Jason Kelce reveals wife Kylie’s reaction to Butker ‘homemaker’ speech

By Oliver Salt

14:46 24 May 2024, updated 14:50 24 May 2024

Jason Kelce has weighed in on the Harrison Butker saga after revealing his wife Kylie was left ‘frustrated’ by the Kansas City Chiefs star’s commencement speech.

Butker sparked major controversy earlier this month when he addressed graduates at Benedictine College, after claiming women should prioritize being ‘homemakers’ instead of pursuing careers, while also taking aim at the LGBTQ+ community, abortion advocates and more in an opinion-dividing speech.

The Chiefs kicker, who helped his team win the Super Bowl in February, has drawn heavy criticism over his comments, with Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes distancing himself from his teammate’s views.

And on the latest episode of their New Heights podcast, Kelce spoke with his Chiefs-star brother Travis about Butker’s speech, urging people to move on from the topic despite admitting he does not agree with the points he made.

‘Make no mistake about it, a lot of the things he said in his commencement speech are not things that I align myself with,’ Jason said.

‘But, he’s giving a commencement speech at a Catholic university, and shocker… it ended up being a very religious and Catholic speech.

‘I can listen to somebody talk and take great value in it, like when he’s talking about the importance of family and the importance a great mother can make. But [I can] also acknowledge that not everybody has to be a homemaker if that’s not what they want to do in life.

‘When you’re listening to somebody, you take in things that you like, [then] you listen to other things and you say, “Well I don’t f***ing like that.”

‘I’ve had so many people ask me, what would you do if your daughters had to sit there and listen to somebody tell them – after they’ve just earned a degree – that they should just go to align to be homemakers? And I would say if my daughters let anybody tell them what to do, or that they should be homemakers, then I’ve failed as a dad.

‘Like what the f**k are you talking about? I don’t care who’s talking to them, if you let somebody up on a stage tell you that you can’t do that, and then you’re like “oh f**k, I guess I won’t go be a CEO”… then you’re not gonna make it!

‘If you don’t like what somebody says, all you gotta do is just say: “That guy’s a f***ing idiot” – and then you move on. I don’t get what the whole fuss is about quite honest.’

Kelce then backtracked by stressing that he does understand the controversy surrounding Butker’s remarks, before making a joke about his wife Kylie when discussing her thoughts on the commencement speech.   

‘I get what the fuss is about, because I know that certain groups have been persecuted against for a long period in this country,’ he continued.

‘And women in particular, obviously my wife… I think she was a little bit frustrated with some of these comments.

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‘Initially I said listen, you’re gonna have to go back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich. I’m listening to the game right now.’

The Kelce brothers then burst into laughter before Travis said: ‘We were doing so good! We were killing it!’

Jason then added: ‘I hope she didn’t hear that.’

Travis, Butker’s long-time teammate, also broke his silence on the controversial speech and insisted he does not support the views he expressed.

‘I cherish him as a teammate,’ he said. ‘I think Pat (Mahomes – the Chiefs quarterback) said it best where he is every bit of a great person and a great teammate.

‘He’s treated family and family that I’ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness. And that’s how he treats everyone. 

‘When it comes down to his views and what he said at Saint Benedict’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.

‘I grew up in a beautiful upbringing of different social classes, different religions, different races and ethnicities and that’s why I love Cleveland Heights.

‘It showed me a broad spectrum, a broad view of a lot of different walks of life. I appreciated every single one of these people for different reasons and I never once had to feel that I needed to judge them based off their beliefs.

‘My mother and my father both provided for my family and my mother and my father made home what it was. And they were unbelievable at being present every single day of my life.

‘I think that was a beautiful upbringing for me. Now I don’t think everyone should do it the way my parents did, but I sure as hell thank my parents and love my parents for being able to provide and make home what it was.

 ‘I’m not the same person without the both of them being who they were in my life.’