Donna Kelce revealed the celebrity double daters recently went on a weekend vacation to Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. But with Philly connections so deep, we’re asking: Why didn’t they just hang here?
All roads lead to Pennsylvania, even those in a surprisingly real place called Carmel-by-the-Sea.
The scenic northern California beach town is where Taylor Swift recently vacationed with boyfriend Travis Kelce, bestie Gigi Hadid, and boyfriend-of-the-bestie Bradley Cooper, Kelce’s mom Donna revealed at a QVC summit in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
We can only assume they talked about distinctly Philadelphia things while lounging by the ocean, like how to properly pronounce Passyunk. Or their takes on President Joe Biden’s Wawa order. Or maybe even where to get the best cheesesteak, though Cooper might be a bit biased.
Donna said her son sent her a photo of the foursome hanging out after he learned that Cooper would be at the same QVC event, serving up sandwiches from Danny and Coop’s Cheesesteaks — Cooper’s venture with Angelo’s Pizzeria owner Danny DiGiampietro — during a luncheon to honor female celebrities, activists, business leaders, and lifestyle experts who exemplify the possibilities of life over 50.
When she met Cooper, Donna recounted at the summit, she said, “Travis told me you were going to be here.”
Also at the summit: Golden Bachelor breakout star and Aston hairdresser Susan Noles, who met Cooper while he was working inside the Danny and Coop’s food truck.
Anyway, back to the couples vacation: Nearly everyone on that trip has at least one connection to the Philadelphia area, which begs the question: Why vacation in California when there’s a beach coming to the Schuylkill riverfront?
Seriously, what do they got that we don’t?
Swift is a Berks County native who famously grew up on a Christmas tree farm just outside of Reading before reaching the pinnacle of pop music stardom. Even more notably, Swift is a fair-weather Eagles fan, officially repping the team in her song “Gold Rush” before turning around and donning Kansas City Chiefs red throughout the past NFL season.
Swift started dating Travis Kelce over the summer, when he tried — and failed — to slip Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it during the Eras Tour stint in Kansas City.
The pair have been going strong ever since. Swift penned the only two happy songs on The Tortured Poets Department about their relationship, while Kelce hasn’t been shy about showing off Swift to his family — including brother and recently retired all-star Eagles center Jason, who charmed Swift with his shirtless antics at the Chiefs-Bills playoff game.
The couple also reportedly spent Easter in Havertown with Jason and his family.
Cooper, meanwhile, grew up in Rydal and Jenkintown and would never spurn his hometown football team. Cooper previously told Howard Stern that he’d rather see the Eagles win Super Bowl LVII than win an Oscar for his work in Maestro, the Leonard Bernstein biopic Cooper wrote, directed, and starred in.
(Neither, as we know, actually happened.)
The type of guy who showed up early to his high school reunion at Chestnut Hill Brewing Company, Cooper also played Delco gym teacher Pat Solitano in 2012′s Silver Linings Playbook, which this reporter believes is the best football movie (and rom-com!) to ever take place in Pennsylvania. If you think otherwise, go argue with a wall.
As for Hadid, the supermodel bought a farmhouse in New Hope with ex-boyfriend Zayn Malik before they split in 2021. Cooper and Hadid started dating in fall 2023. Soon after, the actor purchased a $6.5 million, 33-acre estate near the gentrifying Bucks County town, Page Six reported.
With Pennsylvania bona fides like that, you can hope the couples spent their California getaway talking about how soon they could return home.
