Ed Kelce and Donna Kelce may no longer be married — but they still have a great friendship.
The twosome met in the late ‘70s and welcomed son Jason Kelce in 1987 followed by son Travis Kelce two years later. After 25 years of marriage, the former couple called it quits — and later admitted they stayed together for the sake of their sons.
“I knew my mom and dad’s situation was different than other parents,” Travis said in the family’s 2023 documentary, Kelce. “I would go have sleepovers at other houses and the other parents are staying in the room, and my parents didn’t stay in the same room. I started making those connections when I was in middle school and I realized that they were probably gonna split. But they stayed together for me and Jason’s benefit I believe.”
Although Ed and Donna divorced, they still attend every one of their sons’ NFL games they can get to, even switching off if needed. (Travis is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs while Jason is a center for the Philadelphia Eagles.)
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Keep scrolling to find out more about Ed and Donna’s relationship:
How They Met
On an episode of Jason and Travis’ podcast “New Heights,” Ed and Donna revealed that the duo met while Donna was on the way to another date. As Donna made her way to meet up with the date, she stopped by a bar where Ed happened to be. The duo instantly connected.
“I was supposed to go with a guy that night. We were supposed to go to a play, and I never made it. Your dad and I talked forever,” Donna explained. “It was meant to be. It’s just the way it was.”
Welcoming Their Sons
After tying the knot in the late ’70s, Donna and Ed welcomed sons Jason and Travis in 1987 and 1989, respectively. Both parents are very supportive of their sons’ football careers and try to show up to as many games as possible.
“We try to be at one of the games,” Ed told the Los Angeles Times in February 2023. “Divide and conquer.”
The End of Their 25-Year Marriage
Donna and Ed called it quits after 25 years of marriage following both of their sons’ college graduations.
“I don’t hate him. We’re friends to this day. We get along great,” Donna said on an episode of “New Heights.” “We were like a tag team with you two. We got to do all sorts of fun things. When one of you had to go out of town, the other person would help with the other child. It was perfect.”
Donna and Ed later revealed in the 2023 documentary, Kelce, that they chose to stay together for as long as they did because of their sons.
“If we had split as we probably both would have preferred, that would have been a nightmare with the logistics, getting kids where they had to be and providing all the support,” Ed explained in the film, while Donna added that “trying to keep it all together when you’re being a parent is tough.”
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Their Grandkids
Donna and Ed are grandparents to Jason and his wife Kylie Kelce’s three daughters: Wyatt, Elliotte and Bennett, born in 2019, 2021 and 2023, respectively.
The duo love spending time with their grandchildren — and Donna even revealed that she roots a little harder for the Eagles because of Jason giving her grandchildren.
“Jason would say I’m going to root for the baby of the family, which is Travis. And I keep telling him, ‘No, you’ve given me grandchildren.’ So, we’ll leave it at that. It’s always about the grands,” she joked on an episode of the Today show ahead of the Chiefs versus Eagles Super Bowl game in February 2023.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Relationship Timeline
They Support Travis’ Romance With Taylor Swift
Travis made headlines for his romance with Taylor Swift after she attended the Chiefs game in September 2023 and sat next to Donna in his suite.
During her appearance on the “Got It From My Momma” podcast in October 2023, Donna shared that she feels like she’s in an “alternate universe” while hanging out with Swift.
“It’s just really, really strange, but it’s fun,” she added. “It’s a great ride.”
Ed, for his part, was spotted talking to Swift for the first time at the Chiefs versus Broncos game in October 2023.
“I’ll tell you something very special that I noticed about Taylor the first time I met her. We’re sitting in the suite, she gets up and in the front room, she gets up to go get a drink or something and she starts picking up empty bottles, cans, plates that are scattered around,” he told People later that month. “And I’m just thinking, I don’t think she got the diva memo. And that to me said a whole lot.”
When speaking to Entertainment Tonight that same month, Ed shared that he thinks Travis and Taylor are a “wonderful couple.”
“I think they deserve a great friendship with each other, and if it ever goes to more than that,” he shared. “They’re two wonderful people and they are enjoying each other’s company and supporting each other.”
Staying Together for the Kids
During her Glamour cover story in October 2024, Donna spoke candidly about the end of her marriage to Ed.
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“My husband and I knew that our marriage was not working, but we stayed together for the kids,” she recalled. “Ours was a very friendly relationship. So, we could do that and make sure that their life was [as] normal as possible.”
Donna added: “But in that one respect, I did stand still for several years until I could move on on my own.”
The mother of two said she “worked really, really hard” to “get ahead” in her commercial banking career.
“I was a major breadwinner in the family,” Donna told the magazine, noting that it was “important for kids to see that a woman can do whatever she wants.”
