Not every invitation gets a yes, as was the case for NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. He explained on the Unfiltered with Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo podcast on July 7, that he had been invited to Travis Kelce's wedding, but he decided not to go. 

“I don’t go to weddings or funerals,” Barkley said on Wednesday. “But I did get an invite, and I politely declined because I thought it was going to be a c*** show.”

Barkley made it clear that his decision was based on personal preference, not on his relationship with Kelce or Swift.

“I love Travis and Jason, and I’ve only met Taylor one time, but yeah, I did get an invite. But I said, 'Hey, you know what? That’s just too much. I just want to hang out and play golf, and I don’t want to dress up and all that other stuff'," Barkley told Colarulo on the July 7 podcast. "But I appreciate the invitation. It was pretty special. A lot of respect."

The wedding featured nearly 1,000 guests, including many well-known names from the NFL, television, and Hollywood. Among others, NFL stars like Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, George Kittle, and Kyle Juszczyk were in attendance.

But even with so many familiar faces attending, Barkley stayed true to his routine and thanked the couple for thinking of him.

Barkley has had an amicable relationship with Travis and Jason Kelce for years. He appeared on their New Heights podcast in 2023, showing the connection between the NBA Hall of Famer and the Kelce brothers long before their wedding.

Although Kelce did not get to host the NBA HoFer at his wedding, he will definitely still look back at the wedding as an important personal milestone and the culmination of a special journey.

Travis Kelce looked back on the proposal that started it all

The celebration may be over, but Travis Kelce is sharing moments that made the journey special.

During the July 8 season finale of New Heights, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end reflected on the day back in 2025 when he decided he was ready to ask Taylor Swift to marry him.

“Starting it with Taylor, pretty epic,” Travis said during the season 4 finale of New Heights. “During that recording the entire time, I’m planning, like, I’m gonna ask this woman to marry me after this.”

The episode in question was the first episode of season 4 of the Kelce brothers' podcast. Travis said that episode would always be one he would remember because he was preparing for the proposal while recording the show.

Following their August 2025 engagement, the couple got married on July 3, 2026, at Madison Square Garden, in front of family, friends, and well-known guests.

Read more at the Kansas City Chiefs Community!

Written by

Shreya Mishra

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit