Travis Kelce has officially addressed the ongoing speculation that he’s dating Taylor Swift.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 33, was asked about his love life on an episode of The Pat McAfee Show, which aired on 21 September. The question came days after his brother, Jason Kelce, poked fun at the dating rumours, with the podcast host saying he “100 per cent” believed that his younger sibling was dating Swift.
While Kelce didn’t specify whether he’s single on the ESPN show, he did express his amusement over the ongoing rumours surrounding him and the “Anti-Hero” singer.
“It’s hilarious how much traction this has actually gotten, right now it’s like a game of telephone,” he said. “Where everybody’s whispering in each other’s ears and hearing random stuff.”
He went on to mock his brother for commenting on his speculated relationship with Swift, as he claimed that the Philadelphia Eagles star doesn’t know much about his love life.
"No one actually knows what’s going on, especially when you got Jason Kelce on live television telling people just both sides - he doesn’t know, it’s true, this and that,” he said.
Kelce continued to poke fun at his brother for saying that the dating rumours were true, adding: “The guy is absolutely ridiculous. Can’t stay out of the freaking headlines.”
After encouraging people to stop asking his “brother about [his] dating life,” Kelce noted that he’s still open to pursuing a relationship with Swift. He also claimed that he’s reached out to her, and subtly asked if she’d want to attend one of his football games.
“I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court,” he said. “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.”
Back in July, Kelce confessed that he tried - and failed - to give Swift his number while attending one of her Eras Tour concerts. He made the attempt through a trend that Swifties do before attending the show: making friendship bracelets.
“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 to his brother on their podcast. “So I was a little butthurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.”
“If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it,” he continued. However, he said he wasn’t able to meet Swift after the show, and jokingly told listeners that he “took it personal”.
Last week, reports first circulated that Swift and Kelce were “quietly hanging out”. A report from The Messenger on 12 September claimed that the singer “saw [Travis] when she was in NYC a few weeks ago”.
However, after the report came out, a source told Entertainment Tonight that the pair are not officially dating. “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,” they claimed.
Since then, Jason has continued to speak out about his younger brother’s relationship status. During an appearance on Prime’s Thursday Night Football on 15 September, he said: “I’ve seen these rumours. I cannot comment.” He also noted that ever since his brother’s short-lived reality dating series Catching Kelce, which premiered on E! in 2016, “everyone’s been infatuated with Travis’ love life”.
Although he admitted that he tries to “stay out” of his brother’s business, Jason still shared his thoughts on the dating speculation. “I think he’s doing great and I think it’s all 100 per cent true,” he said on Audacy’s 94WIP Morning Showon 20 September.
Prior to Kelce, Swift was linked to The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Their reported two-month romance came to an end in June. Earlier this year, Swift had also ended her relationship of six years with British actor Joe Alwyn.
Meanwhile, Kelce was previously in an on-and-off relationship with ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole for five years. The former couple reportedly broke up in 2022.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Kelce and Swift for comment.
