In recent years, Donna Kelce has become a public figure just like her NFL sons, Travis and Jason. Once Travis started dating pop superstar Taylor Swift, Donna became even more well-known. With this limelight comes a focus on her personal life. She recently opened up about her marriage to Travis and Jason’s father and why they ultimately divorced.
Donna Kelce’s Relationship History
Donna is not currently married. She got divorced from her ex-husband of 25 years, Ed Kelce, and she has not remarried. None of her relationships have been public knowledge. Donna and Ed’s marriage ended around 13 years ago, but the pair remain friends.
On the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast, Donna and Ed told their sons about how they initially met at Fagan’s Bar in Cleveland in the ’70s.
“I was supposed to go out with a guy that night; we were supposed to go to a play, and I never made it,” she said. “Your dad and I talked forever.”
Speaking about their divorce, Donna said, “We are friends to this day … We get along great; just sometimes, people move apart, that’s all.”
In her Glamour Women of the Year cover story, Donna opened up about the decision to end the marriage.
“My husband and I knew that our marriage was not working, but we stayed together for the kids,” Donna explained. “Ours was a very friendly relationship. So, we could do that and make sure that their life was normal as possible. But in that one respect, I did stand still for several years until I could move on on my own.”
This lines up with what she said during an appearance on The Martha Stewart Podcast back in May.
“We worked together as a team and it’s very, very difficult to raise children on your own,” Donna said. “We decided that we would be married throughout the entire time that the kids were in the house, and that’s the way it worked out.”
Donna Kelce’s Celebrity Status
Donna often appeared on the broadcasts while attending her sons’ games, but she has experienced a new level of fame since her son started dating Swift.
Travis is now a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, while Jason won one Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles before he retired earlier this year. Both are widely regarded as future Hall of Famers.
The pair faced off in Super Bowl LVII in 2023, which became known as the “Kelce Bowl” since it was the first Super Bowl where two brothers competed against each other. Travis and the Chiefs ultimately came out on top. Donna supported both of her sons by wearing a custom half-Chiefs, half-Eagles jersey.
Donna Kelce with both Travis and Jason after the Super Bowl ❤️
(via @NFLFilms) pic.twitter.com/xH7BQTM9rc
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) February 14, 2023
There was even a petition prior to the Super Bowl for Donna to do the coin flip before the opening kickoff. Donna is often spotted at her son’s games, and she went viral in 2022 when she attended both her son’s NFL playoff games on the same day.
She was in Tampa Bay to see Jason’s Eagles lose in an NFC Wild Card game to the Buccaneers before flying to Kansas City to catch Travis and the Chiefs beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jason Kelce & @tkelce's mom Donna is on the ultimate mission today: 2 playoff games in 1 day.
First up, Tampa Bay to see Jason and the @Eagles! @dkelce1 pic.twitter.com/qMVR0mSh7n
— NFL (@NFL) January 16, 2022
Once Travis’ relationship with Swift became public, Donna gave a number of high-profile interviews about the couple. Her positivity and support of their relationship took her celebrity status to another stratosphere.
“I’ll tell you, it’s just … they’re making their own story, and I don’t even have to say anything; they’re just doing it all themselves,” Donna told Extra.
How does Donna feel about this newfound stardom? Well, she spoke specifically about it with Today.
“Every week it’s like something new, like really. It truly feels like I’m in some kind of an alternate universe,” Kelce said on TODAY in an appearance on Oct. 6. “It’s just really, really strange, but it’s fun. It’s a great ride.”
Donna made her acting debut as the manager of Norma & Nic’s in the Hallmark Channel movie “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” on Nov. 30, 2024.