As it turns out, we’ve been pronouncing Travis Kelce’s last name wrong this whole time.
A clip of a sideline conversation where Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones explains that we’re all saying Kelce incorrectly is shocking hundreds of thousands on Instagram.
“So y’all know it’s not even Travis ‘Kel-see?’” he asks a teammate during the Jan 13. playoff game against the Miami Dolphins.
“[It’s] Travis ‘Kels.’ Yeah, well, f—ing crazy, right?” he continued.
However, it wasn’t the first time someone had clarified the pronunciation. Travis and his brother Jason actually went in depth about it during a February 2023 installment of their New Heights podcast. Because they, too, were surprised by it.
Jason and Travis Kelce Didn’t Know They Were Pronouncing Their Name Wrong
The brothers thought that their dad, Ed, had “changed” their last name, but Ed said he didn’t, he just gave up on people getting it right.
“Why in the world did you change your name out of nowhere?” Jason asked.
“I never changed my name out of nowhere,” Ed replied. “I got tired of correcting people.”
“So you changed your entire family’s name over generations … ’cause you were tired of correcting people,” Jason asked while Travis laughed.
Jason shared that he and Travis didn’t even know they were mispronouncing their names until they were in their 20s. He said that their mom, Donna, also assumed she was saying it right when she wasn’t
“That was the name that I went by at work,” Ed shrugged. “That was my work name.”
Ed told his sons to “do whatever” they want when it comes to how they pronounce Kelce. Travis said he’ll answer to either variation. But Jason isn’t willing to change.
“Don’t call me ‘Kels,’” he directed.