NBA legend Charles Barkley Risks Wrath of 'Swifties' By Revealing He Turned Down Wedding Invite Over Fears A-List Nuptials Would be a 'C--p Show'
Charles Barkley has revealed he declined an invite to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's nuptials over fears it would be a 'c--p show.'
July 8 2026, Published 9:05 a.m. ET
NBA legend Charles Barkley claimed he turned down an invitation to Taylor Swift's star-studded wedding over fears the event would be a "c--p show."
RadarOnline.com can reveal the retired basketball star, 63, was grilled about the nuptials during a recent radio interview in which he confirmed Swift and husband Travis Kelce, both 36, wanted him at the ceremony held at Madison Square Garden.
'I Just Want To Hang Out And Play Golf'
Barkley admitted he doesn't attend 'weddings or funerals.'
But according to Barkley, he "politely declined" the request and risked the wrath of Swifties around the world by blasting the ceremony.
He said: "I don't go to weddings or funerals.
"But I did get an invite, and I politely declined because I thought it was going to be a c--p show."
Speaking on Unfiltered with Ricky Bo and Bill Colarulo on 97.5 The Fanatic, he continued: "I love Travis and Jason, and I've only met Taylor one time, but yeah, I did get an invite.
"But I said, that's just too much. I just want to hang out and play golf, and I don't want to dress up and all that other stuff.
"But I appreciate the invitation; it was pretty special."
Huge Sports Star Presence At Wedding
The newlyweds invited a high number of figures from the world of sport to New York nuptials.
Barkley's response came about after Colarulo had figured he didn’t get an invite to the star-studded affair since his name didn't pop up in any of the reports surrounding the nuptials.
The Swift-Kelce wedding had a number of sports media personalities in attendance, including the NFL on Fox broadcast team's Tom Brady, Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson, Michael Strahan, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Dean Blandino.
Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth — all of whom are part of Prime Video's Thursday Night Football coverage team – got invites, as did ESPN's Joe Buck, Rich Eisen, Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith.
High-Profile Absenties
Ryan Seacrest and Robert Pattinson were among invited stars who did not attend wedding.
However, Barkley is in good company when it comes to sitting out the big day.
James Taylor, Ryan Seacrest, Robert Pattinson, and Mark Hamill are among those to confirm they were invited but didn't make it.
"They were giving away lots of stuff?" Pattinson, whose partner Suki Waterhouse attended, playfully asked when told of the chance to win extravagant prizes. "What'd I get?!"
RadarOnline.com previously told how Kelce's NFL star pal Taylor Lewan was unhappy at being left off the 1,000-person guest list for the blockbuster wedding.
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Kelce's NFL star pal Taylor Lewan was unhappy at being left off the 1,000-person guest list.
The nine-year Tennessee Titans vet, 34, went off on Kelce on his Bussin' With the Boys podcast on Tuesday, four days after the couple tied the knot in New York City.
Lewan said he could understand seeing Kelce's fellow tight end, San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle, and his wife, Claire, at the nuptials, but was baffled to learn the player's mom and mother-in-law were there as well.
"They're close, but like, yo, we're boys....I've known you for over 10 years. We text and call each other," Lewan complained to his co-hosts.
"I'm gonna take the high road, okay? But I'm just thinking, dude, I'm clearly doing something wrong in our friendship," the University of Michigan alum noted.
