Travis Kelce, the 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end, came to the defense of his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, in the face of boos from New England Patriots fans at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on December 17th.
Addressing the incident on his New Heights podcast, Kelce expressed admiration for Swift’s ability to garner an enthusiastic response from the opposing team’s fan base.
Reflecting on the moment, Kelce stated, “They showed Taylor at the game, and I mean, you don’t see an entire home team fan base go insane for somebody wearing the opposite team’s colors.
Just shows you how amazing that girl is. They went absolutely insane when they showed Taylor on the screen, yes.”
Despite the cheers, Kelce acknowledged that there were a few fans expressing disapproval, attributing it more to team loyalty than any personal animosity towards Swift.
“There might have been a few Brads and Chads that were booing, but, for the most part, everybody was screaming their tail off for her,” he noted, referencing Swift’s recent Time Magazine interview where she humorously mentioned the possibility of irking some “dads, Brads, and Chads.”
Massive boo’s from Gillette as Taylor swift comes on the jumbo, America is waking up pic.twitter.com/rfgMUllpHL
— Mexican Mindset (@DonnieMexico17) December 17, 2023
“I was trying to keep it cool,” Kelce continued. “I was like, ‘Don’t show your cards, don’t show your cards.’ It was fun, man.
Taylor’s on record saying that stadium’s one of the funnest that she played at, so for them to show her is kind of just showing her some love, so shoutout to the Patriots for doing that.”
During the podcast, Kelce’s brother and co-host, Jason Kelce, highlighted the support Swift’s father, Scott Swift, showed by donning a vintage black and red Chiefs sweatshirt at the game, despite being a longtime Philadelphia Eagles fan.
Kelce commented on the attire, saying, “It’s kinda looking real nice on him, man. It’s a swaggy vintage joint.”
The public attention Swift receives at Kelce’s games is not new, dating back to her first appearance at Arrowhead Stadium on September 24th.
During the recent game, Swift attended with her father and close friend Alana Haim, watching from a private suite.
The jumbotron zoomed in on Swift, sporting a Chiefs sweatshirt and beanie hat with Kelce’s jersey number 87, provoking dismay among Patriots fans.
A viral video on social media captured the moment, with one user (@DonnieMexico17) noting, “Massive boos from Gillette as Taylor Swift comes on the jumbo, America is waking up.”
In the video, Swift, seemingly unfazed by the boos, playfully blew a kiss to her detractors and shrugged off the reaction beside Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Chiefs quarterback Austin Mahomes.