Why Travis And Jason Kelce Are 'Proud' Of Mom Donna Despite Disappointing Fate On 'The Traitors'
By Jacquez Printup on January 14, 2026 at 11:30 AM EST

NFL superstars Travis and Jason Kelce revealed they were "proud" of their mom, Donna Kelce, after watching her appearance on Peacock's hit reality series "The Traitors."
Donna Kelce was one of 23 public figures in the cast vying for a share of the $250,000 cash prize. However, the mother of two was axed from the competition before she could really get going, disappointing fans and viewers alike.
Jason And Travis Kelce Sound Off On Mom Donna Kelce's 'Traitors' Appearance
On a recent episode of their "New Heights" podcast, Travis and Jason shared their thoughts on their mom Donna's performance on season 4 of "The Traitors."
"I thought she did fantastic," Jason said. "Like, I know she was eliminated, but I think it's really hard to go into those shows as, like, an outsider that you become, like, an easy target to try and maneuver in that show."
Jason explained that he "loved" seeing his mother at the center of the series, calling her more "deceitful and devious" than he ever thought she could be.
Why Travis Kelce Was 'Proud' Of His Mom, Donna, Despite Her Disappointing Fate

Like his brother, Travis praised his mom for how she handled herself among reality TV titans while filming the series in Scotland.
Travis also mentioned Donna's surprising performance at the intense roundtable discussions, saying, "She stood her ground."
"I was so proud of her, man," he said. "She looked like she was having a blast, enjoying it all… it was just so cool to see her in this moment."
In the first episode of season 4, Donna was selected as the show's first-ever Secret Traitor.
"This game is full of surprises," host Alan Cumming said into the camera. "I am about to pick my very first Traitor right here, right now. Players, 23 chests stand before you — one [for] each [of you]. Inside your chests, 22 of you will see nothing and remain Faithful for now. But one player will see the Traitor card, and a life of scheming and sabotage begins as they become my first Traitor."
Travis Kelce Believes Mom Donna Shared A Meaningful Message With Viewers

Donna was eventually eliminated from the series at the beginning of episode 3, and Travis thanked one of the show's cast members, Ron Funches, for defending his mother when it was hard.
Travis also reflected on the meaningful message he believed his mother gave viewers about "being fortunate enough to do these things at her age and where she is in life."
Indeed, on her way out of the Scottish castle, Donna told the producers how grateful she was for the chance to play a game she's grown to love.
"This has been a dream come true," she said through tears. "These are happy tears that I get to do this at this point in my life. It’s just the joy of being in the game."
Cast Members Praise Donna After Working With Her On 'Traitors'
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Donna clearly left a lasting impression on the majority of the cast, some of whom reflected on their time with her in the castle in a new interview with PEOPLE.
"Aw, America’s mom. We talked about how she liked to bake cookies and how she’s, like, a mom," Candiace Dillard Bassett from "The Real Housewives of Potomac" said.
Rob Cesternino called the 73-year-old "incredibly smart" and "actually really sharp," while Stephen Colletti from "Laguna Beach" and "One Tree Hill" joked about the "armor" she entered the game with.
"As soon as people started throwing her name around, everyone was like, 'I don’t want to throw Donna’s name out there. The Swifties are going to come for me!' Everyone was afraid of the Swifties right off the jump," Colletti said.
Drama Is Brewing Off-Screen

According to a previous report from The Blast, drama is brewing off-screen between eliminated cast member Porsha Williams and her "Real Housewives" peer, Lisa Rinna.
While she understands part of the game, Williams explained how bothered she was to learn that Rinna voted to make her the first cast member eliminated this season, despite being part of a "Real Housewives" sisterhood.
"... honestly, the vote that Lisa made for me—it didn't have to happen at all. Again, as a fellow Housewife, she could've stuck to the sisterhood," Williams said. "Even if I [were] the Secret Traitor, she still didn't have to vote me out because I was no threat to her. It was all for her benefit of self."