Romance rumors about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce started in July, and in October, they hard launched their relationship. Here’s a full timeline.
Wait until you see her handshake with Brittany Mahomes.
It looks like Taylor Swift found something appealing about “dating the boy on the football team,” after all. Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce went public with their relationship on Oct. 14 with a touchy New York City date night — and this milestone was a long time coming.
ICYMI, on Sept. 12, the Messenger first reported that Swift and Kelce were “hanging out,” two months after the Chiefs player made his crush on the “Karma” singer public. (Kelce discussed Swift on his podcast in July, explaining how he wanted to meet her at the Eras Tour in Kansas City.)
On Sept. 13, a source told Entertainment Tonight that the duo were not officially dating, but things have progressed since then. On Oct. 14 and Oct. 15, Swift and Kelce took over NYC with two public dates and a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Though they haven’t publicly defined the relationship yet, fans are convinced this is a love story in the making, especially considering their telling PDA and Swift’s smudged lipstick. In other words, it’s officially the Super Bowl for Swifties. Here’s a full timeline of all the Traylor dating rumors.
In a July 26 episode of his podcast, Travis recalled to his brother Jason how he lost his chance with Taylor during her tour. “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. «So I was a little butthurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.»
That bracelet had his phone number on it, BTW. He added, «She doesn’t meet anybody, or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal.»
On a Sept. 1 episode of New Heights, Travis mentioned Taylor again — though this time, he played it coy. “We’re not gonna bring up Taylor Swift in this episode,” Travis said, after Jason jokingly asked what the singer thought of the Chiefs player’s new mustache. Then, on Sept. 6, Travis wore a John Mayer T-shirt to record the podcast, which some fans thought was a subtle way to shade Taylor’s ex.
“Taylor and Travis have been quietly hanging out,» a source told The Messenger on Sept. 12. «She saw him when she was in NYC a few weeks ago.»
That same day, an insider told ET, “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.”
Apparently, at this point, they’d only “hung out twice” and were just “seeing where things go.” On Sept. 20, a source told The Messenger that she thought he was “very charming.”
According to the insider, “They have been texting this last week. He is a little embarrassed at how much attention they are getting, but he has told her he would love to continue seeing her.”
On Sept. 20, Jason admitted on the WIP Morning Show that he didn’t know “what’s happening with Travis’ love life,” but had his own theories. Per Page Six, Jason considered himself “out of that world” — that world being Travis’ romantic life. However, he followed up with, “Having said that, I think they’re doing great and I think it’s all 100 percent true.” (Following Taylor’s first appearance at Travis’ game, Jason joked, «Well Trav, how’s it feel that Taylor Swift has finally put you on the map?”)
Jason previously hinted at the Travis and Taylor romance rumors during a post-game interview on Sept. 14. At the time, he didn’t reveal much. “I cannot comment on the rumors,” he said. “Ever since Catching Kelce, everyone’s been infatuated with Travis’ love life. I don’t really know what’s going on there. I know Travis is having fun and we’ll see what happens with whoever he’s dating.”
“It’s hilarious how much traction this has actually gotten, right now it’s like a game of telephone,” the Chiefs player said on The Pat McAfee Show on Sept. 21, per E! — marking the first time he had spoken directly about the speculation. “No one actually knows what’s going on, especially when you got Jason Kelce on live television telling people both sides — he doesn’t know, it’s true, this and that.”
Travis added, “I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court… 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.”
Following the initial dating rumors, a 2016 video of Kelce talking about kissing Swift went viral. When AfterBuzz TV asked him to play a game of Kiss, Marry, Kill, Travis responded, “Damn, that’s messed up. I don’t want to kill any of them.” He eventually answered, “Kill is Ariana. Sorry, love you, but you’re gone. And then Taylor Swift would be the kiss. And what’s the last one? Katy Perry? Yeah, Katy Perry would be the marry.”
BTW, by August 2023, Travis’ answer seemed to change. In a TikTok posted by the Kansas City Chiefs, each player was asked who their celeb crushes were while growing up. Kelce’s teammate answered for him. His guess? “Taylor Swift.”
On Sept. 24, Swift took Kelce up on his offer to host her at Arrowhead Stadium. At the Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs game, Swift was spotted in the stands cheering Kelce on. Not only that, the singer was seated right next to Kelce’s mom.
After the game, Swift and Kelce left the stadium together — and one of them reportedly paid for dinner for an entire restaurant full of customers, so they could have the place (Prime Social Rooftop) to themselves. That evening, Kelce was sporting a blue and white set that was actually a 1989 Easter egg. Swifties found the denim outfit online, and turns out, it’s the 1989 Bedroom Painting Set from Kid Super.
Following Swift’s attendance at the Chiefs game, sources shared that she was officially “smitten” with Kelce — even if the rumored romance was still casual. “They have been on a few dates and Taylor is smitten with him,” a source told Us Weekly on Sept. 26. “It is not serious, and Taylor is having fun right now.”
Another Us source said that they have been “enjoying each other’s company and getting to know each other.” Apparently, they’ve been “getting closer and closer every day.”
A TMZ insider confirmed rumors that Swift and Kelce had been seeing each other for a couple of weeks. According to the source, they actually hung out “several times” before the game, but only in a “very private setting.”
Kelce discussed Swift on his New Heights podcast — specifically her “ballsy” decision to attend his game. “I just thought it was awesome that everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her. The friends and family. She looked amazing,” Kelce said, per Us. Later, he added, “I sure as hell enjoyed this weekend.”
He also made it clear that’s all fans would hear from him about the sitch. Per ESPN, Kelce added, “I know I brought all this attention to me… What’s real is that, you know, it is my personal life.
