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Pop superstar Taylor Swift finally broke her silence on her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce after being named Time Magazine's 'Person of the Year' on Wednesday (December 6).
Swift, 33, praised Kelce, 34, for "adorably" putting her "on blast" when he revealed on his 'New Heights' podcast in July that he attempted and failed to give her a bracelet with his phone number while attending her 'Eras Tour' concert in Kansas City. The singer added that the two had spent "significant" time together before she initially attended a Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium in September, at which point they were already "a couple."
“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” Swift 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. 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.”
“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 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.”
Last Tuesday (November 28), a source with knowledge of the situation told Us Weekly that Swift reportedly flew back to Kansas City to be with Kelce following the conclusion of her 'Eras Tour' concerts in Brazil the previous day. Swift's private jet was reported to have landed at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, according to flight tracker data shared by the Instagram account @TaylorSwiftJets. The singer isn't scheduled to resume the international leg of her ongoing 'Eras Tour' until February 7, 2024, which will kick off four consecutive shows at the Tokyo Dome.
A source told Us Weekly that Swift was "so grateful" to Kelce for being a "huge support" to her after the death of 23-year-old concertgoer Ana Clara Benevides, who went into cardiac arrest and died during the show amid extreme temperatures on November 17. Kelce was previously spotted with Swift's father in a VIP tent at her Buenos Aires, Argentina, 'Eras Tour' concert on November 11, which coincided with the Chiefs' bye week.
A viral video showed Kelce putting his hands on his face and smiling after Swift changed the lyrics to her song 'Karma' from "Karma is the guy on the screen" to "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs."
Another video shared on November 11 showed Swift kissing Kelce after walking offstage, which also caused a loud cheer from the fans in attendance.
Videos shared online showed the couple on a date at Elena restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel on November 10, which coincided with the decision to postpone Swift's second scheduled Argentina show due to heavy rain in the area. Swift began the international leg of her tour on November 9 and had another show on November 12.
Kelce was expected to spend part of his bye week in Argentina with Swift before being photographed outside an airport in Buenos Aires. Last month, Entertainment Tonight reported that Kelce planned to visit Swift on the international leg of her 'Eras Tour.'
"Travis and Taylor are all in. The two are very into each other and are enjoying their time together but are also planning for the future. Taylor starts her international tour in November, and Travis is planning to be there to spend time with her," a source said at the time. "Travis and Taylor are very serious about their careers, and the two bond over that and want to show support for each other whenever they can."
Last month, Chariah Gordon, the girlfriend of recently re-acquired Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. shared multiple photos of herself and Hardman alongside Swift and Kelce after Kansas City's 31-17 win against the AFC West Division rival Los Angeles Chargers on October 22, which included one photo of Swift kissing a smiling Kelce on his left cheek, the first time the singer was seen kissing the All-Pro tight end publicly. Multiple commenters acknowledged that Gordon's post "broke the internet" after it was shared.
Swift and Kelce were seen holding hands as the exited Arrowhead Stadium together and drove off in Kelce's Rolls Royce -- which was flanked by Swift's security team -- before celebrating the win at Kelce's Kansas City mansion, which reportedly included food catered by a popular local barbecue truck, the Daily Mail reported. Swift attended four of the Chiefs' games, all of which the team had won.
Swift and Kelce were previously seen holding hands as they left The Waverly Inn in the West Village on October 15, one night after both made surprise cameos on the 'Saturday Night Live' Season 49 premiere and attended the show's overnight afterparty at Catch Steak together. The tight end was also spotted on the sidelines at MetLife Stadium to support his brother during the Eagles' game against the New York Jets earlier in the evening, which Swift reportedly didn't attend.
The couple was reported to have been seen kissing and getting "handsy" during the 'SNL' afterparty at Catch Steak in the meatpacking district of New York City early Sunday morning.
“Travis and Taylor seemed to really be enjoying the night, and each other, even kissing throughout the night,” an insider told Page Six.
Videos shared online showed Kelce and Swift walking hand in hand as they entered the restaurant at around 2:20 a.m. Kelce was reported to have had his hand around Swift's waist throughout the night before both left at around 4:00 a.m.
Both Kelce and Swift made surprise appearances on the 'SNL' premiere, with Kelce making a cameo in a skit parodying FOX Sports' coverage of their relationship and Swift introducing her friend, rapper Ice Spice, who served as the show's musical performer.
In September, TMZ reported that Swift and Kelce hung out "several times" in a "very private setting" prior to the singer's initial appearance at Arrowhead Stadium.