He’s team captain and she’s on the bleachers.
Taylor Swift went public with her and Travis Kelce’s romance in September 2023, two months after he expressed interest in the Grammy winner on his “New Heights” podcast.
Not only did the singer start showing support at the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s NFL games, but she attended afterparties and even helped celebrate his birthday.
The unexpected duo’s budding romance marked Kelce’s first since his 2022 split from on-again, off-again girlfriend Kayla Nicole.
Swift, for her part, dated Joe Alwyn from 2016 to 2023 before having a brief fling with rocker Matty Healy of The 1975.
Take a look at how Swift went from being Kelce’s crush to a staple at Arrowhead Stadium.
Celebrity crush
Long before romance rumors, Kelce admitted on AfterBuzz TV that he wanted to smooch Swift during a game of “Kiss, Marry, Kill.”
Meanwhile, he chose to kill Ariana Grande and marry Katy Perry.
Kelce was doing press to promote his “Catching Kelce” dating show, where he narrowed a pool of women down from 50 to one, at the time.
Concert snub
Kelce tried — and failed — to give Swift his phone number at the Kansas City, Mo., stop of her Eras Tour in July 2023, which left the athlete feeling “butthurt.”
He told podcast listeners that he put his number on a friendship bracelet, but was unable to give it to the singer because she “didn’t want to meet” him.
“She doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,” Kelce explained. “I took it personal.”
Romance rumors
Two months after Kelce shot his shot, The Messenger reported that he had been “quietly hanging out” with the songwriter.
“She saw him when she was in NYC a few weeks ago,” a source told the outlet.
Notably, Kelce confirmed on a podcast episode the previous month that he had recently been in New York.
Hint, hint
Despite the tight end claiming in September 2023 that he was “still searching” for love, his brother, Jason Kelce, hinted at Travis’ romance with Swift on multiple occasions.
The Philadelphia Eagles player cryptically told “Thursday Night Football” viewers that his younger sibling was “having fun,” but wouldn’t comment further.
He later said on the “WIP Morning Show” that speculation was “100 percent true” — only to walk the “joke” back.
New jewels
Swift made headlines when she rocked an opal necklace, which is Kelce’s birthstone, amid the swirling romance rumors.
Kelce also rocked telling jewelry that same month, as he was photographed wearing a beaded friendship bracelet on his wrist featuring lyrics from one of Swift’s songs at a Kelce Car Jam charity event.
No. 1 fan
Days after Travis admitted to inviting Swift to his game against the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the performer watched the sporting event from his suite.
Swift dressed for the occasion in the team’s colors, cheered enthusiastically for her rumored beau’s touchdown and chatted with his mom, Donna Kelce.
She and Travis looked cozy leaving the match together and drove off in the NFL player’s getaway car.
Post-game PDA
The “affectionate” pair subsequently partied with his friends and family members at the Prime Social rooftop bar in Kansas City.
An eyewitness told Page Six that Travis and Swift “left together” after 1 a.m.
Days later, a photo emerged of Swift cuddling up to Travis as she chatted with his pals.
Getting giddy
While Swift kept quiet about her game day with Travis, he gushed about how “ballsy” her presence was — and how “amazing” she looked — on a “New Heights” podcast episode the following week.
“Everybody in the suite had nothing but good things to say about her,” he said. “Everybody was talking about her in great light and on top of that, the day went perfect for Chiefs.”
Swift even traveled to the game with Travis’ loved ones from his $1 million mansion, according to a picture obtained by the Daily Mail.
Sales spike
After Swift’s surprise appearance at the Chiefs game, Travis’ jersey sales spiked nearly 400 percent, according to a spokesperson for the NFL’s official e-commerce partner, Fanatics.
In fact, many styles of his jersey even sold out.
As Swifties snapped up merch, reports swirled that Swift would attend Travis’ game against the New York Jets the following week.
Round two
Swift did indeed make an appearance at the Kansas City Chiefs’ October 2023 game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — and she brought an entourage of A-list pals!
Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner and more stars helped Swift cheer on her man as he played in a tough match against the New York Jets.
The night before the game, the “Anti-Hero” singer enjoyed a girls’ night out in NYC with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany Mahomes, in tow, while Travis had dinner with friends.
Although they spent Saturday evening separately, Travis was photographed leaving Swift’s Manhattan apartment on Sunday morning before he made his way to the stadium.
Continued comments
While Travis previously said he planned to keep quiet about Swift “moving forward,” he “liked” a video of her on social media and gave Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson “big time” credit for his budding romance.
Additionally, Travis told “Chasin’ It” podcast listeners that he couldn’t “be mad at how it’s all played out” while smiling over Swift.
He also joked on “New Heights” that she put him “on the map.”
Mama bear
Donna appeared to give Swift her seal of approval in October 2023 by posting a video of herself hugging the “Cruel Summer” singer.
“Donna likes Taylor and thinks she’s very sweet and down to earth,” People magazine subsequently reported.
However, Travis’ mom didn’t want to talk about Swift during a “Today” show appearance, simply saying meeting her was “OK.”
Best birthday
While Travis spent his actual birthday — Oct. 5 — with friends, he and Swift secretly celebrated together, as well.
Page Six confirmed that the “Cruel Summer” songstress flew into Kansas City on Oct. 6 to have a “chill night” with the athlete before jetting off again the following day.
For more Page Six you love…
Travis did not offer any details about their time together, choosing to avoid the subject completely on his “New Heights” podcast just days later.
No-show
Despite hints that she’d be there, Swift was a no-show at Travis’ game against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 8.
While some fans believe the singer to be the team’s good luck charm, the Chiefs still pulled out a 27-20 win against their midwestern foes.
Game night
Swift flew straight from her “Eras Tour” movie premiere in Los Angeles to Kansas City to watch her rumored beau take on the Denver Broncos for “Thursday Night Football.”
The Grammy winner cheered from the Kelce suite at Arrowhead Stadium alongside Travis’ parents and her new pal Brittany.
Swift rocked a Chiefs jacket from Andrews’ clothing line paired with a Balenciaga corset top that cost a whopping $3,190.
TMZ reported that the musician and pro athlete would be spending the weekend together since he had several days off from football practice.
Sleepover speculation
Swift seemingly crashed at Kelce’s $1 million Kansas City mansion after the Broncos game, with her security vehicle photographed outside the property early the following morning.
The athlete hung out at Swift’s New York City pad two days later.
He was spotted leaving her apartment on Oct. 15 before attending his brother’s Philadephia Eagles game against the New York Jets on his own.
‘SNL’ surprise
The pair stepped out together for the first time on Oct. 14, holding hands on their way to dine at Nobu in NYC.
In addition to Swift’s planned appearance on “Saturday Night Live” to introduce Ice Spice’s performance, Kelce had a surprise spot on the show in a skit poking fun at the NFL’s obsession with his rumored girlfriend.
He and Swift spent two hours at a Catch Steak afterparty, where a source told Page Six they looked “in love” while “holding each other, and talking and kissing” all night long.
Holding hands
24 hours after their Nobu date night made headlines, the couple packed on the PDA again while leaving The Waverly Inn in Manhattan.
Swift and Kelce were photographed holding hands and smiling on Oct. 15.
The “Love Story” singer sported a leather miniskirt and mesh floral top, while her rumored beau paired a corduroy set and a graphic tee and white sneakers.
Privacy, please
Page Six confirmed on Oct. 19 that Kelce bought a $6 million mansion in Kansas City for more privacy amid his and Swift’s romance.
His new house in a gated community has a waterfall, swimming pool, and mini golf course.
Kelce last purchased property in 2019 — a seven-bedroom mansion in the city’s Briarcliff West neighborhood and a condo in Florida.
All-day affair
Not only did Swift watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 22, but she pregamed at Kelce’s mansion and was photographed kissing his cheek.
She and the athlete walked out of the venue hand-in-hand wearing matching in red outfits, exiting Arrowhead Stadium in a golf cart.
The duo reportedly enjoyed BBQ at an afterparty held at Kelce’s home with family and friends.
Stamp of approval
Travis’ dad, Ed Kelce, subsequently gave “very sweet” Swift his stamp of approval, telling People she proved she wasn’t a “diva” or a “spoiled musician” by picking up trash in the suite.
He went on to call Swift and Travis a “wonderful couple” while speaking to Entertainment Tonight on Oct. 25.
“They are enjoying each other’s company and supporting each other,” Ed gushed.
In and out
On Oct. 23, Travis drove Swift in his Rolls Royce to a dinner date at Kansas City steakhouse Piropos, which reportedly remained open late.
Although the songwriter missed her beau’s loss against the Denver Broncos the following week, she flew back on Oct. 30.
The pair reportedly spent Halloween together but did not give a glimpse of their holiday festivities, as Travis’ mansion was wrapped in caution tape to keep trick-or-treaters at bay.
Signs he’s smitten
Travis flashed his phone at the Oct. 27 World Series Game 1, leading fans to believe his lockscreen showed Swift and her signature bangs.
That same night, he was seen belting out Swift’s “Love Story” at a bar.
The former reality star played coy, however, when asked whether he was in love with Swift during a press conference the following month.
“I’m gonna keep my personal relationship personal,” Travis said with a smile on Nov. 3. “The latest status is I got to see her last week. That’s the latest status right there.”
Subtle support
Despite missing Travis’ Miami Dolphins game in Germany on Nov. 5, Swift did show subtle support for the team’s win.
The performer “liked” an Instagram post celebrating the successful match the following day.
Additionally, Swift spent the weekend with Patrick’s wife, Brittany, and more fellow Kansas City WAGs. She hosted a viewing party for Paige Buechele and Lyndsay Bell at her apartment.
Post-concert PDA
After hinting at his bye week plans, Travis jetted off to Argentina to watch Swift’s international Eras Tour stop on Nov. 11.
The NFL player danced in the audience with the singer’s dad, Scott Swift, and the duo both expressed their excitement when Taylor changed her “Karma” lyrics to honor “the guy on the Chiefs” instead of “the guy on the screen.”
She rushed into Travis’ arms after the show, locking lips with him in their first public kiss before disappearing backstage.
Rave reviews
Swift and Kelce both spoke openly about their relationship in respective interviews in late 2023.
The tight end, for his part, revealed their romance began in NYC before anyone knew they had connected.
“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,” he told WSJ. Magazine in November.
The “Blank Space” singer told a similar story after being named Time’s Person of the Year the following month.
“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,” Swift said.
She also divulged the pair was “a couple” by the time she attended her first Chiefs game.
Nothing tastes as good as victory
Swift traveled to Baltimore in late January to cheer on Kelce and the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game against the Ravens. Following Kansas City’s victory, the “Anti-Hero” singer headed down to the field with Kelce’s parents to congratulate the tight end on heading to yet another Super Bowl.
The happy couple couldn’t stop smiling as they passionately hugged and kissed, seemingly unfazed by the chaos of cameras, fans and players surrounding them.
Swift stayed on the field as Kelce accepted the AFC Championship trophy, beaming as he cheekily shouted into the microphone, “You gotta fight for your right to party!”
Super Bowl champs
The “Anti-Hero” singer rushed back to the US from a run of Eras Tour shows in Tokyo to make it to Las Vegas in time for Super Bowl LVIII, which was held at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11.
Swift defied jet lag and looked stunning as she arrived to the stadium in an all-black ensemble that matched her NFL star beau’s sparkly pre-game outfit with pal Blake Lively and her parents.
Like all Chiefs fans, the Grammy winner looked stressed as the game against the San Francisco 49ers went into overtime, but couldn’t hold back her elation when Kelce’s team scored a game-winning touchdown with just seconds left.
Swift rushed down to the field to congratulate the tight end and the pair continued celebrating into the wee hours of the night at a PDA-packed afterparty.
The pair was seen dancing together and singing her hit songs “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me,” and Kelce even gave her his jacket at one point in the evening.
Swift posted a hilarious video from the evening on her TikTok account the following night, marking the first time she acknowledged their relationship on social media.
International love
After the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory, the “Cardigan” singer headed down other to continue her international Eras Tour in Melbourne, Australia. While Kelce couldn’t make it to those shows due to his schedule, he and pal Ross Travis flew across the world to catch a show in Sydney in Feb. 2024.
The tight end sang his heart out during the performance before meeting her for a kiss post-show. The duo was even able to play tourist for a day when they checked out the Sydney Zoo in their downtime.
Kelce left Sydney so he could be in Philadelphia for his brother’s NFL retirement press conference and a Cleveland Cavaliers game, but quickly hopped back on a private jet with friends and jetted off to Singapore for more Eras Tour concerts.
The Grammy winner ran into her beau’s arms for a celebratory kiss after one of the performances in another PDA-packed post-concert moment.
Tropical getaway
Swift and Kelce were finally able to enjoy some much-needed time off on a tropical vacation in March 2024. A DeuxMoi follower spotted the pair on a dock and snapped a few sneaky photos, but didn’t provide any further info on the couple’s getaway.
Prior to the trip, the Chiefs player detailed his travel essentials on his “New Heights” podcast.
“It’s important to have the right credit card for you,” he said.
