Key Takeaways
- Travis Kelce’s Instagram account liked a clip of Shane Gillis’ controversial SNL monologue, with a source saying Kelce was “supporting a friend” and has long been a fan of the show.
- Attorney and activist Cheyenne Hunt argued that the like clashes with the Kelce family’s “safe for you” brand of masculinity, which has helped Travis and Jason Kelce build a lucrative female audience.
- Gillis drew groans for jokes about women’s gym clothes during his third SNL hosting appearance, years after the show fired him over resurfaced racist and homophobic remarks.
Travis Kelce's support for Shane Gillis is drawing criticism after the Kansas City Chiefs star's Instagram account liked a clip of the comedian's controversial Saturday Night Live monologue. For attorney and activist Cheyenne Hunt, the question remains whether the Kelce family's carefully cultivated, female-friendly image holds up under scrutiny.
According to Page Six, a source close to Kelce explained the interaction by saying the NFL star has "always been a massive fan of the show and he was supporting a friend." Gillis and Kelce already have an established connection, with the comedian appearing at Kelce's Tight End University event in Nashville earlier this year.
But Hunt argues that the endorsement deserves a closer look, particularly given the millions of women who have embraced Kelce and his family.
"Do we actually need to be having a conversation about Travis Kelce liking a video of Shane Gillis' misogynistic SNL monologue?" Hunt asked in an Instagram Reel. "I think yes."
Hunt's criticism centers on the Kelce family's transformation from football personalities into a lucrative entertainment brand that has benefited greatly from its appeal to women.
"The Kelce brothers have built their entire brand off of being the golden retriever, girl dad, safe for you version of NFL masculinity," she said. "They're the good guys, and that's what makes their podcast, their brand deals, their marketplace entirely viable to grow into female audiences."
For Hunt, that popularity comes with accountability.
"If you're effectively capitalizing on your implied allyship to women, women have the right to ask if it's real and scrutinize whether or not you're actually in alignment with it," she argued.
And the conversation about Kelce's relationship with women didn't begin with Taylor Swift.
During an appearance on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, Nicole described the relentless online commentary surrounding her former relationship.
"It's pretty constant. Exhausting," she said. "I could post about the sky being blue, and people will have a response about an ex and their new situation."
The latest criticism follows Gillis' October 10 appearance on Saturday Night Live, where his opening monologue included jokes about women's workout clothes.
He continued describing women's shorts in graphic detail before complaining about appearing in the background of gym TikTok videos.
The monologue became one of several controversial moments during Gillis' third hosting appearance. He also accidentally dropped an uncensored F-bomb during a Dr. Seuss-inspired sketch and left the stage before the show's traditional goodnights concluded.
Gillis has had a complicated relationship with SNL since 2019, when he was fired just four days after being announced as a cast member following the resurfacing of podcast clips containing racist and homophobic remarks.
Now, Kelce's support for the comedian has brought the controversy into the NFL star's orbit.
"A like on social media is what you do when you think no one's watching," Hunt said. "And when no one's watching, this is what Travis Kelce thinks is funny."
