NBA legend Charles Barkley wasn’t at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding, but the Round Mound of Rebound did get an invite.
Barkley, 63, revealed during a Monday, July 6, appearance on Philadelphia radio’s Unfiltered with Ricky Bo and Bill Colarulo that he just doesn’t “go to weddings or funerals.”
“But I did get an invite, and I politely declined because I thought it was going to be a crap show,” he said. “I love Travis and Jason, and I have only met Taylor once. But I said that is just too much. I just want to hang out and play golf, and I don’t want to dress up and all that other stuff. But I appreciate the invitation, it was pretty special.”
Swift and Kelce, both 36, got married on Friday, July 3, in front of about 1,000 guests at a ceremony inside New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Though Barkley may be the most outspoken, he is not the only celebrity who turned down an invite. Ryan Seacrest revealed on Monday that he initially said yes before work got in the way.
“I RSVP’d to go, and then Disney hired me to do the 4th of July 250 special on the 3rd and the 4th, so I had to cancel,” he explained on his radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest.
Information remains scarce for what attendees at the enchanted garden-themed ceremony experienced, but some details have started to seep out. Swift’s former music video director Joseph Kahn said via X on Wednesday, July 8, that he appreciated how “down to Earth” the wedding was.
“For the record, I liked the no VIP seating at Taylor’s wedding,” he wrote. “Everyone who attended can come down to earth and check their ego with their phones for a minute. It’s not a club. It’s a wedding.”
Khan, 53, expanded in a post via Instagram the day after the wedding, saying “literally everyone was there.”
“It was like living in the internet, and AI would crack if it tried to render it,” he wrote. “Anyway congratulations Taylor and Travis! Wishing your beautiful family and future family endless happiness!”
A source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this week that Swift and Kelce were both emotional during the ceremony, which Adam Sandler officiated.
“Taylor was emotional while reciting her vows but kept her composure,” the source said. “You could tell she put a lot of work and time into writing her vows. Travis teared up more than Taylor. They shared very personal details and anecdotes that some guests had never even heard before.”
A second insider added that after the ceremony, the wedding became “one huge dance party.”
“Travis had a huge smile,” the source said. “Taylor looked like she was having the absolute best time. She was smiling and dancing nonstop. The energy was unreal from start to finish.”
