After ending a brief and rather headline-grabbing fling with Matty Healy, another rumored Taylor Swift romance has entered the public orbit. Per sources, the music star is spending time with NFL superstar Travis Kelce.
Kelce, 33, is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Off the field, he has previously been linked to Maya Benberry who he met on his dating show Catching Kelce. He later started dating influencer Kayla Brown in 2017 and was in an on again off again relationship with her for five years. Before moving on from Matty Healy, Swift was most recently with Joe Alwyn (the pair called it quits in April 2023).
On September 18th, Swift caused quite the stir amongst fans when she was spotted in New York wearing a necklace with Kelce’s birthstone, an opal. Though this could have merely been a coincidence, Swifties have already started concocting up theories about the potential romance.
The weekend prior, Kelce laughed off Swift-themed jokes made by commentator Rich Eisen. “You saw it on Thursday night, when Travis Kelce wasn’t in there, it left a ‘Blank Space,’ but I think he returns today and proves to be the ‘Anti-hero.’ Never goes out of ‘Style,’” Eisen said. “Well played Rich….Well played,” Kelce wrote on Instagram.
While there is much yet to be discovered about the rumored relationship, here’s everything we know so far, below.
How did Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce meet?
In July, Kelce revealed on his New Heights podcast that he attempted to give Swift his number at the Kansas City stop of her Eras tour. “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.”
The football player continued, “If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets. I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it.”
While Swift may not have gotten Kelce’s number then, it’s clear she did get the message somehow. On September 12th, it was reported that the two were “quietly” spending time together in New York City.
How long have they been together?
Though Swift and Kelce are not an official couple (and have yet to confirm the veracity of the rumors), per The Messenger, they had been seeing each other in late August and early September. It is unclear, though, if that meet-up was their first time seeing each other—and it seems like they’d rather keep things on the low for now.
Is it serious?
It appears that Swift and Kelce are in the “talking” phase and are approaching things rather casually given their recent break ups and hectic schedules. On September 12, a source confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that they are “not dating.” The insider went on to add, “Travis has been into Taylor for a while and definitely has a crush on her. He is a simple guy that is very funny, charismatic, chill, and loves playing football.”
Despite his apparent interest in Swift, Kelce is taking things slowly. “You’ve really got to know somebody to take that step and really be committed and be in full throttle,” Kelce said on his New Heights podcast. “I can’t just meet somebody and automatically think that forever is just a day away. It’s too much. I’m setting myself up for failure.