I never thought I would write this sentence, but here goes: the NFL is being way too extra about Taylor Swift. Yes, it’s great gossip for the NFL’s handsome, all-American tight end to be romantically involved with America’s Snake Sweetheart, but holy yikes. This hard-sell is a real turnoff. There’s “leaning into the fun gossip aspect” and then there’s whatever is happening here, with the NFL changing their Twitter banner to Taylor Swift, and putting a line about “Swifties” in their bio. By most accounts, Taylor and Travis Kelce have only been seeing each other for a matter of weeks. I doubt it’s even been a full month. Let’s just take things down a notch, maybe? No? Okay then, let the hard sell continue. Someone slipped some info to People Magazine about how Travis’s mom Donna really likes Taylor. Hm.
Taylor Swift has a fan in Donna Kelce! Amid the singer’s rumored relationship with Donna’s son, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, a source close to the Kelce family tells PEOPLE, “Donna likes Taylor and thinks she’s very sweet and down to earth.”
Swift, 33, reunited with the NFL mom on Sunday at MetLife Stadium for the matchup between the Chiefs and New York Jets. The two were spotted hugging and giggling as Travis, 33, and his team defeated New York 23-20 in a close finish.
Mothers of sons: what would you do if your son brought home Taylor Swift after only dating her for a matter of weeks? What would you do if Taylor’s romantic history was just a few clicks away and you could see with your own eyes that Taylor always insists on meeting her boyfriends’ moms really quickly? I mean… on one side, Taylor is smart, pretty, rich and independent and all of that is great. On the other side, when your son eventually dumps her, she’s going to devote a f–king album to how much your son sucks. I guess what I’m saying is that Donna Kelce should play it a little closer to the vest. I don’t know if that’s possible at this point though – everyone seems overly invested in making this couple happen.
Donna Kelce joining Taylor Swift for SNF 🙌
📺: #KCvsNYJ on NBC⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/cLJQ8MOopx pic.twitter.com/U6tmmR2oSP
— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2023
Taylor Swift is HERE for the Chiefs game 👀 pic.twitter.com/46SW4gEodz
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 24, 2023
Photos courtesy of Getty, Backgrid.
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- New York, NY – Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner were spotted leaving the luxurious Barrière Fouquet Hotel in New York City after enjoying dinner together. Pictured: Taylor Swift BACKGRID USA 22 SEPTEMBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: TatianaK / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner were spotted leaving the luxurious Barrière Fouquet Hotel in New York City after enjoying dinner together. Pictured: Taylor Swift BACKGRID USA 22 SEPTEMBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: TatianaK / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Kansas City, KS – Pop star Taylor Swift is spotted on TV cheering for her rumored new boyfriend Travis Kelce at the Kansas City Chiefs vs Chicago Bears game in Kansas City. Pictured: Taylor Swift BACKGRID USA 25 SEPTEMBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: MACE / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Taylor Swift, Blake Lively, Sophie Turner and Brittany Matthews arrived at Emilio’s Ballato Italian pizzeria in SoHo for a nice dinner. The trio, known for their distinctive styles and individual accomplishments, drew stares as they entered the popular restaurant. Pictured: Taylor Swift, Blake Lively, Sophie Turner BACKGRID USA 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: roka / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Blake Lively, Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner were leaving Emilio’s Ballato, a famous restaurant in New York’s SoHo. Pictured: Taylor Swift, Blake Lively, Sophie Turner BACKGRID USA 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: ROKA / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Taylor Swift looks radiant leaving Zero Bond after watching “boyfriend” Travis Kelce’s win over the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football in NYC Pictured: Taylor Swift BACKGRID USA 2 OCTOBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
I’ve always felt the NFL is an eighteen week soap opera for sports fans. Will Travis & Taylor go on another date? Will Aaron Rodgers heal before the season is over. 🤷♀️
Will my team (the Vikings) ever win a game?
If Tay Tay writes a son about Travis being horrible, can he sue her for defamation of character? At this point any man who dates her should have her sign a NDA unless they enjoy getting dragged through the mud.
That’s an unfair assessment. Plenty of them haven’t gotten that treatment. Calvin Harris didn’t really get written about all, Harry Styles got plenty of songs but none of them mean, Taylor Lautner got Back To December… And not to be “that person” but if she was a man people wouldn’t have nearly as many problems w/ her writing about past relationships – they do it all the time.
I know how you feel brassy…my entire extended family bleeds purple and my dad lived and died hoping for the Vikings to do something 😂😭. It’s never been easy to be a Vikings fan and this weekend will be even harder…. Vikes v chiefs 🤦♀️
Artists have a right to write about their lives as they experience it. That’s what art is. If Travis doesn’t like that, he can date a dentist.
That’s such a good description and totally the NFL. My husband is is like 6 different fantasy football leagues and is so freaking dramatic about it.
I’m a low key Swiftie. I can’t lie either…I’m fascinated by her current world domination. On paper, this seems like a good match. Just wish the NFL had some chill.
Recently read a description of a Dad spy movie as The Princess Diaries for grown ass men. These things are so ridiculous, yet we are supposed to take them seriously.
My niece is a huge Swiftie. Got my sister to take her to a concert in another city. I enjoy her drama, don’t seek it out. However, if you follow sites like this, it’s impossible to miss. But it was hard to watch Hiddleston clearly struggling after the release of Reputation and I’m unsettled by the parasocial behavior of her young followers on my figure skating Twitter account. A very mixed bag.
I’ll admit that this relationship made Taylor more interesting to me. Also say that Kelce has been on my radar due to fantasy football. In my husband’s league, Kelce has been picked in the first round the last five years at least.
I don’t know what’s true or not. BUT!, Kelce did say he did whatever after seeing Taylor in concert. That would have been July 7/8. Jason did say something about being able to talk about it now. I’m guessing something started between them in mid July.
Now, I just want to know if Taylor and Donna have made chocolate chip cookies together. OR. Donna’s special dessert.
But like the most exhausting soap opera to follow.
Will Joey Burrow get his Mojo back? Will NFL fans ever stop being pouty about a woman who is more famous than her BF invading their Mojo Dojo Casa House?
I hear the ratings for SNF the other night broke records. The TV networks are going to ride this gravy train as long as it’s running. And everyone else, especially the NFL which lives off of television revenue, will happily follow.
Tbf Taylor is the least troubling thing the nfl has capitalized off of in…a long time
I know she meant Tom hiddleston’s mom after a couple of weeks, and I know she spent time with the Kennedys in that brief relationship with Connor Kennedy, but otherwise I can’t think of any other moms that she was introduced to quickly. since. when is this an always thing?
Exactly. And “When your son eventually dumps her”? Really?
I don’t think Travis or Taylor or the NFL minds the extra PR, but it’s hilarious when media outlets whine about “overly invested” everyone is and how much the media is writing about this… while writing about it. And people keep clicking, and commenting. It’s not like they’re giving interviews or jumping on Oprah’s sofa about this, they’re dating, however un-normal that looks considering who they are and the media interest. There are some unhinged corners of the internet out there, spewing hate and ridiculous rumors. I’m inclined to believe what we see is what it is, no “PR relationship”, no beards, just literally what it seems like.
yeah, it seems like any time Taylor gets brought up around here, everyone’s internalized misogyny comes out. it’s kinda gross.
Matty Healy’s mum? Jake G’s whole family? And please remember that she didn’t just meet that young kennedys family, she signed him out of school and was going to buy a whole ass house near the family compound just after his mum died. I know you may be blinded by your love for her but it’s all right there.
I thought she did end up buying a house near the Kennedys? Or am I confusing that with her Rhode Island house (I’ve been past the gate btw lol) called Holiday House? I thought that was the house that was near some of the Kennedys, I know they’re famous for their Kennedy Compound on Cape Cod but I thought it was referring to some Kennedys with houses in Rhode Island.
did she meet Matt’s mom? I genuinely don’t remember seeing any photos of that. the other examples I agree with, but you’re taking about things that she did when she was 19-21. she’s about to turn 34. I’m not sure it’s as relevant as you think it is.
I think of how Lainey has often talked about how celebrities fast track romances because they don’t have a lot of the money and time constraints that normal people have. I also don’t think it has to be a huge deal for her to meet someone’s parents a month into dating. my kids have brought their significant others around usually 1-3 months into dating, and it doesn’t mean they’re going to get married and it’s super crazy serious. 🤷♀️
@Villerose she did buy the house, and sold it shortly after they broke up. then she commented on it in an article complaining that the media was making her seem crazy because she bought a house, but… she DID buy the house lol. another example of how her handling of the media pre-Kanye phone call was not great.
At this point, I think it’s fine because she’s probably just using the family members to screen the guys and vice versa. Mealy met her dad, who obviously didn’t love him so THAT was a good thing. And how a guy relates to his family is really telling about the kind of person he is. They are both busy people with busy schedules so I don’t think it means what it would IRL.
I’m sure Tom Hiddleston’s mum felt the same way before she dumped him after parading them in front of the press.
I hope she’s okay. lmao
The NFL is so over the top about this. And the media. More than Taylor or Travis, that’s for sure. It’s kind of embarrassing to me. And it makes them seem like commodities more than ever, rather than human beings.
I have less issue when it’s either one of them marketing themselves with PR because that’s their prerogative. Make that money off your own image. This feels gross. Are either of them receiving payment from all the companies profiting off of this romance?
But this is the first time in the history of America that a pop singer has dated a football player, don’t you know that?!?
It’s seriously exhausting and pretty lame IMO but here I am commenting so f*ck me I guess…
Taylor is getting TONS of free publicity for her upcoming album and film releases, and I bet she got paid for them to use Welcome to New York to advertise the NFL.
And people are no longer talking about Matty Healy and how gross it was she was hooking up with a racist POS like him.
This is a win-win-win for Taylor’s PR, Kelce’s PR, and NFL’s PR. That’s all that matters to any of them, quite frankly.
So I am of two minds here. One – yes, of course this is a huge PR move for Swift before 1989 comes out and her concert film.
But two – does she need the PR? 1989 is going to sell (or stream or whatever) in record numbers and the concert film will be a big success.
I just have come to the realization that she is a big PR machine and just can’t stop herself. I don’t know. Like this is definitely about PR for her but why?
@Becks1 I don’t think she needs the PR, but I was responding to the OP’s question: “Are either of them receiving payment from all the companies profiting off of this romance?” She is definitely getting something out of the NFL parading her presence around, but I personally don’t think that’s her motivating factor for seeing Travis because like you said she doesn’t need the PR.
I think this is real AND PR. She is dating this dude and I think she has been for a few months but I also think she co-oridated the roll out to get them the most news and attention.
The NFL wants that sweet, sweet Super Bowl get.
Think of what finally booking Taylor Swift would mean for them. She has so far refused.
Of course they’re losing their minds over the whole thing. They’ll try anything to convince her.
I’m fully convinced these two are end game. Like, I think they’re going to get married and have kids. She’s never dated someone so perfect for her before – he’s independently successful, he loves the game, and seems to be turned on by the facts she’s That Girl. He’s white bread Americana and as much as Taylor would like to think she’s a tortured artiste, this is her lane.
I’m here for all of it.
😂😂😂
I mean, Miss Americana and the Superbowl prince. The story writes itself. I don’t know about Endgame though. Maybe Taylor isn’t the marrying kind, it’s hard to say I don’t know her. But there’s nothing wrong with that either. Sometimes you even think you’re the marrying kind but it ends up you’re just not.
SAME.
They make sense, and something just seems right with them.
Well, Taylor might be in her “I wanna get married and have a baby” season. It’s the only trope she hasn’t milked yet. If she wants it to happen, it will happen.
Same. Love it.
It would be fun if that happened, but I am not holding my breath.
I read that this is one of those “monoculture” moments where entirely separate groups/fandoms come together and that’s what makes it such great media fodder. As a nation we have kind of lost our “water cooler” topics due to segmentation, so when something like this happens it’s bound to get even more saturated coverage. For better or worse (or even neutral), people are engaged!
I agree they seem like a good match on paper (same age, come from neighboring states, football star and Miss Americana, close with their fams, thrive in the limelight), and it certainly makes for a great narrative. IDK about it lasting, though. She’s about to leave on a world tour. It’s going to be tough.
Her tour schedule isn’t that bad. She is in South American from Nov. 9 to 26, but with some breaks in between and Travis has a bye week right at the beginning of that time.
Then She doesn’t go back on tour until February. Super Bowl would be close but doable (although crazy hard) since she could fly from Japan, catch the game and then have a few days before she has to go to Australia (football and Swiftie Reddit have figured this out) but I wouldn’t, still she could easily catch some play-off games. The Asian/Oceanic leg of her tour ends Mar, 9 and the European leg doesn’t start until May 9, so nice break and during the time when football season is done.
She is in Europe until August 27. Travis would have to report back to training camp at some point in July.
Then she is off until October when she has her final Us/Canada dates. So she’d miss a bunch of games next season. But could catch the start/end of the season.
So, yes, she has a long tour but there are tons of gaps and the dates are actually super accommodating to this particular romance if it were to progress.
I think so too. I think that is why the rollout is happening the way it is. I think she’s set on him. I think she liked the way he publically pursued her. I think that this stage of her career and her life, she’s ready for that a-list couple stage and want someone who wants that with her. The songs and the press write themselves. It is the perfect cap to her current world domination, the picture perfect American romance.
I think she checked out of the Joe Alwyn romance before they broke up (there are some songs on Midnights that hint to it) and I think Matt Healy was in the wings before that and was part of the break-up and I think she was into it but never planned on it being forever and then the bad press hastened the end and I think her team told her to be more careful with the next one and then Travis put himself out there and I think she called him up because of the PR but I also think she was intrigued and then I think she found genuine chemistry and so the roll-out has been happening the way it has.
I think it is real. But I think there is also a PR element. I think this could be a long-lasting romance because it fits where she is in her career and life. He is the right man at the right time.
(Example of real and PR, Blake and Ryan going public and letting themselves be papped. At a B&B owned by her sister).
I’m curious why you assume she “insists” on meeting her bf’s moms so quickly? Also, why do you assume that the men dump her? I have no inside knowledge of these peoples lives but this really rubs me the wrong way. Maybe his mom is a Swiftie and wanted to meet her? I’m also over the whole “she will write songs about him when they break up” trope. When has a male artist (of any kind) ever been given crap about mining their personal life for material? Can we please celebrate other women’s success rather than nit picking ones we don’t like?
I think she has done most of the dumping, other than very early on when she was so young. But after that, she has been the dumper.
Well, let’s be honest about Donna Kelce. She’s always attending her sons’ games (she also got air time by sitting with “Jake from State Farm” at Travis’ game earlier that day). And she appears in commercials with them as well as their podcast, etc. (But when do you ever hear about their dad?)
She likes the spotlight as much as Travis does, so I’m sure she’s loving the fact that one of the most famous women in the world is sitting in her booth and dating her son.
The relationship with the Kennedy family came before her dating Connor, otherwise isn’t obvious the men have really wanted their mother’s to meet Taylor? These men all pursued her. They want to show off their accomplishment to their mom asap. Gyllenhaal did the same thing taking Taylor to meet his sister and mother.
But it’s so much more fun for the writers of these stories to make it out like Taylor’s obsessive or needy or controlling all aspects of everything. Once I realized that the media’s going to media and most of it is fake to make them money, I started loving taylor. She’s a strong, smart, creative woman for young girls to look up to. I had britney and xtina and will die on a hill with the opinion that they were not good role models
Ummmm..Taylor Swift isnt an accomplishment
I appreciate that by not ignoring the additional eyes Taylor’s appearance at games is bringing, the NFL knows it provides entertainment and nothing more. Unlike its fans who seem to think they are doing important, serious work memorizing and pontificating on entertainment statistics each week.
Of course Taylor met Travis’s mom right away once he invited her to his game. Mom Kelcie attends all the time and both would be in his stadium box. Of course Mom would speak well of his current gf. You could tell Taylor was there to have a good time and did. Only the worst people would begrudge that.
On Conan’s podcast, he sometimes jokingly scolds his team not to laugh before starting to record and says all laughs should be monetized. This is the same with Taylor which weirds me out. She has always monetized her relationships and doesn’t see anything wrong with it maybe because she got famous very young. I thought she grew up from this kind of thinking, but it is apparent that her last serious relationship was private because of her partner.
I hope for her sake, she doesn’t experience another fall from grace.
Please can we be honest about the PR motives at play.
She previously “dated” a racist and now is “dating” a man who has a history of dating Black women. In many peoples minds this is good enough to equal magically suddenly not racist.
Racist TS fans aren’t framing this as an acceptance of TS but a rejection of Black women…
The Kansas City Team has a racist name problem. They haven’t addressed this problem. The TS association is good PR for them.
wtf
I don’t know about Kelce’s previous relationships or anything, but KC does have a name problem and I’m sure they like the positive PR to keep the focus off that.
I was wondering the same thing about Kansas still being able to use “Chiefs”. I thought a few years ago there was an agreement those types of team names were supposed to be changed?
I wonder if her merch team is trying to figure out how to incorporate football looks and letter jackets without having NFL copyright issues. Look how far her Cardigan thing took off. They are totally going for this aesthetic next. And just in time for cooler weather!
Oh, it’s going to happen. I can see it now.
I sell vintage clothes on Etsy. Note to self: start looking for football jerseys and letter jackets at the thrift store!
I’ve already seen “Taylor’s Boyfriend” sweatshirts in Chiefs colors on Etsy.
I read what is happening here is one of those “monoculture” moments that we rarely get anymore. Groups of all kinds are so segmented, living in their own ecosystems. Suddenly two massive fandoms and cultural phenomenons have collided and it’s triggered a chemical reaction. Swifties are watching the NFL, the NFL commentators are talking about Taylor Swift and panning to her reactions at football games. People who love it, hate it and even who are neutral on it are talking about it.
It’s a “water cooler” event(s) and people are gathering to discuss it. Some are in heated argument and some are just walking by and can’t help over-hearing.
Whatever is going on between these two adults is kind of beside the point. We don’t know any more than we knew what was going to happen next on whatever TV show everyone was talking about in 1998. But people like gossip. I mean, gossip is why I am here.
Will the NFL, Kelce and Swift make money off of it? Yes. I kind of feel like she at least just makes money off anything she touches at this point. There’s nothing I can do about it and I’m not going to worry about how rich any of them are.
I had that thought when Kim Kardashian started “dating” Pete Davidson (my older son is just a few months younger than him lol). Honestly, I’d much rather Taylor then he fall into the Kardashian viper nest. Sure, maybe she’ll write some songs that may or not be about him, breakups usually don’t end with both people feeling great. But it beats being trotted out on a reality show and used as a storyline for God knows how long and from what perspective.
I’m sure Taylor does come off well to moms, she knows how to charm them, and I’m okay with that. Travis is a big boy – at the end of the day, so is my son, so is Pete. But if I had to choose a KarJen or a Taylor for my kid, I’d pick the Taylor.
Whatever happens, Travis will be fine. He has the true loves of his life — his brother Jason and his mom LOL.
They are a seriously adorable family, so I doubt they will let anything get to them. I mean, they survived a Super Bowl in which the brothers played each other.
What is throwing me is that Hugh Jackman is part of the squad? Friends with Ryan I know but still.
Lol I know. What if this is all a diversion and TS is really dating Wolverine? 🤣
It seems like an awful lot awfully fast to me but then I’m not rich or famous so I imagine life is different for them than me.
“when your son eventually dumps her…” yikes. harsh much? also, these moms are grown…hardly need us to tell them when to meet their son’s SO. the concern trolling is next level.
Taylor is so desperate and all her relationships are for PR. As for the mother of her latest BF ‘approving’ of her, that’s is just another pr tactic for make it seem like she’s such a wonderful person. She does this every time, she always rolls out the mother in law after a week or so.
The NFL’s whole thing is being over the top. They’re not players, they are “gladiators.” They get celebs to do these self-important game intros for the superbowl. Flybys and huge flags and calling themselves “world champions” of a sport only played in America (and Canada but the CFL does have different rules). In the lead up to a game they will always talk about the “storylines”.
It’s so camp! That’s why I say football is the drag of sports.
RuPaul’s Drag Race and Sunday Night Football are my two favourite shows for similar reasons 😆