Jason Kelce has apparently had it with Taylor Swift’s fans. The retired NFL player accused the billionaire singer’s fanbase of election interference this week, saying that they’re responsible for forcing him into an “agonizing review” of the 2005 coming-of-age film Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. But just a few days after Kelce’s grumpy announcement, his brother was spotted out with Blake Lively, one of the film’s stars. Coincidence? Perhaps!
The elder Kelce unleashed the allegation this week on the New Heights podcast, the Wondery-based audio product he co-hosts with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The younger Kelce is better known to the non-NFL-curious as Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, one of the reasons their goofy, loose, and football-centric podcast has become one of the most-listened in the US.
In addition to gridiron events, family reminiscences, and chatter about important matters such as chicken wings (boneless=bad) and doughnuts (the cake variety are “a waste of time”), the brothers have launched a “film club” for which subscribers vote in tiered polls to choose a movie the pair will watch and review. The first such movie to triumph in the poll was Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the heartwarming drama that starred Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn, and America Ferrera.
The elder Kelce wasted no time in expressing his disappointment. “You will hear the agonizing review of a movie about pants and sisterhood, two of my least favorite things,” Jason complained as his brother laughed. “The Swifties freakin’ dominated the poll.”
“I’m excited to watch this movie,” Travis said in response, a statement Jason met with disbelief. “You’re honestly excited to watch this movie,” he said flatly. “What in the title makes you excited to watch this movie?”
“Jason, I don’t let the title dictate what gets me excited about it,” Travis responded patiently. “Do you know anything about this movie? What is this movie about?” Jason continued to troll. “I don’t know,” Travis responded. “It has Blake Lively in it, and she’s cool.”
It’s a good thing Travis responded so smoothly to his brother’s objections, as just a few days after the podcast dropped, he ended up on a dinner date with Swift, Lively, and Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds. The four were spotted Friday at The Corner Store, a recently-opened restaurant in New York’s SoHo neighborhood with a menu described as “kid food for adults.”
Its offerings likely appealed to Kelce, who also admitted on this week’s podcast that he is too squeamish to eat “anything with a casing,” Creole or Cajun foods including jambalaya, or thicker curries. “I have a mental block,” the 35-year-old said, about “food that looks like it came out of a butthole.” Does that mean The Corner Store’s filet mignon tartare was out, or its spinach artichoke dip? One can only assume so.