NBA legend Charles Barkley revealed he declined an invitation to the wedding of pop star Taylor Swift and NFL player Travis Kelce, citing his general aversion to attending such events.
Barkley, 63, stated on the podcast 'Unfiltered With Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo' that he received an invitation to the highly publicized ceremony held at Madison Square Garden. "I did get an invite and I politely declined 'cause I thought it was gonna be a c**p show," Barkley said. He elaborated that he doesn't "go to weddings or funerals" and prefers to "hang out and play golf" rather than dress up for formal occasions. He did express appreciation for the invitation, calling it "pretty special."
The wedding, which took place last week, was a star-studded affair attended by approximately 1,000 guests from the entertainment and sports industries. Celebrities from Hollywood, music, fashion, and the NFL were present. Many of Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs teammates were in attendance, along with other NFL figures such as Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, former Chiefs player Mecole Hardman, and Las Vegas Raiders tight end coach Luke Steckel. NFL sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson were also reported to be among the guests.
The exclusive nature of the invitations reportedly led to some internal friction among Kelce's circle. Following a more intimate rehearsal dinner at Madison Square Garden for about 100 guests, some NFL players were reportedly disappointed to have only received invitations to the larger wedding ceremony. Former NFL players Taylor Lewan and Will Compton publicly expressed their surprise at not being invited to either event. A Chiefs player also indicated to the Daily Mail that the wedding guest list had caused discussions within the team, particularly regarding the decision not to invite kicker Harrison Butker, whose controversial public statements have drawn attention.