David Letterman tells Taylor Swift’s NFL haters to ‘shut up’ amid her Travis Kelce romance

David Letterman is calling out some NFL fans who have been criticizing Taylor Swift and the media attention surrounding her relationship with Travis Kelce.

The 76-year-old comedian delivered a strong message to Swifts’ critics in a funny video posted to his Instagram on Jan. 28, the day Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game and secured a spot at the upcoming Super Bowl.

“Taylor Swift, I don’t think in the history of show business, in the history of popular culture, we’ve ever witnessed anything like this,” he said in the clip. “Tremendous. She fills stadiums around the world and puts on a three-hour show.”

He explained why fans should celebrate Swift and Kelce’s romance instead of complaining.

“We live in a world now where all we hear is nonsense and ugliness. And the nonsense can’t be more nonsensical and the ugliness – God hopes it can’t get any uglier. But that’s all we hear. And now here’s Taylor Swift, who is a glowing bright light of goodness in the world, and she starts dating (Kelce),” Letterman continued.

The “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” host slipped in a joke and referred to Kelce as Kelsey Grammer instead. He continued the bit throughout the rest of the conversation as he shared his thoughts about why football fans and Swifties are overdoing it.

“The (Kelce) people say, ‘Oh, no, no, no, don’t bother us. We’re all caught up in football. We don’t want Taylor and football,’’ he added. “And the Taylor Swift people, the Swifties, are saying, ‘Oh, we don’t want a footballer in here with (Kelce).’”

A person off-camera interrupted him to clarify that Swift is dating the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, not the “Frasier” star.

Letterman said, “And I say to both camps, ‘This is such a lovely thing. Shut up!’”

“It’s good for the footballers. It’s good for Taylor Swift. And it’s something positive and happy for the world. And also, politically, Taylor Swift is a huge force. And I think (she) just wants to see people do the right thing. So God bless Taylor Swift and (Kelce),” he concluded.

The former “Late Show” host captioned the video, “Dave is #teamtaylor.”

The “Karma” singer has made multiple appearances at Kelce’s games over the past few months. The broadcast tends to cut to Swift to show her reactions to his touchdowns or other important moments during the games. Announcers like Tony Romo have also joined in and referenced their relationship during the play-by-play.

But, some fans aren’t pleased with the few seconds Swift is highlighted during the games. Beneath Letterman’s post, one Instagram user wrote, “Love her on stage, don’t need to see her after plays at NFL game.”

Another said, “We’re all sick of her by now.”

The pop superstar reacted to the attention she's received in her interview with Time magazine after she was named the 2023 Person of the Year in December.

“I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in,” she shared. “There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once.”

She added, “I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”

When the Chiefs beat the Ravens 17-10, Swift joined the team on the field with the rest of the fans and family. She congratulated Kelce and the two shared several kisses and hugs.

The NFL also shared more footage of their sweet exchange on X the next day.

In addition to criticism about her camera time, after the win, some conservative pundits theorized that the attention could be a political ploy.

Sports journalist and The Atlantic contributing writer Jemele Hill addressed the conspiracy and shared a similar sentiment to Letterman while speaking with Abby Phillip on CNN in a clip uploaded to X on Jan. 29.

“It’s been super annoying to see people really lose it over Taylor Swift being at NFL games. I can tell you, I don’t care. She doesn’t take away from any of my enjoyment of the game,” Hill said. “But a lot of people have been complaining, a lot of hardcore football fans who meltdown for the 15 seconds that she’s seen on camera.”

If she can make it there in time, fans might see Swift cheering on the Chiefs and her boyfriend again when the Kansas City team faces the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com