Ellen Calipari has a secret. UK coach’s wife is really fun on Instagram.
In the 10 years John Calipari has been University of Kentucky men’s basketball head coach, UK fans have heard plenty from him, but not so much out of his better half, Ellen.
That is, until this past December. That’s when Ellen Calipari opened an Instagram account @cal_mrs and offered a peek into her life and wit that has become must-see browsing for the more than 8,350 followers she’s acquired.
The first inkling this might not be typical public relations came in one of her early posts, a video of her on her hands and knees cleaning cat vomit off her tree skirt. “Just living the dream,” Ellen Calipari says turning the camera on herself, dispelling any notion the Caliparis don’t do the same kind of mundane things everyone else does. But it’s clear she seems to do more than her husband.
Among her favorite topics are family chores, especially taking garbage cans to the curb, which she has posted about at least six different times including Monday when she videoed her husband taking one of the cans to the curb, an apparent rarity.
“Look what happened today!!” Ellen Calipari posted.
The joy was short-lived, however. The cans were still at the curb on Tuesday, but John Calipari had left with the team to Nashville to play Vanderbilt.
“You took one down, I took one down. Now you’re @Vandy! Who made that schedule? I’ll roll 2 up. that’s fair ... just don’t be One & Done!” she posted.
In another post, Ellen Calipari makes fun of her husband getting warned for being outside the coach’s box in Saturday’s Kansas game by taking a photo of a paint stirring stick placed on their backyard basketball court to simulate the coach’s box for “practice.”
In a shot of her wearing a T-shirt of her husband’s face and the words “Man Crush Everyday,” Ellen Calipari posts. “Not EVERY day! My shirt should say MOST days ... or maybe just SOME DAYS!”
Ellen Calipari also likes to take aim at her eldest daughter, mimicking a couple of Erin Calipari’s fashion-in-the-mirror selfies with her own takes on the poses.
She also likes to post photos of her son, Brad, and the family pets. And the UK fan who sits in front of her at Rupp gets a few mentions. “I’ve missed you and your blue pom-pom, Mary!”
Her daughters have commented on the account since its inception and seem to revel in it even when they’re the target.
“Happening now in the family group chat: @bradcalipari is explaining how to open Instagram DMs to my mom. My mom definitely has the #1 insta in the family: @cal_mrs,” Erin Calipari tweeted on Jan. 2.
“My moms Instagram is the best thing to happen to Instagram. A real life look in to what our family life is like — mostly sarcasm and dragging one another and a hefty dose of puppies and cats,” Megan Calipari posted on Twitter on Jan. 12.