The former Eagles center says he and his wife’s “marriage is a partnership”
Jason Kelce is speaking out in response to a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) calling his wife Kylie Kelce a “homemaker whose home is a mess.”
The social media post came after Jason, 36, addressed Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial comments about women in his speech at Benedictine College on May 11.
In a statement on X, Jason said that he “thinks of [Kylie] as my wife” and “a mother” and that “she has an occupation, as do I, and we keep our house the best we can.”
In his statement, he added, “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.”
“We both raise our kids, we both work, We both keep our home. 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.”
Jason also clarified that he doesn’t “downplay” the role of a homemaker, saying, “If being a homemaker, works for some, and that’s what they want, then hell yea [sic], that’s awesome, more power to you… but that is not our family dynamic.”
Butker’s speech has been criticized by the NFL and celebrities including Maria Shriver, Flavor Flav and more after he made controversial comments claiming women have been told “diabolical lies” about topics including abortion, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy.
Butker doubled down on his remarks in his commencement speech at the Courage Under Fire gala in Nashville on May 24. According to CNN, in response to his speech from earlier this month, Butker said, “If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now.”
Both Jason and his brother, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, 34, directly addressed Butker’s comments in the latest episode of their podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce. In the episode, Jason said that Kylie was “a little bit frustrated with some of the comments,” and that “if my daughters listen to anybody tell them what to do, that they should be homemakers, then I’ve failed as a dad.”
Travis, Butker’s fellow teammate since 2017, shared that “when it comes down to [Butker’s] views and what he said at [Benedictine’s] commencement speech, those are his. I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids. And I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life, that’s just not who I am.”