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Donna Kelce Sets the Record Straight on Viral Home Renovations

Everyone's favorite NFL mom called into Wednesday's episode of "New Heights" to clarify what, exactly, she is changing in her modest Florida home.
Brigid Kennedy|
Kelce clarified for her sons Jason and Travis that she is simply replacing some windows—nothing crazy.
Kelce clarified for her sons Jason and Travis that she is simply replacing some windows—nothing crazy. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Kansas City Chiefs

Forgot the nixed Maxx Crosby trade or Bam Adebayo's 83-point game—the most important story in sports right now is Donna Kelce's home renovation.

For those who don't spend all day scrolling X for work, TMZ inadvertently ignited a firestorm of jokes over the weekend when it reported that Mama Kelce is in the midst of "remodeling her modest Florida home," a completely normal piece of news that was, for some reason, positioned as this gossipy, hush-hush, exclusive item. That inherently funny dissonance then soon inspired one giant comedy bit for the chronically online, as NFL fans and Swifties alike flooded X (formerly Twitter) with wisecracks about the least headline-y headline of the week.

Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, Travis Kelce, Donna's son, said that he "didn't even know she was doing these things."

"If she needed a guy to come screw some door hinges in, she could've just called me, but I guess she's doing a big, massive renovation," the Chiefs tight end joked.

Well, we finally got the full scoop on the big reno, and straight from the horse's mouth. The legend herself set the record straight when she called into her sons's New Heights podcast for an episode released Wednesday.

"It's so stupid!" Mama Kelce said of the hullabaloo, lightheartedly, of course. "[TMZ] probably pulled a permit because [the contractors are] coming on Monday to put my windows and doors in."

Kelce clarified that all she is doing is replacing 16 windows in her window-filled Florida home—not some massive remodel, like TMZ's social graphic might have you assume (though, to be fair, the article does explicitly say that Kelce hired a company "to replace nine windows and six doors at the home.")

"This year, it got so cold down here. It was in the 30s. And I literally had sweat coming down the windows and pools of water in my living room because it couldn't handle it," she continued. "These are cheap windows that were put in 20 years ago. ... And I'm like, I'm not doing this again."

The renovation company will "be here for three days [starting March 16], and they're putting windows in. That's it. Period."

"I'm doing something so that I can save money on heating and air conditioning, and to keep my windows from sweating," she went on. "That's as simple as it is!"

Still, Donna admitted that she is getting a kick out of all the jokes.

"I find it so funny. Aren't there terrible things happening in the world right now?" she asked, to which Jason immediately (and probably wisely) cut her off.

"Oh, and tell Travis I'm so happy he's going back. I'm thrilled for another year," she concluded, referring to the tight end's decision to return for a 14th NFL season.

O.K, so we know her feelings on that, too! Two birds, one stone.

Watch that whole segment below, starting around 7:00 :

The best Donna Kelce home renovation jokes

When I tell you that everyone got in on the bit here ... I really do mean everyone. Below, I've curated for you a smattering of the very best Donna Kelce home renovation jokes, all of which were hand-selected to illustrate not just how widespread this bit is, but also how it has infiltrated a variety of fandoms and industries. Please enjoy.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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