt more connected. Take it from this writer, who admittedly never knew what a tight end was until he heard who Taylor Swift was dating.
Indeed, what initially seemed like a brief fling in line with Swift’s penchant for handsome yet emotionally unavailable men has since blossomed into something deeper. After Swift’s appearance at multiple Kansas City Chiefs games, and Kelce’s recent revelations about his new romance, the spotlight has never shone brighter on one of the world’s starriest couples.
Naturally, given Swifties’ investigative skills on par with Sherlock Holmes, attention has turned to who might be her future mother-in-law. So, as Swift continues to kick goals with her ‘Eras Tour’ and Kelce continues to, I don’t know, actually kick goals, we’re looking into who exactly is Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna Kelce?
Who is Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna Kelce?
Donna Kelce is the 71-year-old mother of Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce. Proving something is in the water in her hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Donna is also the mother of Jason Kelce, a fellow footballer and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. Donna herself made history in February 2023 by becoming the first mom to ever have her sons compete against each other in a championship game.
Donna’s role as an NFL cheerleader also made headlines in September 2023, when she was spotted supporting Travis alongside Swift at a game against the Chicago Bears, just as rumors of her son’s romance began surfacing. Swift and Donna appeared together at another game later that month, this time celebrating arm-in-arm as Travis took on the New York Jets.
Donna’s support of her sons has been well-documented, even prior to her connection to Swift. In 2022, she attended a post-game press conference and asked a question to Travis, who had just thrown the first touchdown pass in his NFL career. In February 2023, Donna hinted that her favorite child isn’t necessarily who is best on the field, but Jason, since he is the only son who has given her grandchildren.
The importance of family is a major throughline in Donna’s life. During an appearance on her sons’ joint podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Donna cited her step-mother, Mary — known as Grandma Murr by the Kelce brothers — as a major influence on her life, especially following her mother’s death. It was Mary who encouraged Donna to vie for the Junior Olympics, where she eventually competed for track and field.
Donna was married to the Kelce brothers’ father, Ed, for 25 years. They first met when Donna was on her way to another date, before tying the knot in the late ’70s and later welcoming eldest son Jason.
Donna and Ed decided to split after both their sons had graduated college, though Donna looks back fondly on their relationship and holds no ill will. “We were like a tag team with you two,” Donna said of her marriage on her sons’ podcast.
Beyond her family life, we know according to her LinkedIn that Donna studied at Ohio University, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in communications. She landed her first job at Bank One as an equity writer in 1981, and enrolled in classes at Baldwin Wallace University that same year. She graduated with her Master of Business Administration two years later, and in 2003, became the vice president at Key Community Development Corporation.
Donna stayed in that role for just over seven years, before serving as the senior vice president of Truist for over a decade. Donna retired in 2021, and now rightfully fills her days as a dedicated full-time NFL mom. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we do know about Donna’s relationship to the Swift fanbase, and while she recognises the pop star’s talent, Donna doesn’t consider herself a Swiftie.
Donna has said that she is more a fan of ‘Queen of Funk’ and “I’m Every Woman” singer Chaka Khan, and also considers herself a fan of musical group Earth, Wind & Fire. We do know that Donna is hesitant to discuss Travis’ relationship with Swift, as she told Wall Street Journal that since the romance is so new, she doesn’t want to talk about it in-depth.
In the same interview, Donna described Swift as hilarious and praised her musical talent.