Donna Kelce has opened up about her ill-fated marriage to ex-husband Ed Kelce, revealing that they stayed together for many years solely “for the kids.” The parents of NFL superstars Travis and Jason Kelce separated long ago but continue to maintain a cordial relationship, often attending Kansas City Chiefs games together to support their youngest son, Travis.
Reflecting on their relationship, Donna admitted that the signs were there early on that their marriage wasn’t working, even when their sons were young. In the 2023 Amazon Prime documentary Kelce, Travis shared his perspective on their family dynamic growing up, saying, “I knew my mom and dad’s situation was different than other parents. I would go and have sleepovers at other houses, and the other parents were staying in the same room, but my parents didn’t stay in the same room.”
He recalled piecing things together in middle school and realizing that a separation was likely. “I realized that they were probably gonna split, but they stayed together for me and Jason’s benefit,” Travis said, acknowledging that their parents’ decision to stay together was largely for him and his brother.
Now, Donna has offered more insight into what went wrong in her marriage with Ed, revealing that she felt “stuck” in the relationship before they eventually parted ways. In a candid interview for Glamour’s 2024 Woman of the Year: The Moms issue, Donna said, “My husband and I knew that our marriage was not working, but we stayed together for the kids.”
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She described their relationship as “very friendly,” which allowed them to remain together to provide stability for their children. “We made sure that their life was as normal as possible. But in that one respect, I did stand still for several years until I could move on my own,” she explained.
Donna also touched on the challenges she faced as a working mother, balancing her career and family life. “I was a commercial banker for a bank in several different states. I wanted to get ahead. I worked really, really hard. I was a major breadwinner in the family,” she said, reflecting on her role as a professional and a parent. “I think it’s important for kids to see that a woman can do whatever she wants, but I did stand still, too.”
While it’s unclear exactly when Donna and Ed officially split, it’s clear that they made sacrifices to keep their family intact as their children pursued football careers. In the Kelce documentary, Ed acknowledged the complexities of their situation, saying, “If we had split as we probably both would have preferred, that would have been a nightmare with the logistics—getting kids where they had to be and providing all the support.”
Donna, too, described the difficulty of keeping things together during that time, especially as both a mother and a wife. “It was tough,” she said, adding, “It’s so much easier to just go to work. But raising children, when they’re totally dependent on you and you’re trying to do the best you can with the limited resources that you have, it’s the most daunting task I’ve ever had to do.”
Despite the challenges of their marriage, Donna and Ed’s decision to stay together during their sons’ formative years helped provide the stability Travis and Jason needed as they pursued their professional football dreams.
Today, their sons have become two of the most successful and well-known athletes in the NFL, and Donna and Ed remain united in supporting their children, even if their marriage didn’t work out as they once hoped.
