The couple first started dating in September 2023
One of the standout moments for this NFL season has arguably been Kansas City Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce's romance with superstar Taylor Swift.
The 'Cruel Summer' songstress's love life has always had a spotlight on it, ever since she was a teenager but now it looks like she's in a relationship beyond her Wildest Dreams. Taylor has become a regular fixture at her Chiefs star boyfriend's games, and Travis has also seen a rise in profile with his jerseys skyrocketing in demand by 400%.
Taylor's presence has also had a major impact on the NFL too. While spectators might complain that the camera lingers on her a little too much, the sport has seen a nine percent rise in female viewers since last season. Is it possible that they're The Last Great American Dynasty?
February 2024: Travis responds to engagement rumors
As the couple have rocketed in popularity, naturally there have been rumors they might get engaged soon. But it seems the couple are taking it slow.
A reporter asked Travis at the Super Bowl Opening Night press conference: "Is there going to be another ring beside the Super Bowl ring if you win this thing on Sunday?"
The football star nipped the question in the bud, saying: "I'm focused on getting this ring and that's all my mind's focused on right now."
January 2024: Travis celebrates going to the Super Bowl with the L word
As the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens at the AFC Championship, which saw the Kansas City team heading to the Super Bowl, Taylor joined her man on the field in celebration - and made a bold display of public affection.
"Tay, I'm going to enjoy with the guys", she told the star. "I love you", he said as he kissed her with a big hug. "So much it's not funny."
A New Years' kiss and meeting Jason
Fans lost their mind as a video of Travis and Taylor kissing on New Years went viral as they rang in 2024 together. The singer donned a sparkly gown in the video as well, looking like something out a fairy tale.
View post on XOn January 21, Taylor would go on to meet Travis' famous brother Jason as the Chiefs played the Buffalo Bills, just days after he announced his retirement. The older Kelce brother certainly made an impression, as he downed beer, whipped his shirt off and jumped out of the suite to engage with fans.
It seemed that Taylor found it charming - but the Eagles player's wife did not. Kylie Kelce told him to be on his "best behavior because we were meeting Taylor, so she’s like, 'Do not. Be on your best behavior.'"
"I was like, 'Kylie, the first day I met you I was blackout drunk and fell asleep at the bar. This is part of the charm. This is part of the Jason Kelce charm. I wanna make my best first impression.'"
December 2023: Taylor speaks out
As she was named Time's Person of the Year, Taylor gave her own version of events in a high-profile interview. She said of the relationship: "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".
"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."
She also confirmed that by the time she attended the first game on September 24, they were already an item. "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."
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November 2023: The couple make things official
After months of the public presuming that the two were dating, the couple finally seemed to address their relationship more publicly.
As Taylor had to cancel her Buenos Aires show on November 10 due to rain, Travis flew down to the Argentinian capital to grab dinner with the singer that evening, before making an appearance at the Eras Tour the next day.
The singer changed the lyrics to hit single 'Karma' to say "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me", then ran into the football star's arms for a kiss as the show ended.
Travis would go on to essentially confirm their relationship in a profile in the Wall Street Journal, stating his initial secrecy was because he didn't want to "say anything that would push Taylor away."
In this same profile, Donna would go on to say her son was "happier than I’ve seen him in a long time…. God bless him, he shot for the stars!"
Travis would go on to gush that Taylor is "hilarious", and "a genius". He said: "Everybody knows I’m a family guy." he said. "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."
October 2023: Taylor becomes a regular fixture at the Chiefs' games
The singing superstar made a second appearance supporting Travis, as they came to New York to play against the New York Jets on October 1. She didn't come alone to the MetLife Stadium, bringing along the likes of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for support.
Meanwhile Travis' mom spoke coyly about meeting Taylor on the Today show on October 6: "I don't like to talk about it. It's just one of those things where everyone saw me," she said. "I was in the boxes with her. It's another thing that's amped up my life."
Taylor re-joined Mama Kelce in the family suite at Arrowhead Stadium on October 12, as they went head-to-head with the Denver Broncos.
While Travis and Taylor's relationship still had yet to be confirmed publicly, people took note when the duo started holding hands at public events.
They were spotted walking hand-in-hand at Saturday Night Live's October 14 post-show party, where the football star made a surprise appearance in a sketch about the NFL's sensational coverage of the duo, while Taylor introduced Ice Spice for her second song.
The duo also held hands leaving the Arrowhead Stadium after the Chiefs played the Los Angeles Chargers on October 22, with Taylor donning a friendship bracelet with the number 87 on it, to represent the tight end's jersey number.
September 2023: Taylor watches Travis play at the Arrowhead Stadium
Days after Travis told the world that the ball was in Taylor's court, the 'Love Story' singer spent the day cheering on the Chiefs from the tight end's suite, standing side by side with his mom Donna - the first time the duo had met.
As the team valiantly beat the Chicago Bears, Taylor and Travis were spotted leaving the stadium together, riding off in the latter's convertible.
As the Chiefs player reflected on the game with his brother on their podcast, he called Taylor "pretty ballsy" for showing up.
"I just thought it was awesome how everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her, the friends and family", he gushed, adding that "she looked amazing. Everybody was talking about her in great light and on top of that, the day went perfect for Chiefs fans, of course."
He continued: "To see the slow-motion chest bumps, to see the high-fives with Mom, to see how Chiefs Kingdom was all excited that she was there." It was certainly a game to remember, he added.
Travis responds to rumors about relationship with Taylor
Rumors about their relationship started to heat up as NFL+ host Andrew Siciliano probed the tight end about the singer on September 14. Travis kept things diplomatic, confirming his story about the friendship bracelet but adding:
"I said what I said. And I meant what I said when I said it. And you know what, it is what it is," he said, adding that he was "not gonna talk about my personal life."
Anyone know how to get a bracelet to Taylor Swift? … asking for a friend 😅When the NFL+ host asked if Taylor had reached out to him, Travis shut the conversation down immediately: "And that's gonna wrap it up there".
Even Jason kept things quiet, as he said: "I've seen these rumors, I can't comment."
It would turn out, according to Taylor in her Time profile, that they "started hanging out right after" Travis mentioned her on his podcast. But by this point the public were none the wiser.
Travis would reveal on The Pat McAfee Show on September 21 that he "threw the ball in her court", referring to the songstress.
"I told her, 'I've seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead.' We’ll see what happens in the near future."
July 2023: Taylor performs at the Arrowhead Stadium
It seems Taylor first caught Travis's attention when she performed at the Kansas City Chiefs' famous Arrowhead Stadium on the Eras Tour on July 8.
Travis would later reveal in his New Heights podcast, which he hosts with brother Jason Kelce, then-center for the Philadelphia Eagles, that he had plans to woo the 'All Too Well' singer with a friendship bracelet, inspired by the tradition Swifties have made of making and trading them at the shows.
In the podcast episode, released July 26, he revealed that he sadly didn't get to meet her.
"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," he said. "So I was a little butt-hurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her."
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He revealed that the bracelet he specifically wanted to give her had his phone number on it, yet his plan to shoot his shot was unsuccessful because: "She doesn’t meet anybody, or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal."
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