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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are taking it all the way — they're getting married!
Their unexpected, whirlwind romance has produced one of the most powerful and inescapable celebrity couples we have ever seen. A professional athlete is a bit of a dating departure for Swift, who has primarily been linked to musicians and actors in the past. But their relationship, now two years in and only getting more serious, had been brewing in the background for a while — so Swift's football era is definitely here to stay. (And Kelce seems to never be leaving his muse era. The Tortured Poets Department is proof, but only the tracklist for The Life of a Showgirl will tell us for sure.)
Below, get all the details on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's dating rumor and relationship timeline, from friendship bracelet to Super Bowl to engagement!
August 26, 2025: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce their engagement.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce effectively broke the Internet on Tuesday, August 26, when the couple took to social media with the collaboration post to end all collaboration posts. “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the post was captioned along with the dynamite emoji. In their engagement pics, the couple is seen in a lush garden overflowing with flowers, embracing and holding hands. There's a close-up showing off Swift's football-sized engagement ring, and the carousel is set to the song Kelce inspired: Tortured Poets' “So High School.”
It's extremely fitting and important to note that the couple chose to share this surprise on August 26… as the numerology fanatic and soon-to-be bride of course couldn't help but hiding an easter egg in the announcement date. What's half of 26, class? That's right: 13, Swift's favorite number. Time to plan a wedding, Swifties! Congratulations to the happy couple.
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August 13, 2025: Swift goes on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce.
While Taylor Swift's appearance on New Heights served mainly as the main announcement of The Life of a Showgirl, the superstar also took some time to give unprecedented access to her relationship with Travis Kelce. Out of the two hours of the interview, more than half were reserved to talk about their relationship and experiences together.
Swift shared, for example, that she was getting a ton of positive feedback about Kelce from their mutual friends. “Basically, everyone who likes you, which is a lot of people, started reaching out to everyone who knows me," Swift recounted, looking at Kelce. " Andy was vouching for you. My relatives, my cousins, were like, 'Please, please, please. He's amazing.' There were friends that were like, 'He's actually an amazing guy. He's so great.' There were a lot of people whispering in my ear about you. Actually, that's not normal. It's not normal. There are people just willing to go to bat for you and be like, 'You don't understand, this guy's incredible.'”
She also shared that they both cried when Swift bought back her master recordings. “I was like, 'Get yourself together, get your sh*t together, like just go tell Travis in a normal way," Swift said. "And I knock on the door, and he's playing video games. And I'm trying to say it in a normal way. And I'm just like, ‘Travis!’ And he puts his headset down. He's like, ‘Guys, gotta go.’ I think he thought something was wrong. And I come up and I'm just like, 'I got all my music back. And then just start absolutely heaving. Just dead weight. I had no power in my legs to support myself."
August 13, 2025: Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift team up for a special New Heights podcast episode to announce The Life of a Showgirl.
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On August 13, Swift and Kelce teamed up for a special episode of New Heights, the podcast the tight end shares with his brother Jason Kelce. Swift guest-starred to announce her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl. According to Entertainment Tonight, the real reason Swift wanted to use her boyfriend's podcast as the platform for her announcement is damn near tear-jerking.
"She wanted to save the news of her album for his podcast as a way of supporting Travis and his platform — just as he’s always championed her," an insider shared with ET. According to the source, “Taylor feels completely at ease with Travis.”
"They see each other as true partners in every sense," they continued. "With Travis, Taylor can be her unfiltered self and never feels the need to put on a performance. She's excited for fans to see what she has in store on New Heights."
August 12, 2025: Kelce opens up about his relationship with Swift like never before for GQ.
Kelce was GQ's September 2025 cover star, complete with a rambunctious and wild photoshoot set in Florida, the same locale as Kelce's off-season training camp. In the interview, Kelce spoke candidly about Swift in ways he never has before in the media.
“Whenever I’m with her, it feels like we’re just regular people. When there is not a camera on us, we’re just two people that are in love," he said, opening up to the magazine about his relationship of two years. “It can be perceived as something else because of how much it is talked about and how much we are tracked whenever we do go out, but I would say that it’s as normal of... It happened very organically even though from a media standpoint it was being tracked.”
“When I say it was so organic, we fell in love just based off the people we were sitting in a room together with," he continued. "We are two fun-loving people who have the morals to appreciate everyone for who they are. We share all those values. It kind of just took the f*ck off.”
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Kelce also praised his girlfriend's work ethic, which is something he said Swift shares with his mom. (Also, along with: “Their kindness, their genuineness, their ability to say hello to everyone in the room. Their ability to show love and support no matter what.")
“I hadn’t experienced somebody in the same shoes as me, having a partner who understands the scrutiny, understands the ups and downs of being in front of millions. That was very relatable, seeing how exhausted she would get after shows," Kelce explained. "She may not think of herself as an athlete. She will never tell anyone that she is an athlete. But I’ve seen what she goes through. I’ve seen the amount of work that she puts on her body, and it’s mind-blowing… you’re doing a show for three hours with a lot of energy, bringing it every single song. That is arguably more exhausting than how much I put in on a Sunday, and she’s doing it three, four, five days in a row.”
“People gravitate towards how she performs and how she makes it feel like the entire stadium is in this little room with her," he continued. “She is so good at mesmerizing everybody and making everybody feel like it’s an intimate situation. I think that alone — there is so much calm and coolness. She’s beautiful. She’s up there making everyone feel at ease.”
July 24, 2025: Kelce and Swift go Instagram official.
After being out of the public eye for a while, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift made their grand return by finally going Instagram official. (You can see the post here.) Kelce posted a photo dump from his offseason where their relationship took center stage.
In one of the pictures where the couple is seen enjoying dinner together, dressed in all black, we can even see what appears to be Kelce's phone, which proudly displays a black-and-white picture of the two. In it, Swift is making a surprised face with her hands — or maybe showing off something on one of her fingers? There have been rumors that Swift might have gotten a ring a while back, and this new picture does seem to have fans talking, but we will have to wait for confirmation to see if there's any truth to the speculation.
October 14, 2024: Kelce and Swift enjoy a very meme-able baseball date.
After sources debunked breakup rumors and Swift skipped Kelce's 35th birthday, the couple is making up for “lost time” with multiple date nights in a row. In the span of just a few days, Swift and Kelce were seen packing the PDA at the Chiefs games, dining out in New York City, and finally at a baseball game between the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees at the Yankee Stadium on October 14.
The couple was spotted in the audience at the game alongside comedian Jerrod Carmichael. Both Kelce and Swift decided to rock black hats and black jackets for the occasion, making this the first time the couple really goes for a matchy-matchy vibe while out after rocking preppy outfits at the U.S. Open and two different takes on denim for game night.
During the game, it seems like Kelce was seen in deep conversation with Swift, maybe explaining some game dynamics to the superstar, and, of course, many instantly drew comparisons to mansplaining memes. However, seems like conversing was not the only thing the couple got up to watching the game, as pictures of the two hugging and kissing are also making the rounds on social media.
July 6, 2024: Kelce seemingly wipes tears as Swift changes lyrics for him and performs "Mary's Song" for the first time in 16 years with newfound meaning.
Despite being more than 100 concerts into the tour, Taylor Swift continues to make every new Eras show special, and Travis Kelce is right beside her every time to live react to every subtle nod and reference.
The perfect example of this happened on July 6, during night three of Swift's Eras tour stops in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. During the surprise song segment of the show, Taylor performed "Mary's Song" (via a mashup that also included "So High School" and "Everything Has Changed"), marking the first time she's sung the 2006 track since 2008 — that's 16 years — and fans were vigilant for a specific lyric.
The line in question? "I'll be 87, you'll be 89. I'll still look at you like the stars that shine in the sky, oh my my my." As many have pointed out online and as you can probably tell by the roars in the stadium, the lyrics have acquired a new meaning for the couple as they were both born in 1989, but Kelce rocks the number 87 on his jersey, which Swift has honored in the past with her styling choices.
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Fans were paying extra close attention to the tidbit, but so was Kelce, who was spotted in the audience alongside Brittany Mahomes, seemingly wiping his tears while Swift performed this specific portion of the mashup. (To round off the night, the couple exited the stadium with a joint exit as fans cheered them on.)
Of course, the subtle nod wasn't the only Travis Kelce reference Taylor Swift managed to weave into her Amsterdam sets. At a previous show, she also made sure to give him a direct shoutout (once again) while playing "Karma," changing the lyrics to "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs" while performing the song.
June 25, 2024: Kelce gets candid and reveals the moment he started “to fall” for Swift, plus his favorite T-Swift songs.
Travis Kelce got perhaps the most candid he's ever gotten about his relationship with Taylor Swift, appearing on an episode of the Bussin' With the Boys podcast hosted by NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan.
Kelce admitted that while he and Swift kept the relationship private for as long as they could, it all changed once she came to support him at a game. While he admitted that they still want to keep some of the relationship to themselves, he's not trying to hide it from anyone. “You want to keep things private, but at the same time, I’m not here to hide anything," Kelce admitted. "That’s my girl. You know what I mean? That’s my lady.”
Kelce also revealed that the moment he started to “really fall” for Swift seriously was after the Super Bowl 2024. “She's very self-aware… she understands situations like that. I think that's why I started to really fall for her. How genuine she is around friends, family. It can get crazy for somebody with that much attention. She just keeps it so chill and so cool,” Kelce added.
Elsewhere in the interview, Kelce also discussed his favorite songs from Swift, revealing he has a soft spot for 1989. "I really started listening to Taylor's music when she came out with 1989," he shared. "I knew who she was before that. We're the same age, so through high school, I knew when her career started. But I think 1989 was where it really started to go crazy."
He went on to pick "Blank Space" as his all-time favorite since it was the first song of hers he seriously listened to. Number two is “Cruel Summer.” He explained: “'Cruel Summer' is the one she opens with at her show, and when she comes out, it's just f*cking electric in the stadium, and she goes into an actual banger like that.”
His top 3 is “So High School” from The Tortured Poets Department because “it's got a little bit of a sentimental meaning," confirming the lyrics “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle” are about him. Kelce had previously picked the song as his favorite, so it comes as no surprise.
June 23, 2024: Swift brings Kelce onstage in London.
After being in the audience since it started, Travis Kelce officially made his onstage Eras tour debut during night three of Taylor Swift's run at London's Wembley Stadium. Kelce joined Swift on stage during the Tortured Poets Department portion of the show, which was added after the album's release, starting in the European leg of the tour. Kelce took the place of one of Swift's dancers and carried her across the stage during a theatrical intro that made the entire stadium swoon.
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The night certainly was young for Traylor, as the duo reportedly stayed out until 4 a.m. partying with some very famous friends in London. Following Kelce's surprise appearance during Swift's show at Wembley Stadium, the couple hit the town and headed to Chiltern Firehouse, a celeb-favorite hangout spot in the city's Mayfair area — how Bridgerton of them — alongside Ellie Goulding, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, as well as Sophie Turner and her boyfriend Peregrine Pearson. Taylor Swift was spotted wearing a crochet dress with '70s vibes and yellow Gucci mules, while Travis Klece opted for an all-beige ensemble and a denim bucket hat. (You can see the pics here.)
April 24, 2024: Kelce's mom reveals Travis, Swift, Gigi Hadid, and Bradley Cooper went on a couples vacation together.
Why have a double date when you can have a couples vacation? That seems to be exactly what Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Gigi Hadid, and Bradley Cooper were thinking when planning their joint getaway.
As noted by People, Kelce’s mother, Donna Kelce, revealed the quartet had gone on a couples vacation together while attending a QVC summit in Las Vegas. While, for now, Mama Kelce is the only one who has gotten to see actual pictures from the vacation — Kelce sent her a picture of the four enjoying the beach — we do know where it took place: Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.
Tayvis seem to be loving California at the moment, as the duo also reportedly rented a house in the state to attend weekend one of Coachella 2024. Now, our only question is: what do Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Gigi Hadid, and Bradley Cooper talk about?
April 2, 2024: Kelce says he's "oozing life" after Bahamas getaway with Swift.
Not even celebrities are immune to the charms of a good vacation. Over Easter, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were spotted spending some quality time together in the Bahamas, kissing and boating by the sea, and it seems like the time off has really boosted Kelce's outlook on life.
Shortly after their vacation, Kelce told People he's “the happiest I've ever been” at the moment. “I'm a guy that some people say is glass half full, half empty, and my glass is all the way full. It's all the way full,” he continued before adding that he's "oozing life right now.”
With vacations and new ventures galore, Kelce is clearly enjoying his time during the off-season, and he confirmed he'll soon jet off to Europe to support Swift as she continues her massively popular Eras Tour on the old continent. “You know I gotta go support,” the football star told Entertainment Tonight.
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February 11, 2024: Swift and Kelce celebrate with kisses and dance to “Love Story” at the Chiefs Super Bowl win afterparty.
After the Kansas City Chiefs became 2024 back-to-back Super Bowl Champions, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce took to the dance floor to celebrate. While her boyfriend's team was presented the Vince Lombardi Trophy during the post-game show, Swift was seen holding hands with Kelce's mom, Donna, as they cheered on the tight end. Later in the night, the couple was seen adorably singing, dancing, and kissing along to an uptempo remix of Swift's song “Love Story.” (You can see the footage here and here.) The cuteness is almost unbearable.
January 29, 2024: Kelce tells Swift “I love you” on the field after the Chiefs win the AFC Championship.
It was a moment straight out of High School Musical, or maybe One Tree Hill, or A Cinderella Story. Whatever your teen romance of choice, Kelce and Swift's on-the-field embrace was pure cinema.
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The pair hugged, kissed, and whispered sweet nothings to each other on the Baltimore Ravens' field after the Chiefs won the AFC Championship, clinching their Super Bowl 2024 spot.
Kelce kept an arm around her as he whooped and greeted friends, coaches, and teammates with glee. Some swore that Swift said “I love you” to Kelce, but in a new video posted by the NFL on January 29, Kelce can be heard clearly saying to the singer: “Tay, I’m gonna enjoy with the guys. I love you.” After he pulls her in for a goodbye hug, he adds, “So much it isn't funny.”
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Oh, and don't get us started on Swift's reaction to Kelce screaming “YOU'VE GOTTA FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY” at the podium. Ah, love.
January 1, 2024: Swift and Kelce share a kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve.
There's probably glitter on the floor after the party. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially bringing each other into the new year, as the couple shared a midnight kiss on the dance floor. The two attended a New Year's Eve party in Kansas City on Sunday night, with Swift wearing an ultra-sparkly minidress and Kelce donning a matching brown corduroy set. Swift also appeared to wear stars and moon accessories in her hair, keeping her December Midnights-core style streak alive. In the video, Swift is seen holding both sides of Kelce's face while he wraps an arm around her waist, bringing each other in for a sweet kiss at the ball drop. (Think they cleaned up bottles together on New Year's Day?)
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December 25, 2023: Swift's family spends Christmas with the Kelces.
On Christmas Day, Swift, her parents, and her brother all attended the Chiefs-Raiders game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Swift was seen cheering her boyfriend on from her box, wearing a plaid miniskirt, a red sweater, her signature red lip, and a festive Santa hat with Kelce's jersey number (#87) embroidered on the brim. Per People, Swift and Kelce left the stadium together holding hands.
December 6, 2023: Swift clarifies their relationship timeline.
Taylor Swift is setting the record straight about the actual timeline of her relationship with Travis Kelce. Shortly after Kelce opened up about their romance in his WSJ interview, Swift told Time that she and Kelce actually started hanging out right after he mentioned her on his podcast — which was in late July 2023 but now feels like an eternity ago — and were firmly dating by the time she made her debut at that now-infamous home game in September.
“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” she shared in her Time Person of the Year interview. “We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple." Hey, when you know, you know, right? (No wonder she was already so cozy with his mom.)
“I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date,” she joked. Though Swift previously kept a low profile regarding her relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, she says that she and Kelce are fine with the public attention and aren't going to let it stop them from being themselves or supporting one another. “When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Swift explained. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”
Swift also doesn't care if her presence at Kelce's games annoys people. She told the magazine that she's not aware of where the cameras are or how photographers know which suite she's in, and at the end of the day, she's there because she's proud of her boyfriend, not because she wants the extra press. “I’m just there to support Travis,” said Swift. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”
December 1, 2023: Swift and Kelce wear matching squirrel sweaters to a holiday party.
Swift never met an Easter egg she didn't like, and that applies to her closet. It certainly appears that Kelce's decade-old tweets were the inspiration behind the couple's matching sweaters, which they wore to a party in Kansas City on December 1. Both the musician and the football star were reportedly seen wearing his-and-hers squirrel sweaters for the Kansas City Chiefs' holiday party; there's a grainy pic of Swift in one, and fans are pretty sure Kelce was wearing the same shirt, which is undeniably dorky and adorable. (If you need a refresher, the tweet in question is from 2011: "I just gave a squirle a peice of bread and it straight smashed all of it!!!! I had no idea they ate bread like that!! Haha #crazy.")
Kelce's teammates and their partners were also in attendance, with Swift's new pal Brittany Mahomes and her husband Patrick wearing matching reindeer onesies. (There must have been a matching dress code.) "Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Brittany and Patrick Mahomes, and Blake and Lyndsay Bell all enjoyed a night out at Miracle Pop Up Bar in Kansas City on Friday night," a source told ET of the night out. "They were in a semi-private area of the venue and all enjoyed a great evening." The pics seem to have been deleted, but we know Swift enjoys dressing to a theme and isn't afraid to get silly, so hopefully we'll get a glimpse at those matching sweaters in the near future.
November 20, 2023: Kelce opens up about how his relationship with Swift began.
It feels like we've gotten to watch every single moment of the Swift and Kelce relationship as it unfolds, but in truth, there's a lot we don't know. However, Kelce is opening up about how the two actually met, and apparently he had someone “playing Cupid” to help him get in touch with Swift.
“There were definitely people she knew that knew who I was, in her corner [who said]: Yo! Did you know he was coming? I had somebody playing Cupid," Kelce told the WSJ magazine in a candid new interview. According to Kelce, Swift eventually got in touch with him directly. “She told me exactly what was going on and how I got lucky enough to get her to reach out." (We would love to have heard that phone call or seen that text convo.)
“When I met her in New York, we had already kind of been talking, so I knew we could have a nice dinner and, like, a conversation, and what goes from there will go from there," Kelce recounted. Clearly that initial meeting went well, given it led to that kiss in Buenos Aires and all the rest. “Everybody around me [was] telling me: ‘Don’t f*ck this up!' And me sitting here saying, ‘Yeah, got it.’”
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Kelce isn't intimidated by Swift's mega-mega-fame or the laser-focus attention on them, though he has had to adapt to it. “I’ve never dealt with it, but at the same time, I’m not running away from any of it,” he shared. “The scrutiny she gets, how much she has a magnifying glass on her, every single day, paparazzi outside her house, outside every restaurant she goes to, after every flight she gets off, and she’s just living, enjoying life. When she acts like that I better not be the one acting all strange.”
Though Kelce said he has tried to keep their relationship relatively private, he said Swift is “hilarious” and “a genius” who writes “catchy jingles” and impresses him with her skills. “I've never been a man of words,” he shared. “Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been f*cking mind-blowing. I'm learning every day.”
The two have also bonded over their family-centric values. “Everybody knows I'm a family guy,” Kelce explained. “Her team is her family. Her family does a lot of stuff in terms of the tour, the marketing, being around, so I think she has a lot of those values as well, which is right up my alley.” Kelce's family clearly approves of Swift. His mom, Donna Kelce, told WSJ that her son is “happier than I've seen him in a long time” as of late. “God bless him, he shot for the stars!”
November 11, 2023: Swift changes “Karma” lyrics for Kelce and we get our first publicly recorded kiss.
Welcome to the latest episode of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Take Over the World. Last episode, we left off with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end traveling to Argentina on his bye week to spend some time with his famous superstar girlfriend. (See the update below if you missed it).
Kelce successfully traveled over five thousand miles south to reunite with Swift, and it was an eventful journey, to say the least. On Saturday night, Kelce attended Swift’s Eras concert stop in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, and the superstar made sure to pay back the effort of the long trek with a not-so-subtle lyric change. To close off the show on a high note, Swift sings her 2022 hit “Karma” from Midnights, and she decided to add a little bit of a twist for the night, belting, "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me” instead of “Karma is the guy on the screen, coming straight home to me” for the special night. (You can see a clip from the concert here.)
Swift’s lyric change was, of course, met with much roaring and screaming from the crowd, who were left fawning for the couple. Thanks to concert-goers, we also got a glimpse at Kelce’s own reaction to the lyric change. Kelce, who was watching the concert next to Swift’s father, Scott Kingsley Swift, got the good old “did you hear that” pat on the shoulder from his quasi-in-law and immediately proceeded to cover his face from embarrassment but not before we could all see the massive, delighted grin on his face. (See the full reaction here.)
As if things couldn’t get more rom-com-y, upon finishing the concert, Swift briefly waved to fans before full-on running straight to Kelce to kiss him for everyone to see before the two headed backstage together. (See that moment here.)
As noted by The Mirror, the couple also reportedly spent the night before the show together at the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel in Buenos Aires. Since Swift’s Friday night show was postponed due to the weather, the couple reportedly went for dinner together alongside Swift’s father and were spotted leaving the restaurant holding hands. All in all, a pretty successful bye week for Kelce we’d say.
November 10, 2023: Kelce travels to Buenos Aires to support Swift on her South American Eras Tour leg.
Things are (allegedly) really heating up between the pop superstar and the pro football player — even beyond Sunday games and New York City date nights. According to a source, Swift and Kelce's relationship is leveling up. “It's quickly turning more serious,” a source told People of the pair. “They share a strong work ethic and have a huge appreciation for life and their careers, strong family bond and values.” Before you start planning their wedding, however, remember that this info comes from an unnamed source, not Swift, Kelce, or their reps, so it's best to take any speculation about their relationship status at face value.
As speculated last month, the NFL star did, in fact, spend his bye week in Argentina to support his girlfriend. Us Weekly reports that Kelce was spotted arriving in Buenos Aires on Friday, November 10.
On the November 8 episode of his podcast New Heights, Kelce slyly hinted that he might be traveling to Argentina to see Swift during his time off. When his brother Jason asked whether he had bye week plans, the Chiefs tight end replied, "Not really. I might just say f*ck it and just go somewhere nice, I don't know… My skin's getting real pale, so I gotta go somewhere sunny… Closer to the equator." His brother tried to pry, asking, “South of the equator?" But Kelce only laughed in response. Our geography buffs reading this are already aware: Buenos Aires, Argentina, is definitely south of the equator.
Swift is set to play her second night at Buenos Aires' River Plate Stadium on 11/10 before taking a few days off before her next South American tour stop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 11/18. Will we be getting South American couple shots of Kelce and Swift gallivanting around the continent? Only time will tell. Isn't long distance so…romantic?
October 24, 2023: Swift earns high praise from Kelce's dad.
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Now Swift can count both Donna and Ed Kelce as fans. Travis's dad Ed Kelce told People that he approves of his son's musician girlfriend, calling her “a very, very sweet, very charming, down-to-earth young woman." Aww! Ed also called her “very smart” and was instantly impressed.
According to Ed, he noticed something special about Swift upon their first meeting and it stuck with him. “We're sitting in the suite, she gets up and in the front room, she gets up to go get a drink or something and she starts picking up empty bottles, cans, plates that are scattered around," he explained. "Because in the suites everybody gets stuff and you empty it down wherever you can. And I'm just thinking, I don't think she got the diva memo. She didn't get the spoiled musician. She doesn't know how to pull that off. And that really to me said a whole lot.”
Travis Kelce himself is obviously impressed by Swift, too, especially when he's on the field. In a new episode of his podcast New Heights, which he hosts with his fellow athlete brother Jason, Kelce said that it's “good” when Swift is in the stands, given that he doubles his average yardage when she's in attendance.
“When T. Swift is at the game, you’re averaging 99 yards,” Jason told his brother. “And when you’re left with only your friends and remaining family there, you are at 46.5 yards a game.” Kelce acknowledged that he's aware of this marked difference, and so is his coach, Andy Reid. “Kelce is getting better with time,” Reid shared over the weekend, as noted by Page Six. “Taylor can stay around all she wants." We hope she does.
October 23, 2023: Swift is photographed kissing Kelce for the first time.
Okay, on the cheek! But still! Model and entrepreneur Chariah Gordon, girlfriend of Kelce's teammate Mecole Hardman Jr., shared a few pics from after the game to her Instagram, including an adorable shot of herself and Swift — but one photo in particular made us do a double-take. The two couples were snapped posing together, with Swift reaching up to kiss Kelce on the cheek. In the pic, her eyes are closed and her hand rests on his chest.
Also adorable? The pair's matching red outfits, with Kelce in a plaid shirt and Swift in her Chiefs gear, pleated skirt, and Nikes, complete with a red Swoosh. We've seen Swift and Kelce holding hands and some suspicious lipstick smudges near his mouth, but this is the first actual kiss between the two captured on camera. It's a love story, baby, just say yes!
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October 22, 2023: Swift attends a Chiefs game and the pair leave hand-in-hand.
Swift was back in action on October 22, cheering on Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium in his home base of Kansas City. Like a true fan, Swift wore a bright red vintage Chiefs sweatshirt and matching red lipstick; she spent the game cheering, dancing, and by all accounts, having an incredible time. Some eagle-eyed fans noticed that Swift was wearing a beaded friendship bracelet with the number “87” on it, a reference to Kelce's jersey number.
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Swift also appears to have a secret handshake with her new friend Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kelce's teammate Patrick Mahomes. As noted by People, Swift was in the Mahomes family box for the game and spent time with Brittany and her children, Sterling and Patrick. The two did their handshake a few times throughout the game, ending with a hip bump. (You'll remember that Mahomes was in attendance for the NYC dinner with Swift, Blake Lively, and Sophie Turner.)
After the game, which ended in a 31-17 Chiefs victory, Swift and Kelce left the stadium together hand-in-hand. The pair are clearly soaking in every moment together before Swift jets off on the international leg of her Eras tour — which starts on November 9 in Buenos Aires, Argentina — and they're looking very cute and happy doing it. (Oh, and yes, Kelce knows he and Swift sometimes have “weird hand-holding poses.”)
October 14-15, 2023: Swift and Kelce spend the weekend together in NYC.
After lying low for a few weeks, Swift and Kelce were back in a big way for a PDA-heavy weekend in New York City and the Internet could not deal. First, they were seen holding hands and getting cozy en route to dinner at Nobu, then again after Swift's surprise appearance to introduce Ice Spice on Saturday Night Live. (Kelce also popped up in a skit.) Swift wore a long coat and black-on-black Versace corset top and trousers while Kelce opted for leather pants and a patterned jacket.
The pair were snapped at Catch Steak for the SNL afterparty looking very much like a couple. “They do seem in love," an insider who was at the restaurant told Page Six. "She seemed really excited around him, and giddy and happy like a schoolgirl… They are in their own world.”
“Taylor and Travis were there all night and they were so smiley, they were so happy,” another source told People. “They were so talkative. They were really fun. They talked to every single person in the room that talked to them.” According to the source, they also weren't shy about showing each other affection. At one point, the source said Kelce “takes both her hands and puts them on his shoulder, so they're face to face, and then he takes both his hands and grabs her waist. They're leaning in, they're kissing each other." (Fans also noticed that Swift's lipstick looked smudged and Kelce appeared to have a touch of red on his face in paparazzi pics.)
Another source told ET that Kelce was “protective” of Swift. “At one point, he actually told her security guard that he could step aside, like he'd take it from here,” they said. One Catch Steak guest took a sneaky video of the two cuddling and swaying together. On the morning of October 15, Kelce was snapped leaving Swift's Tribeca apartment, and the two were seen out and about together again that evening. (She was noticeably not wearing lipstick… hmm.) It certainly looks like this is A Thing, and TBH, we're into it.
October 2, 2024: Swift gets Donna Kelce's Instagram stamp of approval.
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Swift got the coveted Donna Kelce stamp of approval on Instagram on October 2, when Kelce's proud mom shared a video of herself and the musician at the Jets game, where Swift puts her arm around Donna and gives her a little squeeze. “Travis Kelce's biggest fans,” reads the video, which was also shared by the official Sunday Night Football Instagram account. “Oh Thanksgiving is totally happening,” wrote one commenter.
The Swift effect continues to boost NFL ratings in a massive way. The Chiefs vs. Jets game on October 1, which Swift attended with a bunch of her famous friends, earned 27 million viewers, peaking with more than 29 million viewers during the second quarter. According to Deadline, this was up 22% from last year. Deadline also reports that this game in particular saw an increase in female viewership, particularly girls ages 12 to 17, rising “53% from the season average for the first three games of the season.” Among women ages 18 to 24, viewership was up 24% and up by 34% for women over 35. Might as well rename it the Swiftie Bowl.
October 1, 2023: Swift brings all of her friends to watch Kelce play.
Started with a friendship bracelet and now we're here. The Chiefs played the Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, October 1, and Taylor Swift wasn't the only superstar in the VIP suite cheering on Kelce and his team. She brought a plethora of her pals along with her, including besties Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner, Hugh Jackman, Queer Eye's Antoni Porowski, and Eras Tour opener Sabrina Carpenter. Kelce's mom Donna and Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kelce's teammate Patrick Mahomes, were also in the star-studded suite. (Brittany Mahomes joined Swift, Lively, and Turner for dinner in New York on September 30.)
Swift, wearing a black top and denim shorts with knee-high black boots, was again an enthusiastic cheerleader for her rumored boyfriend and his team. However, the two did not depart in Kelce's “getaway car” this time; TMZ reports they left the stadium separately, though we don't know if they met up later.
The Swift effect has come for the NFL, and ratings are sky high. “I think the ratings are going to go even higher every single week for the Chiefs games, which is hard because they were already one of the best teams in the league,” NFL analyst JJ Watt told People. According to Fox Sports, the September 24 game where Swift made her first appearance gained over 24.3 million viewers — the “most watched telecast of the week on any network.”
September 27, 2023: Kelce talks about Swift on his podcast for the first time.
Kelce directly addressed Swift's appearance at his game on his podcast New Heights after some prodding from his brother and co-host Jason Kelce. “Shoutout to Taylor for pulling up, that was pretty ballsy!" the athlete said. He then praised Swift for being a good hang. “I just thought it was awesome how everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her, the friends and family. She looked amazing. Everyone was talking about her in great light.”
After his brother teased him about Swift “putting [him] on the map,” Kelce said the event was a “game I will remember” for more reasons than one, and couldn't resist making a song lyric joke. “Then we just slid off in the getaway car at the end," he said.
The athlete did open up a bit about the frenzy around their potential pairing, but he said he'll be keeping a bit more quiet in the future. “I know I brought all this attention to me. I did the whole friendship bracelet thing and told everyone how butt hurt I was I didn’t get to meet Taylor,” he explained. “I think what’s real is that it is my personal life and I want to respect both of our lives. I’m enjoying life and I sure as hell enjoyed this weekend."
September 26, 2023: A source says the two are “having fun."
Swift's appearance at the game was a pretty big deal, but a source told PEOPLE that the singer and the athlete are still in the early stages of getting to know each other. "They're having fun," the source shared. "This was Taylor's first time meeting his mom and dad, and everyone was enjoying themselves. She was super chill and low-key hanging out with his friends and family." According to the source, there's “no pressure” with the two at the moment.
September 24, 2023: Swift accepts Kelce's invite.
Not only was Swift present at the Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium, she was there with Kelce's mom, Donna — and she was dressed all in red. Swift looked like she was having the time of her life at the game, cheering on Kelce and his teammates from a private suite. Esquire notes that she was even seen screaming “Let's f*cking go!” after Kelce scored a touchdown.
As if Swift's appearance at the game wasn't newsworthy enough, the duo were snapped leaving the game together, with Kelce dressed in Kid Super's 1989 Bedroom Painting outfit — a potential nod to Swift's forthcoming re-record? According to ET, Kelce then rented out an entire restaurant in Kansas City for himself, Swift, and his friends and family.
“Travis bought out the restaurant for his family and team. Taylor arrived, wearing a denim dress, and was seen snacking, having some cocktails and dancing alongside Travis,” a source shared. "The two were very affectionate with one another but kept things fun and lighthearted. Travis' teammates also showed up to the after-party, as well as his mom and dad, Donna and Ed. The party lasted until 2 a.m."
September 22, 2023: Kelce invites Swift to a game.
The football star extended an invitation to Swift, encouraging her to come see him do his thing. “I told her that I’ve seen her rock a stage in Arrowhead and she might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead,” Kelce said on The Pat McAfee Show.
“It's hilarious how much traction this has gotten. It's like a game in school called Telephone," Kelce said of the dating rumors. “No one really knows what's going on.” He did, however, allude to something going on, saying, “We'll see what happens in the future.”
September 12, 2023: A source says Swift and Kelce are “hanging out.”
We don't know for sure if Swift ever got Kelce's friendship bracelet, but The Messenger reported that the two had indeed managed to connect. "Taylor and Travis have been quietly hanging out," a source told the publication. “She saw him when she was in NYC a few weeks ago.”
July 2023: Travis Kelce is spotted at the Eras Tour.
Kelce was in the audience for one of the Eras Tour shows in Kansas City, MO, and even made a friendship bracelet for the musician, but the beads didn't reference her lyrics — it had his phone number on it. "I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings," the athlete shared on a July 26 episode of his podcast New Heights. "If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets, and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it… She doesn't meet anybody, or at least she didn't want to meet me, so I took it personal." Though Kelce unfortunately couldn't get the bracelet to her at the show, the two clearly managed to connect elsewhere.
