I think one of the best things to come out of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship has been the introduction to Travis’ sister-in-law, Kylie Kelce. Longtime Philly fans, forgive me! I know she has been your queen for years. I mean the more “mainstream” introduction of Kylie. She definitely seems like my people and I enjoy hearing her opinions on things. I also love that her podcast, Not Gonna Lie is a reasonable 45 minutes that’s “intended for women.”
Kylie was a guest on this week’s Call Her Daddy Podcast. It was filmed in New Orleans on the day before the Super Bowl, so naturally football comes up. Kylie talks about the 2018 Super Bowl, Philly fans, and sports superstitions (she once coincidentally bent down next to a laundry basket at the same time that the Phillies made a good play and then spent the entire rest of the game bent down next to it, LOL). While they’re talking football, host Alex Cooper asks Kylie how she feels about the term “WAG” (Wives And Girlfriends of athletes). Unsurprisingly, Kylie hates the term and thinks women should be known for their own accomplishments.
Kylie Kelce is more than just Jason Kelce’s wife. The Not Gonna Lie podcast host shared her honest thoughts on being labeled a “WAG”—which stands for “wives and girlfriends” and is often used as a catch-all term to describe the partners of professional male athletes—and it’s safe to say it’s not a phrase she would use to describe herself.
“I don’t like it, because I think it has a serious negative connotation attached,” Kylie told Alex Cooper on the Feb. 12 episode of Call Her Daddy. “I think it’s this suggestion that your spouse’s profession swallows you up, as well.”
The mom to Wyatt, 5, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 20 months—who is also pregnant with her and Jason’s fourth baby girl—went on to outline some of the boundaries that she and the former Philadelphia Eagles player have set up to avoid having his career in the NFL define their whole family.
Kylie explained, “I have made a serious effort to make sure that—both Jason and I have made a serious effort—that while he was playing that it was clear that that was his job.”
“In the same way that someone would go to work and come home and not necessarily talk about their entire day,” she continued. “You’re filing taxes, you’re doing spreadsheets…you’re not coming home and telling your spouse about the spreadsheet you worked out.”
In addition to not letting her husband’s profession overtake their home life, the former collegiate field hockey player also wanted to dispel the connotations that come with the
WAG term.“It’s so funny to me, because it is that stigma,” she said. “You’re with them because they make a lot of money or you want designer bags or you live in a mansion.
“It’s like, no…” Kylie went on. “There have been a number of people who have come to our house and it’s like, ‘Oh…’ Again, not easily offended, I’m like, ‘Yep, that’s what you get!’”
I totally agree with Kylie about calling athletes’ partners WAGs. She wants to make sure she’s known as more than just “Jason’s wife” because she’s trying to raise strong, independent daughters that grow up knowing their own worth. Love that. I remember first learning the term yearss ago when the UK’s football WAGs were making headlines for all of their gossip. I can see how the moniker has a negative connotation, like they belong on a Bravo show or something. That said, if someone wants to go by the WAG label, then let them have it. Label yourself however you want to and we’ll respect that.
Alex also asked Kylie about the first time she met Taylor, and it was when Tayvis did their hard launch at that Kansas City Chiefs/Buffalo Bills game. She knew they were dating before then, though. There’s no drama behind why they didn’t meet earlier, either. Taylor’s just a very busy woman! She was recording The Tortured Poet’s Department during those early days of dating Travis. The rest of the interview is a really fun listen. Kylie praises her mother-in-law, Donna Kelce, for setting such an amazing example for her daughters of what a strong, independent woman looks like. She also talks about the thing that pisses her off the most (lying), the early days of her relationship with Jason and a hilarious story about how her field hockey teammates found out about them, raising girls vs. raising boys, and how she used to be embarrassed by her height, but doesn’t “give a f-ck” about it anymore. You can listen to the full podcast here. I’ll also include the video version below.
Photos are screenshots from YouTube/Call Her Daddy, credit Getty and via Instagram/Kylie Kelce