Kylie Kelce treasures family time with her husband, Jason, and their three young daughters. To her, togetherness represents not only a chance to set a good example, but also an opportunity for the family to stretch their creative muscles.
“We are at a very fun time right now, and even though I would not necessarily call myself crafty, I love doing the artsy stuff with them,” Kylie explains. “This includes their high praise when I color something inside the lines.”
Kylie and Jason Kelce need no introduction to anyone who lives within an hour of Philadelphia, but their fame extends much farther than the Delaware Valley. Many non-Philadelphians (or folks who don’t watch football) were introduced to the couple through Kelce, the 2023 documentary about Jason’s professional and personal life as he considered whether to retire from his job as center for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. Spoiler: He played another season and retired in March 2024.
Jason played 13 seasons for the Eagles, and helped the team win a Super Bowl championship in 2018. He is affectionately known city-wide (and beyond) as the “King of Philly,” which one supposes would make Kylie the “Queen of Philly.” The two even have Wawa hoagies named after them.
Although Jason earned his fame in a sport not known for its tenderness, Kylie says he clearly has a soft side. His kinder, gentler self is especially apparent when it comes to playtime, family outings and snuggling with their three daughters, all under the age of 5. (The couple recently announced that Kylie is pregnant with their fourth child.)
“Jason enjoys doing arts and crafts with our girls,” Kylie says. “It doesn’t take much convincing.”
This is one of the many reasons that Kylie recently teamed up with HP Print Pals. These innovative printable puppets, which were designed by master puppeteer Stacey Gordon, enable neurodivergent children to express themselves through the therapeutic power of creative expression. With Kylie’s charitable partner, the Eagles Autism Foundation, the program sought to introduce the new hands-on print puppet program to parents in the area and around the nation. She told us all about it.
What first attracted you to the Eagles Autism Foundation?
The Eagles Autism Foundation (EAF) encourages the conversation because the unknown keeps people away. When it comes to people on the spectrum, especially kids on the spectrum, if you shy away from the autism community you are missing out on some of the best human beings you will ever come in contact with in your life. They will always keep you on your toes, [and] you will always get to have a smile on your face even during a tough day. Spending time with them always helps me appreciate the high points in life.
Why were you attracted to the Print Pals project?
Knowing that Puppet Pie creator Stacey [Gordon] was involved in creating it, her expertise with puppets and the autism community was a major aspect of it. (Editor’s note: Readers may know Gordon from her work as the puppeteer of Julia, the Sesame Street character who has autism.) Knowing that it is a resource not only for the neurodiverse community, but also for typical kids and their parents to get involved in, was exciting to me. Also, a lot of things that we do for the EAF are about raising money, and this was very much an activity that you can encourage people to do because it’s fun and self-explanatory.
What was it like watching local families from the EAF making puppets with Print Pals?
Honestly, one of the coolest things to see was watching two of the families who brought a neurotypical sibling. Of course, they did the sibling thing where they were like, “Oh, here are the scissors. Oh, do you need a glue stick?” It was so nice to see the children creating on their own, creating what they wanted to make. This is doable and fun for people across the board. Although the benefits are there for the neurodivergent population, everyone can get involved and everyone can have fun doing it.
Talk a little bit about Tim, your neighbor when you were growing up.
When I was introduced to autism through our neighbor Tim, I didn’t know I was being introduced to autism. When he met new people, he would go into the kitchen and make a bunch of noise, but he wouldn’t talk to you directly. I didn’t need any additional explanation; I just knew that that was Tim.
When I graduated [with a degree in psychology] from Cabrini College, I ended up in a life skills classroom as a one-to-one [aide] supporting the students. I found out very quickly that throughout the years we had been using strategies and we had been managing behaviors that we didn’t even know we were doing. It was the loveliest realization. Tim taught us how Tim wanted us to interact with him, and we listened. Tim is still in our lives—our girls call him Uncle Tim—and they think he is one of the funniest people they’ve ever met, and I agree.
How do you feel about being in the spotlight?
I specifically choose things like this project, that I feel speak to me personally, and that are authentic to how I feel or what I believe. I did a brand deal with Honey Baked Ham because I love Honey Baked Ham, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But I have turned down offers from companies that I don’t use the product, I am not familiar with or it doesn’t speak to me personally. The way I have been navigating being in the public eye is just making sure that all of the things that I put out are things that I believe in and can be proud of.
Is that the upside of being famous?
Yes, and I always like to focus on the positive. I don’t have time to read the toxic comments because I am too busy chasing after three children. My parents raised me to be a very self-assured person, so even if people make comments, I’m like, “Well, that’s not really what happens here.”
I keep trying to focus on the positive and make sure no matter what I do, I can look at myself in the mirror and say, “Yep, there she is,” and I can live with that. And I know my daughters can see me as an example that if they did the same thing, I would be proud.
As a busy mom of three, do you have a self-care routine?
I love to start my day by myself or on my own terms. In the mornings when one of my children wakes up before me and then comes into our room—usually our middle child will be the culprit—she will come in to snuggle. Starting your day like that is like, “This is so great, I love a snuggle.”
I also want to wake up and be able to brush my teeth, drink my coffee and have a moment of quiet, so I set my alarm early so that I can have that moment of tranquility before kids, and I think that that sets the tone. I usually have more patience throughout the day if I’m able to drink my coffee in peace while it’s still either cold or hot, whatever it was intended to be.
As your daughters get older, how will you and Jason teach them empathy?
I’m hoping that through speaking as an example and making sure that they can mirror the way that we talk about and interact with other people out in the world. Today they are at an age where it’s just monkey see, monkey do, so hopefully we are appropriately setting the example out in our public settings to make sure that they are given the tools to have empathy as they grow up.
Talk about your local roots.
I was born and raised here. My dad is from Kensington, and then he moved out to the suburbs when he met my mom. I grew up in Narberth, just outside of Philadelphia, but we always came into the nooks and crannies of the city. Then my parents had two daughters so I was my dad’s stand-in tomboy when it came to watching football. If I wasn’t Philly through and through, it would be very strange.
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Published and copyrighted in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 21, Issue 9 (December 2024)
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