The Taylor Swift effect is real — just ask Jason Kelce. While appearing on Shaquille O’Neal’s The Big Podcast With Shaq Wednesday (Feb. 14), the Philadelphia Eagles center opened up about the extreme pros and cons of the new level of fame he and his family reached after his little brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, began dating Swift last year.
“It’s crazy what it opens up, opportunity-wise,” he shared. “It’s crazy to feel how much joy you bring people, or how much you affect people’s daily lives.”
Jason has become a beloved icon in the Swiftie universe in the months since the “Anti-Hero” singer first went public with her and Travis’ relationship in September. The Philly Specials singer and his wife, Kylie, have joined Swift in watching a few of the younger Kelce’s games, including the 2024 Super Bowl at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, after which Jason dutifully celebrated the Chiefs win alongside his brother and the 14-time Grammy winner at a nightclub.
On his Wednesday (Feb. 14) New Heights podcast episode, Jason gushed about Swift introducing him to both Ice Spice and Sir Paul McCartney at the big game. “All of a sudden I hear Taylor behind me like, ‘Jason, turn around!’” he recalled. “I look around, and Paul McCartney is standing right there. I’m like, ‘What the heck is this?’”
However, as Jason pointed out to Shaq, being in Swift’s orbit “has its drawbacks, for sure.” “Travis knows better than I do,” he told the basketball star. “He had to completely move out of his house. People were just staying by his house. The first day he moved into the new house … a gated community, someone knocks on a window of the house.”
“We’ve always been big in the football world, Travis especially,” Jason added. “The Taylor world and the pop culture world, that’s a whole different level. It’s a new demographic that wasn’t there before.”
Watch Jason Kelce open up to Shaq above.