Travis and Jason Kelce have already addressed the story behind their last name, but Kansas City Chiefs player Chris Jones is just now making the realization.
“So y’all know it’s not even Travis Kelce [Kelsey]?” the Chiefs defensive tackle,29, said in a clip from Inside the NFL filmed on the sidelines of the Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins game on Saturday, January 13. “It’s Travis Kelce [Kels]. F—king crazy, right?”
Travis, 34, and Jason, 36, previously addressed the pronunciation with their dad, Ed Kelce, during a February 2023 episode of the siblings’ “New Heights” podcast.
“Why in the world did you change your name out of nowhere?” Jason asked. Ed responded, “I got tired of correcting people.”
He later clarified what actually went down with the family’s surname.
“I didn’t change anybody’s name,” he continued. “Your mother [Donna Kelce] thought it was ‘Kelsey’ because that was the name I went by at work.”
While they’ve been referred to as the “Kelsey” brothers throughout their entire NFL careers, both Travis and Jason asked their dad which pronunciation they should use going forward.
“Do whatever you want. I did,” Ed joked. Travis declared he would “go by both,” but Jason felt differently. “Don’t call me ‘Kels,’” he stated.
The 2023 “New Heights” episode was not the first time that Travis has discussed the questions about his last name.
“I got ‘Kelsey,’ then I got ‘Kels.’ My real name is ‘Kels,’ so I mean, I just kind of roll with the punches,” Travis said on Barstool Sports’ “Bussin’ With the Boys” in 2020.
When the interview clip later went viral, fellow NFL stars weighed in on the apparent bombshell.
“You learn something new everyday @tkelce 
,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wrote via X. Former Chiefs player Tyreek Hill chimed in, adding, “So I’ve been saying his name wrong this entire time 
.”
you’ve been sayin it right man, I go by both…. One’s my real name and one’s a nick name
— Travis Kelce (@tkelce) July 14, 2021
Travis responded to the comments at the time, writing, “ you’ve been sayin it right man, I go by both…. One’s my real name and one’s a nick name.”
After the social media posts frenzy, Travis admitted in a July 2021 interview with FOX4 that his throwaway comment “turned into its own thing.”
“It’s absolutely hilarious that it got to this point,” the NFL star continued. “My real name is ‘Kelsey.’ It’s Travis ‘Kelsey,’ and I say ‘Kelsey’ because that’s what my father says. Everybody on my father’s side says ‘Kels.’ I go by both. One is a real name, one’s a nickname.”
