We’ll take a wild guess and say that Travis Kelce’s favorite track from Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” might be “Mastermind.”
Shortly after he turned up to The Eras Tour with a friendship bracelet and a dream, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end began dating the multi-Grammy-winning superstar.
Kelce, 34, laid the groundwork and made his feelings for Swift, 33, known in July, after he failed to get some one-on-one time when her tour passed through his home turf in Missouri. Soon, all the dominoes cascaded in a line: Swift began attending NFL games, openly cheering for the Chiefs, and stepping out with Kelce for date nights in New York City.
For everything that has gone down between the Super Bowl winner and the record-breaking singer-songwriter, here’s a complete timeline of their relationship so far.
Kelce officially entered his Swiftie era when he attended the second of the “Anti-Hero” singer’s two performances on his home turf.
Before the concert, held at Arrowhead Stadium, Kelce was seen chatting with other Swifties and even trading friendship bracelets, according to a video posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Speaking on his podcast, “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,” the athlete said he was “butt hurt” he couldn’t give Swift a friendship bracelet (a tradition among Swifts’ concertgoers) that included his phone number.
“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,” Kelce told his brother and cohost, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
Jason then asked which number he put on the bracelet — the number on his Kansas City Chiefs jersey (87) or his phone number.
“You know which one,” Travis responded. He also quipped that while Swift “doesn’t meet anybody” before her shows, he “took it personal.”
In an interview with Time magazine, Swift confirmed her relationship with Kelce and offered details about the beginning of their romance.
“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” she said. “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.”
Two months after his podcast episode, Kelce told ESPN’s Pat McAfee that after trying to woo the Grammy winner with a friendship bracelet, he extended an invite to one of his upcoming games.
“I told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit,'” Kelce said in the interview.
“So we’ll see what happens in the near future,” he added.
Swift sent the internet into meltdown when she accepted to Kelce’s invitation. However, according to Swift, the lovebirds were already official by the time she attended her first game on September 24.
“By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple,” she told Time. “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.”
On that fated day, Swift was photographed wearing Kansas City colors as she watched the game from Kelce’s private suite, alongside his mom, Donna Kelce.
When Kelce — already considered one of the best tight ends in NFL history — hauled in a touchdown pass from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the third quarter, Swift rose to her feet and cheered.
After chest-bumping with another spectator in the box, the singer appeared to shout, “Let’s fucking go!” as Mama Kelce smiled and applauded.
After the game, images of Kelce and Swift walking out of the stadium together and driving off in his old school convertible were shared on X.
The pair ended their night at Prime Social Rooftop, which Kelce rented out for Swift, his family, and his teammates, per Entertainment Tonight. In photos obtained by TMZ, the couple weren’t shy about showing their affection for each other as Swift was seen wrapping her arm around Kelce’s neck as they chatted to other partygoers.
In the days following, an anonymous source told People that Kelce and Swift had been “hanging out” and were still in the “super, super early days” of getting to know each other.
“They’re having fun,” the source told the outlet. “This was Taylor’s first time meeting his mom and dad, and everyone was enjoying themselves.”
Meanwhile, Kelce debriefed the Swift-inspired frenzy on his podcast. He thanked her for “pulling up” to his game, saying he “sure as hell enjoyed this weekend.”
During an episode of “New Heights,” Kelce joked that his personal life is “not so personal” anymore.
“Shout out to Taylor for pulling up,” he said. “That was pretty ballsy.”
Kelce went on to praise Swift for her behavior with his family at her first Chiefs game.
“I just thought it was awesome how everyone in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her. The friends and family,” he said. “She looked amazing, everybody was talking about her in great light. And on top of that the day went perfect for Chiefs fans, of course.”
“To see the slow motion chest bumps, to see the high fives with mom,” he continued. “To see how Chiefs kingdom was all excited that she was there, that shit was absolutely hysterical and it was definitely a game I’ll remember that’s for damn sure. And then we just slid off in the getaway car at the end.”
During the Chiefs game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New York, Swift supported Kelce again and brought along some A-list pals.
Swift was spotted watching the game alongside Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Sabrina Carpenter, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner, and Antoni Porowski.
While Swift and Kelce left the stadium separately, it seems they had spent some time together beforehand; the Super Bowl champion was spotted by Page Six leaving Swift’s New York apartment that morning.
Kelce said the NFL had gone overboard in their coverage of Swift during an episode of his podcast, released on October 4.
“I think it’s fun when they show who all is at the game. I think it brings a little more to the atmosphere, brings a little bit more to what you’re watching,” Kelce said.
“But at the same time, I think they’re overdoing it a little bit,” he continued.
NBC Sports, which aired the game, made frequent cuts to shots of Swift cheering on the Chiefs. The NFL also briefly changed bios on Instagram and X to reference Swift after the Chiefs beat the Jets.
In response, the NFL defended its coverage of the pair in a statement obtained by ESPN.
According to multiple outlets, the “Fearless” singer spent a few days with Kelce following his 34th birthday.
Us Weekly, Page Six, and the Daily Mail reported that Swift flew from her home in Nashville, Tennessee to Kansas City, Missouri the day after his birthday.
The two were not seen out together, and an anonymous source told Us Weekly that the pair chose to have a “chill night” together. It’s unknown when Swift left, but she was not present at the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Minnesota Vikings the following Sunday.
The “Cruel Summer” singer returned to the Arrowhead Stadium to cheer on Kelce as his team took on the Denver Broncos.
In a video shared by People, Swift was seen wearing a Chiefs-branded jacket for the game, where she caught up with Kelce’s parents in the family suite. She was also seen speaking with Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kelce’s teammate and close friend, Patrick Mahomes.
Photos published by Mail Online showed what appeared to be Swift’s security team outside Kelce’s home until Friday afternoon, suggesting that the pop star had stayed the night.
Kelce’s mother later discussed the “whirlwind” caused by Swift’s game-day appearances.
“I thought it would be over at that point, but it seems to just continue, and every week just seems to trump the week before,” Donna said during an episode of the “Got It From My Momma” podcast. “So it’s really kind of wild, a wild ride.”
Swift and Kelce were photographed holding hands after enjoying a date night in New York City.
The outing marked the first time the two have been photographed by paparazzi in public together, and many took it as confirmation of their relationship.
Their first public display of affection came after the pair dined at celebrity hot spot Nobu, per photos and video obtained by TMZ and Page Six.
Swift and Kelce later went to Rockefeller Center, where they made separate surprise appearances on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” They finished the night at the show’s after-party, pictures from Getty Images showed.
Swift and Kelce were photographed by paparazzi after spending Sunday night at Waverly Inn.
Swift has dined at the West Village hot spot before, most notably in 2016 with Cara Delevingne, Lorde, and Jack Antonoff.
Just a few days before the release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” Swift was on hand to support the Kansas City Chiefs as they took on the Los Angeles Chargers.
She was filmed cheering for Kelce, looking concerned when he fell, and performing an elaborate handshake with Brittany Mahomes.
Swift and Kelce were also photographed together at a post-game party, alongside Kelce’s teammate Mecole Hardman Jr. and his girlfriend Chariah Gordon.
Gordon shared a series of photos on Instagram, including one of Swift kissing Kelce on the cheek.
After the Chiefs beat the Chargers, Jason opened up to NBC Sports about his brother’s new relationship and the frenzy it has caused.
“It’s certainly been weird, the level that it is now,” he told NBC Sports on Sunday night. “On one hand, I’m happy for my brother that he seems to be in a relationship that he’s excited about, that he is genuine about. But there’s another end of it where it’s like, ‘Man, this is a lot.'”
“This is another level of stardom that typically football players don’t deal with,” he added.
In an interview with People, Ed Kelce described Swift as “a very, very sweet, very charming, down-to-earth young woman.”
The athlete’s father also praised her first impression as “very genuine,” presumably referring to the Chiefs game on October 12, when Swift and Ed were seen chatting in the stands.
“I’ll tell you something very special that I noticed about Taylor the first time I met her,” Ed shared. “We’re sitting in the suite, she gets up and in the front room, she gets up to go get a drink or something and she starts picking up empty bottles, cans, plates that are scattered around. Because in the suites everybody gets stuff and you empty it down wherever you can.”
“And I’m just thinking, I don’t think she got the diva memo. She didn’t get the spoiled musician,” he continued. “She doesn’t know how to pull that off. And that really to me said a whole lot.”
At a press conference in Frankfurt, Germany, where the Kansas City Chiefs would soon play the Miami Dolphins, Kelce fielded a direct question about his feelings for Swift.
According to ESPN’s NFL reporter Jeff Darlington, the reporter asked, “What is the latest status and are you in love?”
“I got to see her last week. That’s the latest status right there,” Kelce said of their current status, though he added, “I’m going to keep my personal relationship personal.”
A video of the exchange shows that Kelce was grinning as he replied.
During a recent episode of his podcast, Kelce also said it was “cool” to see people dress up as him and Swift for Halloween, though his brother thought it was “pretty creepy.”
Swift and Kelce were spotted at a restaurant in the Argentine capital after Swift postponed her second scheduled show in Buenos Aires due to “truly chaotic” weather in the city, she wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
According to People, the couple appeared to be joined by Swift’s dad, Scott Swift, as they dined in a private room at Elena restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires.
Swift made a small but significant change to “Karma” during her second show in Buenos Aires as Kelce watched from the VIP tent, alongside the pop star’s father, Scott Swift.
“Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me,” Swift sang with a giggle, per multiple videos captured by fans at the Estadio River Plate concert.
TikTok user @flormosso caught Kelce’s reaction to the moment the crowd erupted into cheers. The two-time Super Bowl champ covered a huge grin with his hands while Scott patted him on the shoulder.
Kelce later said he “had a little bit of a clue” that Swift was preparing something special for the show, but once he heard the lyric change, it “still shocked me.”
“I was like, ‘Oh, she really just said that,'” he said on his podcast.
When her second concert in Buenos Aires ended, Swift left the stage and ran into Kelce’s arms as he waited for her by an exit.
The couple shared their first public kiss as fans cheered.
In a cover story for WSJ. Magazine, the NFL player said he was a Swiftie before he began dating the pop star.
He praised her songwriting, especially her song “Blank Space,” and even described Swift as “a genius.”
“I’ve never been a man of words,” Kelce said. “Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been fucking mind-blowing. I’m learning every day.”
He also said he’s been hesitant to discuss their relationship in public because he doesn’t want to spook her.
“That was the biggest thing to me: make sure I don’t say anything that would push Taylor away,” he said.
“Obviously I’ve never dated anyone with that kind of aura about them… I’ve never dealt with it,” Kelce added. “But at the same time, I’m not running away from any of it.”
Once again, Swift was photographed cheering for Kelce in a private suite with Brittany Mahomes. (Unfortunately, the team lost to the Green Bay Packers 27-19.)
“They’re both really hard workers, and he acknowledges her art is hers, and he has what’s his,” an anonymous source told People. “He understands the territory their relationship comes with and like he said, isn’t letting any of the hoopla impact how they’re growing together.”
Swift opened up about Kelce in a cover story for Time magazine, which named her Person of the Year for 2023.
She said she enjoys attending NFL games “to support Travis” and praised him for openly courting her on his podcast.
Although Swift has a complicated history with dating in the public eye — and has kept previous relationships extremely private — she said there’s nothing to hide when it comes to Kelce.
“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 told Time. “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.”
During a Chiefs press conference, Kelce fielded questions about navigating his relationship amid his growing fame.
“As long as we’re happy, we can’t listen to anything that’s outside noise,” Kelce said. “That’s all that matters.”
Kelce added that he’d be “silly” to deny Swift’s role in his growing fan base, but his priority is still his job.
“I brought this upon myself, and I do enjoy having fun with it all, and the biggest thing is making sure my focus is right here in this building,” Kelce told reporters.
For her 12th NFL appearance, Swift watched the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens to secure their spot in Super Bowl LVIII.
After the game, she joined Kelce and his family on the field to celebrate. The couple shared several hugs and kisses in front of the crowd.
Read next
Jump to
