Jason Kelce Laughs About Falling Asleep on First Date with Wife Kylie: “Don’t Do What I Did”
Jason Kelce is opening up once again about the unforgettable—and slightly embarrassing—first date that eventually led him to the love of his life, Kylie Kelce.
While speaking with PEOPLE about the launch of Slow Burn by Kingsford, a limited-edition fragrance inspired by the former NFL star, Jason shared the now-viral advice he gives anyone heading into a first date: “Do not do what I did.”
The 38-year-old retired Philadelphia Eagles center previously revealed in the 2023 Prime Video documentary Kelce that he and Kylie met on Tinder. Their first date didn’t exactly go smoothly. Jason admitted he drank too much and fell asleep at the bar, forcing a teammate to carry him home. Kylie, now 33, recalled in the documentary that he was “out, out… asleep, asleep.”
Despite the rough start, Jason says that moment didn’t define their future.
“I think I got very lucky to get a second date with my wife,” he says. “I still remember a lot of the night very vividly—especially seeing her for the first time. But I don’t remember a lot from that night for obvious reasons.”
He admits the bar-nap fiasco was “probably not one of my finer moments,” but he’ll always be grateful that Kylie didn’t give up on him.
“Lucky for me, she was willing to make it through that,” Jason adds.
The couple’s second date went far better. Kylie revealed in Kelce that Jason called her the next day and asked if they could “try that again.” She said his second impression “was much better.”
Jason’s former teammate Beau Allen previously joked on his podcast Fax and The King that carrying Jason home that night was like carrying “a corpse”—except for the moments when Jason briefly woke up to squirm and make it harder. Allen joked Kylie must have “really swept him off his feet.”
Today, Jason and Kylie are one of America’s favorite sports couples. They married in 2018 in Philadelphia and are now parents to four daughters: Wyatt, 6; Elliotte, 4; Bennett, 2; and Finn, 7 months.
For fans still looking for love on dating apps, Jason says not to lose hope.
“It depends on how you use it,” he explains. “It worked for us, so I think there’s hope.”
