The NBA legend decided he’d rather go golfing.

Charles Barkley skipped Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s nuptials because ‘I don’t do weddings or funerals’

The NBA legend decided he’d rather go golfing.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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July 7, 2026 7:43 p.m. ET

Charles Barkley; Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Credit:

Mat Hayward/Getty; XNY/Star Max/GC Images

- Charles Barkley turned down his invite to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding.

- The NBA icon preferred to go golfing.

- Barkley worried that it would be a “crap show.”

If you’re getting married or dying, don’t bother inviting Charles Barkley.

Add the NBA and broadcasting legend to the list of celebrities to skip out on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s star-studded nuptials.

“I don’t go to weddings and funerals,” Barkley said on Tuesday’s *Unfiltered With Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo*. “I did get an invite, and I did politely declined. Because I thought it was gonna be a crap show.”

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce

Barkley added that he loves Kelce and his brother Jason, and that he’s met Swift once. But Barkley’s offseason priorities didn’t line up with the Friday festivities at Madison Square Garden.

“That’s just too much,” he said. “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.”

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Every celebrity who has spoken out about missing Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding

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While Swift and Kelce’s wedding was a who’s who of famous names, 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?!”

When it comes to Barkley, he and Kelce have appeared on each other’s podcasts, and Kelce revealed on Barkley’s *The Steam Room* that he always wanted his name to be Charles.

Hey, there’s at least one title for Barkley!

- Celebrities & Creators

- Celebrity Weddings

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