Why Charles Barkley Skipped Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce Wedding

It’s been a hectic few weeks for New Yorkers: first dealing with the mayhem that came with the Knicks beating the San Antonio Spurs to win their first NBA championship in 53 years, and then the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding.

But one person who decided not to participate in the Madison Square Garden nuptials was Charles Barkley.

During a recent appearance on Tuesday’s Unfiltered With Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo, the Hall of Famer explained why he decided not to attend the “royal wedding” with a tinge of his typical honesty.

“I don’t go to weddings and funerals,” Barkley said. “I did get an invite, and I politely declined. Because I thought it was gonna be a crap show.”

Barkley says there’s no bad blood between himself and the newlyweds, adding that he loves “Travis and Jason. I’ve only met Taylor one time. So I did get an invite, but I said, “Hey, that’s just too much.”

Instead, he partook in the age-old activity that any offseason or retired athlete is stereotypically seen doing: hitting the links.

“I just wanna hang out and play golf. I don’t wanna dress up and all that other stuff. But I appreciate the invite. It was pretty special.”

Despite Chuck not attending, plenty of other sports elites attended the July 4 event, reportedly including Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens, Michael Strahan, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Hollywood’s Jennifer Lopez, Tom Hanks, and Jessica Chastain.

Not much else is known about the event, given the strict security and phone ban. Even the invite reportedly came with an NDA, leaving the new couple and their teams “carefully monitoring media reports, social media posts, and online chatter to identify any guests who violate the event’s non-disclosure agreement.”

While many would love the chance to attend the wedding, Barkley’s skipping the soirée has many upset on social media. 

See the reactions below.