Jamie Squire / Staff; Carmen Mandato / Staff
Travis Kelce Seemingly Shades Simone Biles’ Husband Jonathan Owens After His ‘Catch’ Comment
Travis Kelce seemed to throw shade at Simone Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, less than a month after Jonathan’s controversial comments about being more of a “catch” than his wife.
The exchange between Travis, 34, and his brother, Jason Kelce, happened during the Wednesday, January 18, episode of their “New Heights” podcast, as the duo discussed Travis’ Athlete of the Year nomination for the 2024 People’s Choice Awards.
“How is Simone Biles on this but her boyfriend isn’t?” Jason, 36, — referring to Jonathan, 28, — asked the Chiefs player.
Travis replied, “Owens? Played some good ball over there, I guess,” seemingly unimpressed with the Green Bay Packers safety’s nomination. However, in good humor, the tight end added, “How am I on this?” referring to his own nod. He jokingly speculated that maybe his March 2023 gig of hosting Saturday Night Live put him on the map for the nomination.
The subtle dig at Jonathan came following the NFL player’s controversial comment during his and Simone’s joint appearance on “The Pivot” podcast in December 2023. During the show, Jonathan suggested that he was the “catch” between him and his wife, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
Though Travis’ two Super Bowl wins and chart-topping podcast certainly helped catapult Travis’ career to new heights, so too did his viral relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift. However, Travis has “been playing the fame game for a long time now,” a source told In Touch on January 11. “His success didn’t come out of nowhere.”
Despite Travis’ big dreams of stardom, the insider noted that Travis isn’t “using her for fame.” “But there’s no denying the timing was perfect. Their relationship pushed his plan into overdrive,” the source added.
“We positioned Travis to be world famous,” one of Travis’ managers, André Eanes, told The New York Times during an interview published January 3. “We didn’t know how it would happen, or when it would happen, or what would help push that further along. But it’s always been the thought in the back of our minds.”
Even before he had the “Lover” singer cheering him on from the sidelines, Travis had a solid support system in his brother and podcast cohost. The brothers’ mother, Donna Kelce, told People during a Tuesday, January 16, interview that the two are “each other’s biggest fan” – but still maintain the friendly competition they’ve had with each other since childhood.
“I know they’re always jabbing at each other to mention who’s the best,” Donna, 71, quipped to the outlet. “It doesn’t stop!”
