Retired NFL player Jason Kelce has opened up about his parenting disputes with his wife, “Not Gonna Lie” podcast host Kylie McDevitt.
As Kelce, 37, and McDevitt, 32, prepare to have their fourth child, the former Philadelphia Eagles center discussed raising his current children on his “New Heights” podcast.
Jason sat down with his brother and co-host, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, 35, for the most recent installment of the siblings’ weekly sports-centered show.
At one point, Jason talked about wanting his three daughters to “go and do stuff” to help them overcome their fears. He admitted, “My kids won’t do it.”
Then Jason and Travis recalled how their father, Ed Kelce, would push them to try different activities like ice hockey. That strategy was unsuccessful for Ed’s oldest son.
“It doesn’t work for my kids, though, they just act like I’m being a bad dad by forcing them to do stuff they don’t want to do. That’s part of being a dad,” Jason stated.
Travis responded, “I respect it.” However, Kylie apparently disagreed with her brother-in-law’s take on Jason wanting to inspire his children to expand their horizons.
“She says, ‘I have to deal with it.’ I’m like, ‘They’ll be fine. Trust me. Ed Kelce did this to me. It’ll be good. I’m just gonna spin this little teapot around,’” Jason told Travis about Kylie.
Instagram users shared their thoughts on Jason and Kylie’s parenting dispute in People magazine’s comment section.
One person wrote, “He encourages them to do things outside their comfort zone!” Someone replied, “Then he’s a great dad!!! I see nothing wrong with that.”
Another commenter posted, “Dude is fully outnumbered. My dad had 6 younger sisters and 3 daughters… he just did his thing and didn’t bother to argue. Loved that guy! RIP dad.”
“Then whatever it is STOP,” a critic exclaimed in reaction to Jason’s approach to parenting. Yet another person wondered, “Probably ‘ole school’ stricter with discipline?”
Jason and Kylie met on the dating app Tinder in 2014. They reportedly got engaged in the summer of 2017 before tying the knot on April 14, 2018, in Philadelphia.
“Let’s be abundantly clear. When he asked me to marry him, he prefaced it, and he said, ‘This isn’t the most romantic way to do this,’” Kylie explained on “New Heights” in Sept. 2023.
She continued, “I immediately started crying because I knew what was happening only because he referenced being romantic. That’s how infrequently he is romantic.”
The couple currently have three daughters, Wyatt, 5, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 1. Kylie confirmed her latest pregnancy on social media in November.
“I feel like we captured a very accurate representation of how each of the girls feel about getting another sister. At least Ellie, mom, and dad are on the same page!” Kylie captioned an Instagram photo of her three daughters.
Jason closed out his NFL football career on March 4, 2024, after 13 seasons with the Eagles. The Super Bowl LII champion praised Kylie during his retirement announcement.
“I won’t forget the Eagles’ Christmas party in 2014 and heading out afterward with a bunch of my teammates to Buffalo Billiards where my life would change forever,” Jason stated in the press conference.
While fighting back tears, the seven-time Pro Bowl player added, “That night, I’d meet my future wife. I still remember the moment she walked through the door. The first instance is burned in my retina.”
Since the “Monday Night Countdown” analyst transitioned from professional athlete to full-time media figure, Jason has been part of more than one high-profile, aggressive incident in public.
Jason got into a physical altercation before the Penn State versus Ohio State college football game on Nov. 2, 2024. He claimed a fan called Travis a homophobic slur which led to him yelling “who’s a f—– now!?” back to the heckler.
“I’m not happy with anything that took place. I’m not proud of it. In a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate, and I just don’t think that’s a productive thing, I really don’t,” Kelce said in response to the controversy, per ESPN.com.
In addition, Jason was harassed by a combative autograph seeker following the taping of a “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” episode on Nov. 21, 2024. The confrontation ended with both men reconciling and shaking hands.
Jason won his Super Bowl ring in 2018 when the Eagles defeated the defending champions New England Patriots, giving the city of Philadelphia its first NFL title since 1960.
Travis will play in his fifth Super Bowl on Feb. 9 when the Chiefs take on Jason’s former team, the Eagles. The younger Kelce brother has already been on three Super Bowl-winning teams.
Jason and Kelce faced off on opposite sides of the football field in Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium at Super Bowl LVII in 2023. The Eagles fell to the Chiefs by three points, 38 to 35.
“If I could time travel, I would go back to Super Bowl LVII and make sure we win that f–ing game, so I wouldn’t be depressed about not having lost that game,” Jason admitted on this week’s “New Heights” episode.
