So… Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, huh?
As tempting as it is, we’re not going to start this piece with a football pun or timely lyric; no “Swift to the end zone” or “she’s cheer captain and in the bleachers” kinda thing. However, there’s definitely something going on between Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, as evidenced by the pics that started it all: Swift cheering her heart out at a Chiefs game and the two driving off in a getaway car (sorry, we couldn’t resist that one) with Kelce resplendent in a 1989-themed ‘fit.
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 this potential new relationship has been brewing for awhile, so perhaps Swift is now in her football era. Or is Kelce in his muse era? Both could be true — especially given that their entire rumored relationship started with a friendship bracelet. Below, get all the details on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s dating rumor and 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 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.”
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.
Now that Swift is done with the Eras Tour until February 2024, could she be joining her BF in Kansas City during her time off? This is a big maybe, but rumors of a moving truck outside Kelce’s home have been circulating, so perhaps the couple are preparing to take another big step in their relationship.
According to a source, ET reported on November 29 that Swift will in fact be spending more time in KC with her football star boyfriend. “Things between Travis and Taylor are going really well. Their relationship is progressing in a great way,” said the source. “Taylor is planning to spend a lot more time at Travis’ house in Kansas City while she is on a break from touring.” According to the outlet, Swift’s jet “touched down” in Kansas City, which means we’ll probably see her at a few more football games this month — and Kelce probably has big plans for Swift’s birthday on December 13.
“They’re both very excited to be together, and Travis is making sure that Taylor feels comfortable and at home,” the source continued. “They have mutual respect and admiration for one another, and their feelings for each other are sincere.” Kelce just bought a new house in October, a $6 million mansion with more privacy than his previous residence, which is good, given the very high-profile musician who might staying there more often. One question, though — are Meredith, Olivia, and Benjamin also invited?
Even when you’re as massively famous as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, a simple Instagram double tap can make all the difference. Kelce recently shouted out his girlfriend for liking an Instagram post from the Kansas City Chiefs celebrating his recent career milestone. (There’s that good ol’ Taylurking, back in action.) “Thanks, Tay, I appreciate you on the Chiefs page supporting,” Kelce said on the latest episode of his podcast New Heights. Do you think she calls him Trav?
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.)
