It looks like Taylor Swift found something appealing about “dating the boy on the football team,” after all. Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce went extremely public with their relationship on Nov. 11 with a post-concert makeout — and this milestone was a long time coming.
ICYMI, on Sept. 12, the Messenger first reported that Swift and Kelce were “hanging out,” two months after the Chiefs player made his crush on the “Karma” singer public. (Kelce discussed Swift on his podcast in July, explaining how he wanted to meet her at the Eras Tour in Kansas City.)
On Sept. 13, a source told Entertainment Tonight that the duo were not officially dating, but things have seriously progressed since then. In October, Swift and Kelce hard-launched with two public dates and a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live. And in November, Kelce traveled to South America to see her Eras Tour show.
Fans are convinced this is a love story in the making, especially considering their telling PDA and Swift’s smudged lipstick in photos. In other words, it’s officially the Super Bowl for Swifties. Here’s a full timeline of Swift and Kelce’s relationship so far.
July: Travis Talked About His Crush On Taylor
In a July 26 episode of his podcast, Travis recalled to his brother Jason Kelce how he lost his chance with Taylor during her 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 explained. “So I was a little butthurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.”
That bracelet had his phone number on it, BTW. He added, “She doesn’t meet anybody, or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal.”
Despite the initial disappointment, some unidentified friends helped make their meet-cute happen. “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 Wall Street Journal in a Nov. 20 interview.
And per Swift, they started seeing each other soon after his podcast dropped. “This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” she told TIME in her 2023 Person Of The Year interview in December. “We started hanging out right after that.
Kelce told WSJ that it was Swift who reached out to him directly. “She told me exactly what was going on and how I got lucky enough to get her to reach out,” Kelce added. Apparently, her cousins had something to do with it. “She’ll probably hate me for saying this, but…when she came to Arrowhead, they gave her the big locker room as a dressing room, and her little cousins were taking pictures…in front of my locker,” he added.
September 24: Taylor Attended Travis’ Game
A few months after publicizing his crush, Kelce invited Swift to a Chiefs game. “I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court… I told her, you know, I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead [Stadium], you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit. So, we’ll see what happens in the near future,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show on Sept. 21, per E!.
Three days later, on Sept. 24, Swift took Kelce up on his offer to host her at Arrowhead Stadium. At the Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs game, Swift was spotted in the stands cheering Kelce on. Not only that, the singer was seated right next to Kelce’s mom.
After the game, Swift and Kelce left the stadium together — and one of them reportedly paid for dinner for an entire restaurant full of customers, so they could have the place (Prime Social Rooftop) to themselves.
Although this was their first public outing, they spent time together quietly before this and were officially a “couple” by then, per Swift. During Kelce’s WSJ interview in November, he reflected on their first date — which apparently happened in NYC, not KC. “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.”
Apparently, before the date, his friend group was psyching him out a little bit. “Everybody around me telling me: ‘Don’t f*ck this up!’ And me sitting here saying: ‘Yeah — got it.’”
September 27: Travis Gushed About Taylor On His Podcast
Kelce discussed Swift on his New Heights podcast — specifically her “ballsy” decision to attend his game. “I just thought it was awesome that everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her. The friends and family. She looked amazing,” Kelce said, per Us. Later, he added, “I sure as hell enjoyed this weekend.”
He also made it clear that’s all fans would hear from him about the sitch. Per ESPN, Kelce added, “I know I brought all this attention to me… What’s real is that, you know, it is my personal life. I want to respect both of our lives.” He acknowledged how Swift tends not to speak directly to the media. With the football season in full swing, that’s not really an option for Kelce, but he still wants to “keep it” to football talk.
October 1: Taylor Attended The Chiefs Vs. Jets Game With Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, & More
Ahead of the Kelce’s Oct. 1 game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, sources speculated that Swift might make an appearance. Insiders told TMZ and Front Office Sports on Sept. 27 that the Midnights musician “plan[ned] to attend,” making it her second football Sunday in a row.
The rumors, which prompted ticket sales to jump, turned out to be true. On Oct. 1, Swift made Sunday Night Football into Taylor’s Version, arriving at MetLife with Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and more. Backstage, Swift hugged Sabrina Carpenter before heading to her star-studded suite to cheer for Kelce.
During the game, Swift had a sweet moment with Kelce’s mom, Donna. She was filmed giving “Mama Kelce” a sweet hug when she entered the suite. And that’s not all cameras picked up. After the Chiefs won, Swift was spotted telling bestie Blake Lively to “look at him,” as he was meeting the opposing team. Per Page Six, she imitated Kelce’s fist bumps, prompting laughter from her A-list friend.
In her December TIME interview, Swift talked about attending so many games. “Football is awesome, it turns out… I’ve been missing out my whole life,” she joked.
Swift added to TIME, “I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in. There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the-camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once.”
“I’m just there to support Travis,” she said. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”
October 2: Taylor Got An Instagram Shoutout From Travis’ Mom
After sitting together at two Chiefs games in a row, it looks like Taylor and Donna Kelce are becoming fast friends. On Oct. 2, Donna shared a video from the Oct. 1 Chiefs vs. Jets Game on Instagram. In the clip, Taylor and Donna are hugging — and the text over the video reads, “Travis Kelce’s biggest fans ♥️.” Per Page Six, Donna actually posted the video twice on her feed, but only left up the one collab post with Sunday Night Football.
October 6: Travis Said He’s “On Top Of The World”
During a press conference on Oct. 6, Kelce compared his current sitch to winning the Super Bowl. When asked how he was currently doing, Kelce said, “As all the attention comes … it feels like I was on top of the world after the Super Bowl and right now I’m even more on top of the world.”
Though the tight end said he was still figuring out how to handle paparazzi, he didn’t seem to resent the attention. “At the same time, it comes with it. It comes with it. You’ve got a lot of people that care about Taylor, and for good reason,” he said, adding, “I’ve been fortunate enough to have fun with it.”
The Chiefs player explained that he was focused on “living and learning and enjoying the moments,” while navigating the media frenzy around Swift and him.
October 12: Taylor Attended Travis’ Home Game (Again)
Following her Eras Tour movie premiere on Oct. 11 in Los Angeles, Taylor headed back to Kansas City on Oct. 12 for Travis’ home game versus the Denver Broncos. Ahead of the game, TMZ reported that the singer had plans to return to Arrowhead Stadium, despite the fact that Travis’ playing status was labeled as “questionable” due to an ankle injury. Travis ended up playing in the game, while Taylor — who was rocking a red Chiefs jacket — chatted with Donna in the suite and waved at fans throughout the game.
This NFL appearance comes only a few days after Travis reportedly called her his “good luck charm,” per The Messenger.
October 14-15: They Hard Launched Their Relationship In NYC
Swift and Kelce made their romance officially official on Oct. 14. The two had dinner at Nobu together before heading to Saturday Night Live for a surprise appearance. (Kelce came in during a sketch about the NFL’s obsession with Swift, while Swift introduced Ice Spice as the musical guest.) Afterwards, they went to the SNL after-party at Catch Steakhouse — and per sources, seemed like the “real deal” together.
“They were holding hands throughout the night, whispering into each other’s ear, and they even exchanged some kisses,” a source told Entertainment Tonight. Apparently, the kisses were more innocent than raunchy. “He’d kiss her on her head,” the insider added.
“Taylor and Travis looked very comfortable and happy together. They were kissing openly and weren’t shy with their PDA,” the ET source said. Apparently, Kelce’s protective side came out. “At one point, he actually told her security guard that he could step aside, like he’d take it from here.”
The next night, on Oct. 15, Swift and Kelce had another date night at the Waverly Inn in NYC. They were photographed leaving the restaurant, hand in hand.
October 20: Travis’ Dad Followed A Taylor Swift Fan Account
On TikTok, a fan noticed that Travis’ dad Ed Kelce started following a Taylor Swift fan account on Instagram. Ed only follows 132 people on his Instagram account (@papakelce), and as of Oct. 20, he added one more to his following list: @tswift_22, a fan account that posts videos of Taylor.
In an Oct. 18 episode of his New Heights podcast, Travis commented on his dad meeting Taylor. After photos of them chatting at Travis’ Oct. 12 game went viral, Travis said his dad was becoming a bit of a Swiftie. “You can see in this picture all he’s doing is just pumping her up. He’s started listening to her music a little more,” he said, per E!.
Travis admitted he was a little worried about his dad talking to Taylor. “This is a terrifying conversation, I felt terrible for Taylor for being in this,” he joked with his brother Jason. “We can’t keep kicking dad just because we enjoy doing it, man and our dad is the best f*cking dad in the world. He is a great converser. It’s where Jason gets his storytelling, and all of his charisma. We’re saying this just because we like to rag on the big guy.”
October 22: Taylor Returned To Arrowhead Stadium & Celebrated With Brittany Mahomes
She’s back! On Oct. 22, Swift, rocking a Kansas City Chiefs crewneck, returned to Arrowhead Stadium to cheer on Kelce and the Chiefs against the Los Angeles Chargers. This marked her fourth appearance at a Chiefs game since late September, and it’s safe to say she was becoming the team’s good luck charm — Kansas City won every game she had attended thus far. In a post-game press conference, Chiefs coach Andy Reid joked, “Kelce keeps getting better with time, Taylor can stay around all she wants.”
While Swift danced and did a celebratory handshake with Brittany Mahomes in the suite, her signature red drink in hand, fans noticed she was wearing a friendship bracelet with the number 87 on it, aka Kelce’s number.
The ~lover~ vibes didn’t stop there. In some BTS photos, posted on Instagram on Oct. 23 by the girlfriend of one of Kelce’s teammates, Swift was cuddling up to Kelce — even kissing his cheek in one of the pics.
The PDA continued after the Chiefs’ victory, when Swift and Kelce were photographed leaving Arrowhead Stadium together. They held hands as they made their way out to his Rolls Royce. Then, the couple headed to Kelce’s newly-purchased mansion. Per the New York Post, a busload of people later arrived at Kelce’s home to celebrate the win.
November 11: Travis Went To The South American Leg Of The Eras Tour
The Chiefs’ bye week — the one week of the football season they don’t have a game — happened to coincide with Swift beginning the South American leg of her international Eras Tour. And Kelce made the most of his free week, flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina over the weekend to watch Swift perform.
In July, Kelce saw the Eras Tour for the first time, watching Swift from his suite in Arrowhead Stadium. This time around, he secured a spot in Swift’s VIP tent, along with Swift’s father, Scott Swift.
Swift herself seemed to give her BF a loving shoutout during the show, as fans noticed she pointed in his direction when singing, “That’s my man” during “Willow.” That wasn’t the only lyrical shoutout Swift gave Kelce. During “Karma,” Swift changed the lyrics to, “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me,” referencing Kelce’s football team.
At the end of the concert, fans caught a video of Swift running towards Kelce and passionately kissing him.
November 20: Travis Talked About Taylor In A WSJ Interview
Kelce opened up about his relationship with Swift during a WSJ interview, which was published on Nov. 20. Apparently, one of his major concerns was about how he spoke publicly about the singer. “That was the biggest thing to me: make sure I don’t say anything that would push Taylor away,” he said.
Kelce shared some insight into what it’s been like to get to know Swift, calling her “hilarious” and “a genius.” He said, “I’ve never been a man of words. Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been f*cking mind-blowing. I’m learning every day.”
Per the Chiefs tight end, the two have similar world views. “Everybody knows I’m a family guy,” he told WSJ. “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.”
Even though Swift’s fame is on another level, Kelce sounded like he was learning how to adjust. “Obviously I’ve never dated anyone with that kind of aura about them…. I’ve never dealt with it,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m not running away from any of it…. 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.”
November 29: Travis Used A Nickname For Taylor
In a Nov. 29 episode of Kelce’s podcast, he referred to Swift as “Tay,” confirming the couple has entered the nickname stage of their relationship. After Swift liked a post on Instagram about Kelce becoming the “fastest tight end to 11k receiving yards AND the only player in franchise history to do it,” fans noticed the singer’s name. “Taylor liked 🙈,” one fan commented. Another wrote, “Taylor, we see you 👀 lurking 🙈.”
Kelce thanked his girlfriend for the social media support. “Thanks, Tay. I appreciate you on the Chiefs page supporting,” he said. On Twitter, fans were excited about the nickname. “‘thanks tay, i appreciate you’ can you hear me SOBBING?!” one wrote. Another tweeted, “the way he said tay i’m sick.”
December 3: Taylor Went To Travis’ Game In The Snow
Swift made another game-day appearance on Dec. 3 to watch the Chiefs play the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin. During the snowy match-up, Swift sat with fellow Chiefs WAGS Brittany Mahomes and Lyndsey Bell. Both previously joined Swift on a girls’ weekend in NYC in early November. It also looked like Swift might have borrowed her Chiefs-red coat from Mahomes, who wore one that was suspiciously similar back in November 2022. Other fans pointed out it could be a Stella McCartney coat since the singer and designer have a longstanding connection, even working together on a Lover collab in 2019.
During the game, a video of Swift cheering on Kelce went viral on Twitter because she seemingly shared her nickname for the tight end. In it, Swift can be seen yelling something that looks a lot like, “Come on, Trav!” Fans on Twitter loved the moment, especially considering Kelce recently dripped his own nickname for Swift. “‘come on trav’ and ‘thanks tay’ really changed the trajectory of my life,” one said.
Over the weekend, Swift and Kelce were also spotted at a Christmas party for the Chiefs team at the Miracle pop-up bar in Kansas City. Some fans think they wore matching squirrel Christmas sweaters for the party, as a reference to Kelce’s 2011 tweet: “”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.”
December 6: Taylor Spoke Their Public Relationship
When Swift was named TIME’s Person of the Year, she opened up about her relationship with Kelce for the first time. Apparently, they started seeing each other back in July. “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,” she said. “By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. 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.”
Swift also touched on having a more public relationship this time around. “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,” she added. “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.”
Later in the interview, she added, “Me locking myself away in my house for a lot of years — I’ll never get that time back. I’m more trusting now than I was six years ago.”
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