Why Did Charles Barkley Turn Down Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Wedding Invitation?
Charles Barkley explains why he declined Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's MSG wedding invitation, citing the expected media circus.
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Charles Barkley, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (Image: Imagn and X)
Charles Barkley has explained why he chose not to attend Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding despite receiving an invitation to the star-studded celebration.
Speaking on Unfiltered With Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo this week, the NBA Hall of Famer said he politely turned down an invitation to the couple’s July 3 wedding at Madison Square Garden in New York.
I don’t go to weddings and funerals. I did get an invite, and I did politely decline. Because I thought it was gonna be a c*** show. That’s just too much. I just wanna hang out and play golf, and I don’t wanna dress up and all that other stuff. But I appreciate the invitation; it was pretty special.
Charles Barkley via Unfiltered with Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo
Barkley said his decision had nothing to do with scheduling conflicts. Instead, he explained that he preferred spending his free time away from large public events.
The wedding drew a lengthy celebrity guest list, with Adam Sandler officiating the ceremony. Guests reportedly included Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, and Paul McCartney.
During the interview, Barkley also said he has only met Swift once. However, he has built a connection with Kelce through podcast appearances. Barkley previously appeared on Kelce’s New Heights podcast, while Kelce has also been a guest on Barkley’s podcast.
The conversation briefly revisited Barkley’s remarks from his 2023 appearance on New Heights, when he discussed playing in Philadelphia during his NBA career.
Other celebrities also missed Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding
Charles Barkley was not the only well-known figure who did not attend Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. According to USA TODAY, several celebrities later shared why they were absent from the July 3 ceremony. Singer James Taylor revealed he had been invited but was already committed to performing his annual Independence Day concert at Tanglewood.
Television host Ryan Seacrest also accepted the invitation before later withdrawing. On his July 6 radio show, Seacrest said Disney hired him to host its Fourth of July 250 special on July 3 and July 4, forcing him to change his plans.
I RSVP’d to go, and then Disney hired me to do the Fourth of July 250 special on the third and the fourth, so I had to cancel. It wasn’t a waste! I was actually really excited. I was kind of torn. Trust me, Tanya. I went through the minutes; I couldn’t have done both. The actual wedding was in the afternoon. I had no choice; it’s part of my job at Disney to do these things.
Ryan Seacrest via On Air with Ryan Seacrest podcast
Meanwhile, actor Mark Hamill joked on Instagram that he skipped the event “mainly because I wasn’t invited.”
Apart from them, actors Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively did not attend the MSG event owing to their falling out with the pop star in recent times. Swift and Kelce married on July 3 at Madison Square Garden, with the ceremony attended by hundreds of guests from the worlds of entertainment, sports, and music.
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