Siri, send a few generic yet positive adjectives Travis Kelce’s way so he can talk about his New Year’s celebrations with Taylor Swift without setting off any alarms. Fun? Great? Cool? These are all words that Travis used to describe how he felt about kissing 2023 goodbye (while, naturally, kissing Swift on the lips), without actually uttering Swift’s name.
True to his mid-year resolution to keep his private life private, Travis kept close to mum on his New Year’s Eve shenanigans with his global superstar girlfriend, while discussing holiday celebrations with his brother Jason Kelce on this week’s episode of their podcast, New Heights.
“It was an all-around fun game, man,” Travis, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, said of his win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 31. “The atmosphere was great on New Year’s Eve.” The win secured the Chiefs a playoff berth, as well as the AFC West division title, both of which are things you like when you’re a football team.
Swift was in attendance for the win, of course, as was Donna Kelce, mom of Travis and Jason. Travis was happy to shout out Mama Kelce by name, gushing about exchanging presents with her (which he kept secret because he kept things a little last-minute and a “fucking awesome” thing for Jason is still being made, and he didn’t want to give away the goods before he could gift them). “It was cool to have Mom in town to catch up on a little Christmas and bring in the new year,” he said.
“We all got to celebrate New Year’s Eve together. It was cool, man, to have all the friends and fam, I think I had over 50, 55 people come in for this one, a good New Year’s celebration for all the friends and fam,” he said.
One of those friends and fam, you may notice, is going unnamed here, someone whose name starts with a “T” and ends with “aylor Swift.” This appears to be another battle in the war between the two wolves who live inside Travis when it comes to Swift: The one who’s trying to be chill, and the one who can’t help gushing about her. Take, for example, his recent commentary on opposing fans cheering for Swift on the Jumbotron at an away game: He said he was “trying to keep it cool,” but couldn’t help saying that the fan reaction “just shows you how amazing that girl is.”
And it’s certainly a concerted effort for Travis: In November, he told WSJ. Magazine that he’s careful about what he says about his relationship, knowing that millions of people are eagerly listening, waiting to dissect every syllable.
“That was the biggest thing to me: make sure I don’t say anything that would push Taylor away,” he said. “Obviously I’ve never dated anyone with that kind of aura about them…. I’ve never dealt with it. But at the same time, I’m not running away from any of it…. The scrutiny she gets, how much she has a magnifying glass on her, every single day, paparazzi outside her house, outside every restaurant she goes to, after every flight she gets off, and she’s just living, enjoying life. When she acts like that I better not be the one acting all strange.”
So, yes, it makes sense. One note, however: Early in this week’s episode, the Brothers Kelce discuss an illustration shared on social media by NFL Mexico featuring several players, Travis included. And what’s he holding in his arms in the doodle but three Scottish Fold cats, notably the breed of Swift’s beloved feline friends.
