Inside Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Budding Romance

Unless you've quite literally been living under a rock (or, you know, you've been without cell phone service for the last three months), you're probably well aware that Taylor Swift is Travis Kelce's girlfriend. This new celebrity relationship has all the makings of an iconic love story straight out of a movie (or, perhaps, a Taylor Swift song). Famous NFL player publicly praises a global pop star on his podcast. Said pop star shows up at a game loudly cheering him on (while sitting next to his mom, no less). The two drive off into the sunset in a convertible after the game. They embark on a globe-trotting romance. Sorry, but I don't how it gets better than this.

Although the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce dating rumors were somewhat unfounded at first, they have been swirling since the summer (notably after her headline-making breakup with Joe Alwyn earlier this spring). Plus, given her presence at multiple Kansas City Chiefs games and his attendance at the Eras Tour in Argentina, it's confirmed that we're witnessing the start of a world-changing celebrity romance in real time.

Since we're well-versed in buzzy love stories, we can't help but swoon over Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's romance. We break down their complete relationship timeline, starting from the very moment the NFL tight end first manifested a romance with the Grammy Award winner, along with all the evidence contributing to this budding romance.

• Rumblings of a Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce relationship began this summer when he mentioned her on his podcast with his brother, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce. In the episode, he claimed that he tried to give Taylor his phone number after seeing her Eras Tour show.
• The rumors gained traction after the brothers continued to tease Travis and Taylor's relationship status in media interviews amid the start of the NFL season.
• The first indication of a Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce romance came when she attended his football game in Kansas City on Sunday, September 24.
• In her Time Person of the Year 2023 feature, Taylor Swift confirmed she's dating Travis Kelce.

In this article:

• Are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Really Dating?
• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Relationship Timeline

Are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Dating?

If you had any inkling that this is just a PR stunt, here's the truth: Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are dating. Given the singer's tendency to never speak about her dating life save for intentional song lyrics, it's rare to get official confirmation on any details regarding her love life. But in TIME Magazine's Person of the Year feature, she confirmed that they've been a couple since the summer of 2023.

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"This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell," she said. "We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I'm grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date."

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Relationship Timeline

Photo: @NFL | Instagram

Although we don't have a lot of concrete information to work with, we can compile key moments throughout Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's alleged romance. Here's a full recap of the couple's relationship timeline, from summer 2023 to today.

April 2023: Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn Break Up

Before we unpack the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce romance, let's go back to April 2023. Just after her highly-anticipated Eras Tour began, it was announced that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend of six years, split up. Following the headline-making separation, Taylor was rumored to be seeing The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, though it was a connection that quickly fizzled out.

July 26, 2023: Travis Kelce Says He Tried to Give Taylor Swift His Phone Number

We can trace the "Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce" rumor back to July 26, 2023. In an episode of his podcast New Heights (which he hosts with his brother, fellow NFL star Jason Kelce), Travis boldly shot his shot by saying he wanted to give Taylor a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it when he attended her Eras Tour concert in Kansas City. Unfortunately, their meet cute didn't happen the way he hoped. "I was disappointed that she doesn't talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings, so I was a little butthurt I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her," he explained, adding, "She doesn't meet anybody, or at least she didn't want to meet me, so I took it personal."

Jason teased that it might have been because of her team affiliations. (A quick history lesson: As a Pennsylvania native, Taylor has been seen in Eagles merch a handful of times throughout her career. She even has a song lyric about an Eagles t-shirt, which she confirmed is a reference to the football team, not the rock band, on her tour this summer. And for even more context, Jason Kelce currently plays for the Eagles, who lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl earlier this year.)

"She's a big Eagles fan, so maybe she just made something up and didn't want to talk to you," Jason told his brother. That was all it took. From there, fans latched onto this theory, hoping that a Taylor x Travis romance would come to fruition.

September 12, 2023: The Messenger Reports That Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are ~Hanging Out~

Fast forward a few days, and things started heating up. On September 12, The Messenger reported that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were seeing each other. "Taylor and Travis have been quietly hanging out," an anonymous source told the outlet. "She saw him when she was in NYC a few weeks ago."

September 20, 2023: Jason Kelce Jokes that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Rumors Are "100% True"

The frenzy continued as both Travis and Jason Kelce were asked about the validity of this romance in NFL press junkets. During a radio interview on the 94 WIP Morning Show, Jason said, "It's hard to answer because I don't really know a lot about what's happening in Travis's love life, and I try to keep his business his business and stay out of that world." He continued, "Having said that, man, I think they're doing great, and I think it's all 100% true. I hope this thing goes a mile," he said, before quickly adding, "No, I'm joking. I don't know what's happening."

September 21, 2023: Travis Kelce Publicly Invites Taylor Swift to His Game

Then, on September 21, Travis Kelce appeared on The Pat McAfee Show where he was asked if he wanted to "expand upon" the rumors that were taking the internet by storm. "I threw the ball in her court," he revealed to the host. "I told her, 'I've seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead [Stadium]. You might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one's a little more lit.'"

Although he didn't confirm or deny if they'd been hanging out as previously reported, he teased, "We'll see what happens in the near future."

September 24, 2023: Taylor Swift Cheers on Travis Kelce at a Chiefs Game

Photo: Jason Hanna | Getty Images

Finally, on September 24, everything culminated when Taylor Swift did indeed appear at Travis Kelce's football game. The Kansas City Chiefs faced the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, and Taylor was seen rooting for Travis while sitting in his VIP suite next to his mother, Donna Kelce. All throughout the game, cameras found their way to the pop sensation as she cheered and banged on the glass. When Travis scored a touchdown, she could be seen yelling, "Let's f—ing go!"

Her presence may have been a good luck charm, as the Chiefs easily beat the Bears with a final score of 41-10. As the mania played out online, eagle-eyed fans were quick to find clips of Travis seemingly gazing up into the stands where Taylor was sitting (with, some might say, a James Dean, daydream, look in his eyes). In another clip, members of the Chiefs team appeared to say things like, "Oh, that's Taylor," and "Taylor's here!" as they noticed her presence.

Though Travis Kelce was (unsurprisingly) not made available to the media after the game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes confirmed that the team was feeling the excitement. "I heard she was in the house," he told reporter Erin Andrews. "I felt a little bit of pressure, and so I knew I had to get it to Trav. I think he wanted to get in the end zone just as much as all the Swifties wanted him to." In another interview, he praised the singer before clarifying they didn't get a chance to meet…yet. "She's a pop star. She's a tremendous singer, tremendous at everything she does. I haven't gotten to meet her, but I guess if she ends up being with Travis, then I'll probably meet her at some point," he shared. "Seems like a good person, so hopefully I get to meet her one day."

Photo: Cooper Neill | Getty Images

In footage shared on social media after the game, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift could be seen leaving the stadium together (!!) before getting into his convertible getaway car and driving off into a literal sunset.

September 27, 2023: Travis Kelce Talks About Taylor Swift on His Podcast

In what was perhaps the most anticipated podcast recording ever, Jason and Travis Kelce broke down what exactly happened at that Chiefs game on the September 27 episode of New Heights. "Shout-out to Taylor for pulling up—that was pretty ballsy!" Travis said. "I just thought it was awesome how everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her, the friends, and family. She looked amazing. Everyone was talking about her in a great light... to see the slow-motion chest bumps, to see the high-fives with Mom, to see how Chiefs Kingdom was all excited that she was there. That sh— was hysterical, it was definitely a game I will remember. Then we just slid off in the getaway car at the end. Shoutout to Taylor for coming through!"

He also added that moving forward, he plans to respect their privacy by refraining from talking about their potential romance further. "What's real is that it is my personal life," he explained. "I want to respect both of our lives."

October 1, 2023: Taylor Swift Attends Another Chiefs Game

Welcome to New York, Trayvis! On October 1, the singer attended yet another Kansas City Chiefs game to support her boyfriend. She and her friends were spotted at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the Chiefs played the New York Jets (and won 23-20). Swift could be seen cheering from a private suite alongside famous friends like Sophie Turner, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Sabrina Carpenter. She also chatted with fellow Chiefs' wives (including Brittany Mahomes) and Donna Kelce.

October 14, 2023: Taylor and Travis Spend a Weekend in NYC

Photo: Gotham | GC Images

Following their surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, Taylor and Travis enjoyed a whirlwind NYC weekend that included late nights and viral paparazzi shots.

October 23, 2023: Taylor and Travis Show Off PDA

Photo: Chariah_ | Instagram

Fans joyfully celebrated on October 23, when Chariah Gordon—girlfriend of Chiefs player Mecole Hardman Jr.—posted an Instagram photo showing Swift kissing Kelce's cheek.

November 11, 2023: Travis Attends Taylor's Eras Tour in Argentina

In a weekend that went down in Swiftie history, Travis Kelce attended Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Argentina. Videos of him dancing and singing along spread like wildfire, with fans eating up every second of the athlete supporting his girlfriend. The most pivotal moment was when Taylor changed a lyric in her song "Karma" as a cheeky nod to her boyfriend. Instead of singing, "Karma is the guy on the screen / coming straight home to me," she swapped it to "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs / coming straight home to me." Unsurprisingly, pandemonium erupted.

November 20, 2023: Travis Kelce Speaks About Taylor Swift in WSJ Profile

Travis Kelce sat down with the Wall Street Journal for a candid interview about "the best year of his life," in which he opened up about his relationship with Swift. He confirmed that someone on the singer's team helped get his phone number to her, thus kickstarting their love story. "There were definitely people she knew that knew who I was, in her corner [who said]: 'Yo! Did you know he was coming?' I had somebody playing Cupid." Ultimately, Taylor pulled the ultimate Uno reverse card by texting him first. "She told me exactly what was going on and how I got lucky enough to get her to reach out."

He also opened up about their first date, which took place over the summer in NYC. "When I met her in New York, we had already kind of been talking, so I knew we could have a nice dinner and, like, a conversation, and what goes from there will go from there." Interestingly enough, he revealed that his friends were more nervous than he was. "Everybody around me telling me: 'Don't f— this up!' And me sitting here saying: 'Yeah—got it.'"

December 6, 2023: Taylor Swift Opens Up About Her Relationship With Travis Kelce

At long last, Taylor Swift set the record straight about her boyfriend in her Time Person of the Year 2023 feature, which was published on December 6. It was her first in-depth profile in years, and she broke tradition by speaking candidly about her love life. "This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell," she said. "We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I'm grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date."