Pop superstar Taylor Swift made a memorable return to Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs as they opened the NFL season against the Baltimore Ravens.
Swift arrived approximately 90 minutes before the AFC title game rematch, donning a denim crop top, shorts, and eye-catching red knee-high heeled boots. As storms began to gather, she joined nearly 80,000 excited fans awaiting kickoff.
Last season, Swift transitioned from music stages to football stadiums as one of the Chiefs’ biggest supporters, coinciding with her high-profile romance with Kelce. Their relationship began in a unique way—Kelce missed giving her a friendship bracelet at one of her concerts, so he extended an invitation to her via social media to attend a game. The “Anti-Hero” singer accepted for a September matchup against the Bears.
Throughout the season, whenever Swift had breaks from her Eras Tour, she made it a point to see Kelce and the Chiefs play. Notably, she flew directly from a stadium show in Japan to Las Vegas to attend the Super Bowl. That day, she celebrated alongside her friends, including Blake Lively, enjoyed Post Malone’s performance of “America the Beautiful,” and even took part in a beer chugging contest before celebrating the Chiefs’ victory with an on-field kiss with Kelce.
During this time, Swift formed a close friendship with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany.
While Swift took a breather from her tour, Kelce frequently visited her concerts, even appearing onstage in a tuxedo during her performance at Wembley Stadium in London. Swift later shared her delight on social media about his cameo, expressing she was still “cracking up/swooning over (Kelce’s) Eras Tour debut” before 90,000 avid fans.
The offseason has been equally busy for both stars. Swift wrapped up the European leg of her Eras Tour with five shows at Wembley and is on a break until October before starting the North American leg of her tour. Meanwhile, Kelce has been making waves beyond the football field. Along with his brother Jason Kelce, he secured a nine-figure deal to bring their “New Heights” podcast to Amazon’s Wondery service. He’s also set to appear in Ryan Murphy’s murder mystery “Grotesquerie” on FX and is hosting “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity” on Prime Video.
As the Chiefs, who have won two straight Super Bowls and three in the last five years, began their quest for a historic third consecutive Lombardi Trophy, Kelce reflected on how he balances his busy life. He pointed to Arrowhead Stadium as his sanctuary, a place where he finds joy in football amid the pressures of life.
“I just love football and how it takes me away from life,” Kelce said. “It gives me something I can feel genuinely happy about. I enjoy coming into the building, working on my craft, getting to understand a new game plan and perfecting that for the people around me. It gives me a purpose to kind of go about my day and to live my life.”
Not everything has been smooth sailing for Swift and Kelce during the offseason. Last month, Swift had to cancel three sold-out shows in Vienna after the CIA thwarted a plot linked to the Islamic State to target the concert, which could have resulted in a massive loss of life.
Additionally, a spokesperson for Kelce recently dismissed a document posted online questioning the authenticity of their relationship as “entirely false and fabricated.” This document, titled “Comprehensive Media Plan For Travis Kelce’s Relations Following Breakup with Taylor Swift,” surfaced on Reddit but has since been removed.
On “The Rich Eisen Show,” Kelce spoke candidly about their relationship, highlighting Swift’s curiosity and attention to detail. “She had just been so open to learning the game,” Kelce said, noting her meticulous nature in her own profession. He even shared with a smile that Swift had started drawing up plays for him, although they appeared to be somewhat biased, favoring him for the action.
