Kayla Nicole, Travis Kelce’s Ex, Addresses “Backlash And Embarrassment” In Open Letter
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On-air host and model Kayla Nicole—who dated NFL star, Travis Kelce, on-and-off from 2017 until 2022—is addressing a handful of “backlash and embarrassment” she’s received in a new open letter to Black women shared on her Instagram this past Monday (Oct. 9).
“It’s always been really important for me to use my platform, not to create division, but to elevate and unite women—Black women specifically,” Nicole began.
The 31-year-old continued, “They may call you a traitor for falling in love. You’ll hope the ones closest will protect you, but you will quickly find out people don’t protect what they don’t value. They’ll say you’re too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken, and in the same breath, tell you that you’re not enough. Not successful enough, not wholesome enough. Maybe not enough intelligent enough.”
The controversy stems from her Kansas City Chiefs ex’s new, highly-publicized, rumored romance with Taylor Swift and the passive-aggressive comments Nicole’s received under the public posts of her moving on from their relationship.
Nicole expressed, “they’ll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment because of your Blackness, you should’ve known better.” She encouraged viewers to remember that their value goes beyond their “net worth” and that they should not “participate in this tumultuous, often one-sided journey.”
“Preserve your heart. Even when they try to quantify your character and test your boundaries. You do not have to engage. You do not have to respond. There is power in your silence.” She stressed that this isn’t just about her personal experience, but wants to make sure on a communal level that other Black girls in similar situations aren’t alone because “my truth, trauma, and vulnerability is a relatable part of the human experience.”
Nicole wasn’t the only ex to be caught in the crossfire from the wrath of Swift’s fans.
Maya Benberry has mentioned that she’s received death threats from Swifties. She dated Kelce for eight months, prior to Nicole, after winning his dating reality show competition, Catching Kelce. She told Inside Edition, “Swifties are aggressive, very negative, very hypocritical. It’s really crazy to me that someone I think is positive and really nice would have such a negative and angry fan base.”
Watch Nicole’s full open letter above.
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