Travis mentioned he realized his parents’ relationship was different from others when he noticed they did not share a bedroom.

As parents to NFL stars Jason and Travis Kelce, Donna shared that they chose to prioritize their children and remain together until both sons completed college. Donna explained that the separation happened only after the boys had left for school. “We worked together as a team and it’s very, very difficult to raise children on your own,” she noted, emphasizing the challenges of raising active kids. She continued, “We decided that we would be married throughout the entire time that the kids were in the house, and that’s the way it worked out.”

Stewart praised this approach, calling it “smart” and recognizing how fortunate Donna and Ed were to handle it this way. Donna acknowledged the difficulty of juggling everything while being a parent but believed it was worth it.

In the Amazon Prime documentary Kelce, released in 2023, Travis mentioned he realized his parents’ relationship was different from others when he noticed they did not share a bedroom. “I started making those connections when I was in middle school and realized they were probably gonna split — but they stayed together for me and Jason’s benefit, I believe,” he stated.

Ed also addressed the sacrifices he and Donna made for their sons to help them pursue their passions. “If we had split as we probably both would have preferred, that would have been a nightmare with the logistics, getting kids where they had to be and providing all the support,” he said.

Despite their eventual separation, both parents remain regulars at their sons’ games and attended the first live show of the New Heights podcast on April 11 in Cincinnati, their hometown. Donna mirrored a gesture similar to one by Swift’s dad, Scott Swift, by handing out sandwiches to fans at the event. This echoed Scott’s kindness when he shared sandwiches and fruit from a food tray with concertgoers during his daighter’s Eras Tour in Sydney, Australia.