Jason Kelce appears to be done joking about Harrison Butker’s misogynistic commencement speech.
Following Jason Kelce’s tepid criticism of the speech on his New Heights podcast, the former NFL player says he’s seen “a number of people” describe his wife, Kylie Kelce, as a “homemaker.” One internet troll, in particular, had a problem with Jason’s stance that “not everybody has to be a homemaker if that’s not what they want to do,” calling him “hypocritical” for not supporting the Kansas City Chiefs kicker.
Jason and Kylie Kelce have been married for six years and share three young daughters. Aside from her roles as a wife and mother, she’s also a high school field hockey coach and raises funds for nonprofits like (Be)Philly and the Eagles Autism Foundation.
“I don’t think of Kylie as a homemaker,” Kelce responded to the anonymous X.com user on May 27. “I think of her as my wife. I think of her as a mother. She has an occupation, as do I, and we keep our house the best we can. Our marriage is a partnership, we are equals who are figuring it out on the daily. The only expectation is that we love each other, support one another, and are committed to our family, that comes first.”
Jason went on to defend his wife against claims that their home is “dirty and messy,” which the anonymous poster implied was Kylie’s responsibility. “We both raise our kids, we both work, we both keep our home,” the athlete wrote. “It is both our faults it is messy, but such is life with 3 young children, busy schedules, and neither of us being neat freaks.”
Earlier this month, Butker came under fire for telling Benedictine College graduates that women have been fed “diabolical lies” about their roles in society while denouncing birth control, IVF, and other methods of family planning. He also quoted Taylor Swift, though he chose to refer to the pop star as “my teammate’s girlfriend.”
As expected, Travis Kelce responded to the speech in the following episode of his New Heights podcast with his brother Jason Kelce. While the tight end described Butker as a “great person and a great teammate,” he said he doesn’t agree with “just about any” of the views expressed in the speech.
Jason Kelce, meanwhile, didn’t seem to understand the intensity of the backlash. “Make no mistake about it, a lot of the things he said in his commencement speech are not things that I align myself with,” he said. “But, you know, he’s giving a commencement speech at a Catholic University and, shocker, it ended up being a very religious and Catholic speech.”
The 36-year-old went on to admit that he “didn’t get what the whole fuss was about,” suggesting people who disagree with the kicker should just ignore him. “If my daughters listen to anybody tell them what to do, that they should be homemakers, then I’ve failed as a dad,” he said, later adding, “If you don’t like what somebody says all you gotta do is say, ‘yeah that guy’s a fucking idiot,’ and then you move on.”
To close out the subject, he brought Kylie into the discourse. “Obviously, my wife, you know, she was I think a little bit frustrated with some of the comments,” he said, before joking, “Initially I said, ‘Listen, you’re going to need to go back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich. I’m listening to the game right now.’”
Though Jason maintains that Kylie makes “a mean sandwich,” his most recent post should clear up any confusion about their relationship. “If being a homemaker, works for some, and that’s what they want, then hell yea, that’s awesome, more power to you,” he concluded. “I want to be clear, I’m not downplaying that at all, but that is not our family dynamic.”
While Jason Kelce’s staunch defense of his wife is certainly heartwarming, it’s worth noting that emboldening misogynists was exactly “what all the fuss was about” to begin with.
