Before she was known as “Mama Kelce,” cheering in the stands for her sons Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce, Donna Kelce once had her head, quite literally, in the clouds.
In a new interview on “Not Gonna Lie,” the podcast hosted by her daughter-in-law, Kylie Kelce, the mother of two NFL stars revealed she had once trained to be a pilot.
“I did learn how to be a pilot before I had children,” Donna Kelce shared during her conversation with Kylie Kelce. Her casual revelation caught the host off guard.
“Donna, what?” Kylie Kelce responded in disbelief.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s mom laughed as she confirmed that she wasn’t kidding.
“I actually went up and flew a plane,” she said proudly. It was a short-lived adventure, though , one that ended when Donna Kelce and her husband, Ed Kelce, decided to focus on starting a family.
“I did, but we wanted to have children, and it was really expensive, so I had to stop,” she explained. “Ed and I decided, well, we should probably get a house and start having kids.”
The conversation revealed a side of Donna Kelce that even her famous sons may not have known about. When Kylie Kelce asked if Jason Kelce, the retired Philadelphia Eagles center, had ever heard about her flight lessons, Donna Kelce wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know if he knows it or not,” she admitted. “I don’t know if I even brought it up.”
Kylie Kelce was quick to tease her mother-in-law for saving such an incredible story for her own podcast instead of Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” show.
Laughing, she said, “But you saved it for this right now, not the other podcast.”
Donna Kelce laughed back, clearly enjoying the lighthearted moment. “There you go,” she said.
For fans who have watched Donna Kelce support both of her sons’ careers, especially during the historic 2023 Super Bowl, where the Kelce brothers faced each other, the revelation added a deeper layer to her life story.
Though she gave up flying, Donna Kelce’s life didn’t exactly come back down to earth. Over the years, she has become one of the NFL’s most recognizable moms, known for her warm personality, sense of humor and strong presence at her sons’ games.
Her popularity soared again in 2023 when Travis Kelce’s relationship with global superstar Taylor Swift brought even more attention to the Kelce family.
Even after her sons’ football careers have cemented the Kelce name in sports history, Donna Kelce continues to carve out her own identity. In June, she was announced as part of the Season 4 cast of “The Traitors,” a popular reality competition series.
And while she may have left her pilot days behind, her story shows that Donna Kelce has never stopped moving forward, whether it’s supporting her sons, stepping into television, or sharing personal stories that continue to surprise fans.