Charles Barkley smiles prior to the first half in the First Four game between the NC State Wolfpack and the Texas Longhorns in the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 17, 2026 in Dayton, Ohio. Dylan Buell/Getty Images

NBA legend Charles Barkley revealed that he turned down an invite to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s star-studded wedding.

Plenty of professional athletes and even a few sports broadcasters were in attendance, so Barkley could’ve fit right in at the nuptials held at Madison Square Garden on July 3, even though he’s met Swift on only one occasion.

Sir Charles joined the Unfiltered With Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo podcast for the Tuesday (July 7) episode, during which he discussed his reasoning for declining the invite.

“I don’t go to weddings or funerals,” Barkley said. “But I did get an invite, and I politely declined because I thought it was going to be a crap show. I love Travis and Jason, and I’ve only met Taylor one time, but yeah, I did get an invite.”

The 63-year-old continued to say he’d rather be hanging out and playing golf, but appreciated the A-list couple thinking of him when it came time to send out invitations. “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,” he added. “But I appreciate the invitation. It was pretty special.”

Barkley wasn’t the only person to be invited and not attend, as Ryan Seacrest revealed he had planned to go, but had to bail after Disney called on him to host the July 4 America 250 celebrations.

The extravagant wedding reportedly boasted a guest list of more than 1,000 people. Celebrities including Jack Antonoff, Dakota Johnson, Mariska Hargitay, Tate McRae, Camila Cabello, Ed Sheeran, Jessica Alba, Gracie Abrams, Gigi Hadid, Sabrina Carpenter, Maren Morris, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, Tom Brady, Jason Sudeikis, Chris Rock and many more were in attendance.

Adam Sandler served as the officiant of the ceremony, while Paul McCartney and Stevie Nicks performed at the reception.

Watch Charles Barkley explain why he didn’t attend Travis and Taylor’s wedding below.

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