When It Comes to Helping Veterans, Chris Kyle's Brother Continues to Fight

It's not easy standing in the shadow of a sibling as impressive as Chris Kyle. That name should sound familiar because he was a highly decorated Navy SEAL whose autobiography, American Sniper, was made into an Academy Award-winning film. Chris never got to see the movie loosely based on his memoir because he was murdered nearly two years before its release. A fellow Marine veteran named Eddie Ray Routh fatally shot Chris and his friend Chad Littlefield in February 2013.

Almost two years after Chris was killed, his brother Jeff Kyle spoke with Professional Bull Rider magazine about his famous brother and their childhood. Growing up, Chris and Jeff had dreams of buying a big piece of property to raise horses and cattle on. They both joined the military at separate times as a means of reaching that goal. It never happened for Chris, and after he died, Jeff went in a different direction. Where is Jeff Kyle now? Here's what we know.

In March 2025, Jeff was a guest on the Blood and Breakthrough podcast where he talked about the night he found out Chris had been murdered. He remembered getting a phone call from his father who simply said, "Chris is gone." Because Chris was always traveling, Jeff didn't immediately understand. When he did, Jeff recalled going into the room of his house where he kept his guns to seek his revenge. Thankfully, Jeff's father was able to talk him down.

Over a decade later, Jeff said he still sometimes picks up his phone in order to text or call Chris. "I don't know if that ever goes away," he said, "but you know, I guess we just got to keep going on." What Jeff did to keep going was start a nonprofit organization in 2014 with his parents called the American Valor Foundation. The AVF raises money to help veterans with various expenses such as mortgages, gym memberships, home repairs, and more. They also have scholarships in Chris's name.

In the podcast interview, Jeff references a break between his brother's widow and the rest of the Kyle family. According to Jeff, Chris and Taya Kyle were having marital issues when he was killed. "They were kind of on the outs at the time," said Jeff. "Most people don't know that. You know, they did not have the the loving, caring, successful marriage like what [Taya] portrayed." Jeff said that Chris was "looking for his out."

Jeff revealed that he and his parents haven't spoken to Taya, or her two children, in about 10 years. "My parents and I both received letters from her lawyers stating that we could no longer have any direct contact with her or the kids," said Jeff without offering up a reason why. "Those kids are the only thing left of Chris, and my folks don't even get to get to see them or talk to them or anything."