How Kylie Kelce Is Using Her Platform to Be 'Unapologetically Me'
How does Kylie Kelce cope with fame? “I don’t,” she tells Parade. “I give myself grace…I focus on the positive, because the opinions of people online can be toxic,” she says. She also uses her platform to promote projects that “speak to [her] personally.”
At the moment, that project is Print Pals, a line of interactive, printable puppets created by the Eagles Autism Foundation and HP, and designed by renowned puppeteer Stacey Gordon, who co-created and voices Sesame Street’s first autistic character, Julia. The goal of Print Pals? To enable neurodivergent children to connect, learn, grow and express themselves through a creative outlet.
“I have turned down offers from companies because I don’t use the product or I am just not familiar with them because it doesn’t speak to me personally,” Kelce says. “So, the way I’ve navigated being in the public eye is just making sure that I am unapologetically me, and that all of the things that I put out there are things that I believe in, use and can be proud of.”
Photo credit: Courtesy of Dan Perlowitz
Kelce was first introduced to autism through a neighbor, Tim, although she didn’t exactly realize that she was being introduced to autism at all. “Sometimes he would answer your questions and sometimes he would ignore you,” Kelce said. “And that was Tim. I didn’t need any additional explanation. I just knew that was Tim.”
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Photo credit: Michael Simon/Getty Images for HP Inc.)
Today, Kelce’s three children with husband Jason (Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 3, and 1-year-old Bennett) know the beloved family friend as “Uncle Tim” and are similarly learning through their relationship with him to respect people for who they are and what boundaries they keep.
“My oldest is the social butterfly and she will just push away at you until you gotta hop in and play, and one day Tim wouldn’t say hi to her,” Kelce tells Parade. “And I responded that, ‘Yep, and sometimes he might not choose to answer your questions, and sometimes he might not want to talk to you, and that is okay. When he is ready, he will talk to you.’ I didn’t feel the need to frame it as, ‘Tim has autism.’ I framed it as, ‘You need to give Tim space to speak when he would like to speak.’”
“Realistically, that is how I want my kids to interact with anyone they come in contact with, not just those who are on the spectrum,” Kelce explained. “And although we are not shying away from the term autism or on the spectrum, or from talking about it, I think it’s given us an opportunity to help give our children teaching moments and hopefully make them better people just from knowing Uncle Tim.”
As for whether Kylie is going to get her hands dirty and make some puppets through Print Pals, the answer is yes. “I am not by any means a crafty person, but this is right in my wheelhouse,” she says. “I love doing arts and crafts with the girls. We are at a very fun time right now.”
Will their burly, retired football player dad join in, too? “He will,” Kelce says. “And to be honest, it doesn’t take that much convincing.”
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