How to Talk About Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce with Your Swiftie Relatives at Thanksgiving
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Pop icon Taylor Swift is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and it's given everyone from Swifties to pro-football fans (and even Reba McEntire herself) something to talk about. But if this phenomenon has somehow gone over your head, you might feel out of your element if the topic comes up at your Thanksgiving gathering.
I know because I've already been lost in a few conversations, which is why I put together this Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce dating timeline.
You don't have to be an NFL super fan or know every song on the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie setlist to keep up with the chat. You just need a grasp of the highlight reel of major moments, plus know a few key terms, like friendship bracelets and "seemingly ranch." (If you really want to impress people, start a discussion about the right way to pronounce Kelce.)
Are you the family's resident expert on the couple? Then let this timeline serve as your guide to walk others through it, starting at the beginning:
July 26: Travis confesses meet-cute attempt.
On an episode of the Kelce brothers' New Heights football podcast, Travis tells his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, about making a friendship bracelet (a Swiftie favorite) with his phone number on it, which he hoped to give Taylor when he attended her concert. The gesture was incredibly sweet, but Travis was disappointed. Turns out Taylor doesn't meet with anyone before or after shows to protect her voice.
From this point on, rumors about the two dating swirl. And, one way or another, Travis's message gets through—possibly with a little help from the public plea made on his behalf by Fox sportscaster Erin Andrews.
September 24: Taylor goes to a Kansas City Chiefs game—and sits next to Travis's mom.
After Travis "throws the ball in her court," Taylor shows up at a game to cheer him on and sits next to his mom to boot. Game-day footage reveals Donna Kelce and Taylor getting along swimmingly. When Travis scores a touchdown, Taylor jumps up and down and high fives her fellow fans in the skybox. This event is also the source of the seemingly ranch meme, which goes viral when a post on X (formerly Twitter) observes Taylor eating a piece of fried chicken with ketchup and "seemingly ranch" at the game. Afterward, Taylor, Travis, and his teammates celebrate at a private party at the Kansas City restaurant Prime Social Rooftop, which Travis rented out for the occasion.
September 27: Travis opens up about "rollercoaster of life" since his date with Taylor.
On the podcast, Travis shares that paparazzi have appeared outside his house since Taylor's game-day appearance. He also gushes about Taylor coming out to cheer him on and the all good things friends and family have to say about her. He also says that going forward, he'll be sticking to sports talk on the podcast. "I know I brought all this attention to me...What's real is that it is my personal life, and I want to respect both of our lives."
October 1: Donna Kelce sits with Jake from State Farm at Eagles game.
In my red era with Mama MaAuto pic.twitter.com/AW0M3I0jlC
— Jake from State Farm (@JakeStateFarm) October 1, 2023
This time, it's brother Jason who's being cheered on. Donna and Jake (aka actor Kevin Miles) post photos together on social media along with clever jokes referencing Taylor and Travis dating. Jake posts that Jason "made him a great friendship bracelet," while Donna captions a photo "No 'Seemingly Ranch' available at the Linc." If all of this is starting to sound surreal, it's because it is. Ryan Reynold's Maximum Effort orchestrated the stunt. (Ryan is known for such hijinks. See also: Aviation Gin's "Peleton Wife" commercial of 2019.)
October 14-15: Time for SNL cameos and a romantic weekend in New York.
On Saturday, SNL performs a skit about the NFL's sudden case of Swiftmania. Travis and Taylor just happen to drop by for the show and are invited to make impromptu cameos: He appears at the end of the NFL skit, while she introduces the musical guest Ice Spice's second number. Later, they attend the SNL after-party and follow it up with a date night the next day.
On both nights, photos of the cozy, handholding pair generate a lot of buzz. A body language expert says they "display an intimate, loving connection." Another source says that "At one point, he actually told her security guard that he could step aside, like he'd take it from here."
Other celebrities get in on the commentary too. Singer Katy Perry comments "I ship" (a slang term meaning she approves of the relationship) on one Instagram photo of the couple.
Singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson remarks that the SNL skit is "hilarious" but adds, "It's not hilarious how it is literally taking over the NFL for people that like watching sports...It's like you're watching Housewives." After backlash, she takes to Instagram to say she is not bashing the romance—she just wants to watch football.
October 18: Travis buys $6 million mansion for better privacy.
With privacy concerns mounting and paparazzi everywhere, Travis upgrades his home to a more secluded property in Kansas City.
October 22: The numbers are in: Travis plays better with Taylor in the stands.
CBS publishes its famous graphic showing that when Taylor attends a game, Travis averages 99 yards per game, versus 46.5 when "left to his own devices." A few days later on the New Heights podcast, Travis shares that Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has given his approval, reportedly saying that Taylor “can stay around all she wants.”
October 31: Taylor and Travis spend Halloween together—and become the "it" costume for couples.
On the heels of reports that the couple is "all in" and that Travis is making plans to be with her on tour, Taylor travels to Kansas City to console Travis after a Chiefs loss and also to spend Halloween together. Beyond Kansas, the pair's personas become a trending couple's Halloween costume: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, as well as Mitt Romney and his wife, jump on the bandwagon. Even pups got in on the Halloween fun.
November 3: Travis plays coy about the L-word at a press conference.
When a bold reporter asks the tight end if he is in love, Travis answers, “I'm going to keep my personal relationship personal.” He also avoids answering if she'll be at the next game, saying “When I mention—or everyone knows—she’s at the game, the Vegas [line] and over-under on my catches goes up and down. … So I don’t want to mess with any of that stuff.”
November 5: Taylor gives first show of support for Travis on Instagram.
When the Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 21-14 in Germany, Travis reaches a major career milestone, becoming the Chief's all-time leading receiver. Though Taylor is not able to attend, she shows her public support another way: She likes People's Instagram post about Travis' achievement. Yes, we know. You like Instagram posts all the time. But when Taylor does it, it's a very. big. deal.
November 11—Taylor puts Kelce in one of her songs.
During a performance in Argentina, Taylor changed the lyrics of "Karma" to reference Travis, who had taken advantage of the Chief's bye week to fly out to see her. "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me," she sang. After the show, ran off stage and into Travis' arms, giving him a big kiss. The two were also spotted at dinner together the night before. Later, Travis comments on the lyric change, saying "It blew me away."
November 23—Reports say a Swift-Kelce family Thanksgiving is in the cards.
If it happens, the gathering would mark the first meeting of the couple's parents, Donna and Ed Kelce and Andrea and Scott Swift. The families were originally set to meet at the game of the Chiefs vs. the Eagles on Monday, November 20. However, Taylor's schedule changed after one of her Rio de Janeiro tour dates was postponed for safety reasons following the tragic heat-related death of concertgoer Ana Clara Benevides on November 17.
Also presumably joining the Thanksgiving gathering: Jason Kelce, his wife Kylie, and their "Swiftie" 4-year-old daughter Wyatt. And you can bet Donna's Thanksgiving rolls will be on the menu.
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