Did Travis Kelce Actually Donate $3.3 Million to Charity?

Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA

Scroll through social media long enough and you might think Travis Kelce single handedly solved homelessness in Kansas City. The headlines? Eye-catching. The donation? Totally made up.

“So just wanted to set the record straight,” the 35-year-old NFL star said on the Wednesday, April 9 episode of New Heights — the podcast he cohosts with brother Jason Kelce.

Travis didn’t call out the story directly, but he made it clear the rumors were bogus. The now-viral report falsely claimed the Kansas City Chiefs tight end donated his $3.3 million mansion to house homeless youth.

Courtesy of Kodiak/MEGA

“I’m not even going to talk about it specifically,” Travis said. “I don’t want to bring any more attention to that whole nonsense and article and all that stuff.”

The story made its rounds fast — even landing a mention on The Pat McAfee Show, where host Pat McAfee gave the Super Bowl champ a shout-out for the supposed good deed.

“Appreciate everybody for always trying to show love, especially Pat McAfee,” Travis added. “He’s always trying to look out for the guys and women in the sports world.”

While the story wasn’t true, the podcaster does have a long track record of giving back through his nonprofit, Eighty-Seven & Running, which he started in 2015 to support underserved youth in Kansas City and his hometown of Cleveland.

Instagram/@87running

“If you ever want to know exactly what I’m doing in the community, just go to 87running.org,” Travis said. “We’re always trying to get out there.”

Even the pro athlete’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, is getting involved.

Just before Christmas 2024, the 35-year-old pop superstar donated $250,000 to Operation Breakthrough — a Kansas City nonprofit Travis has supported for nearly a decade. The money is helping fund early childhood education, after-school care, and job-training programs.

“✨ Thank you, @taylorswift13, for making our holiday season shine even brighter! Your kindness and thoughtful 250K donation means the world to our children and families,” the organization wrote on X (formerly Twitter) at the time.

✨ Thank you, @taylorswift13 , for making our holiday season shine even brighter! Your kindness and thoughtful 250K donation means the world to our children and families. pic.twitter.com/5t577qfxyz

— OperationBreakthrough (@OB_Inc_KC) December 21, 2024

While it’s not exactly clear when Swift and Travis first got together, the “Cruel Summer” singer confirmed they were already a couple by the time she showed up to her first Chiefs game in September 2023. “I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game,” the Eras Tour headliner told TIME in December 2023. “We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”