Travis Kelce Reveals How He's Staying Grounded Amid Taylor Swift Relationship
Right now, Travis Kelce's life is sweeter than fiction.
Between a high-profile romance with Taylor Swift and back to back Super Bowl wins, the Kansas City Chiefs star is flying high. But he's also leaning on his inner circle to keep him humble.
"When you have good family and friends around you, it makes that aspect of life that much easier," Travis explained on Good Morning America June 6. "I've always been a very grounded guy. I might not come off like that when I'm playing football, but off the field I just want to be a genuine person."
Aside from his plans to get his team to their third consecutive Super Bowl game in 2025, the guy on the Chiefs is trying to stay in this moment now to capture it and remember it.
"I try not to get too far down the road," he noted of his attempt to stay present. "You just never know what opportunities are going to present themselves."
Indeed, in the last year, the NFL star has begun dating the world's biggest pop star, taken home his third Super Bowl ring, and even dipped his toe into acting by scoring a role in Ryan Murphy's upcoming series Grotesquerie.
And if the 34-year-old had to rank his life right now on a scale of 1 to 10? "Man, 20? 100?" Travis posited. "I'm so fortunate and so grateful of everything that's come my way in life."
As he later put it, "Livin' the dream, baby."
While Travis has certainly pushed himself to new heights of success, his partnership with Taylor has been one of the most unlikely things to come into fruition for him.
"I don't know how I did it because she wasn't into sports," he gushed on the New Heights podcast back in April. "So I don't know how the f--k I did it."
As for Taylor, she's noted that Travis' now-iconic attempt to get her attention on his podcast last July was "metal as hell" and appreciates his ability to handle the publicity that comes with a relationship with her.
"When you say a relationship is public, that means I'm going to see him do what he loves, we're showing up for each other, other people are there and we don't care," she noted to Time in December. "The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you're seeing someone. And we're just proud of each other."
Keep reading to see all the ways Taylor and Travis' relationship is flawless, really something.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's love story began in July 2023, when the singer's Eras Tour made a stop at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
As a huge Swiftie, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end caught the show with hopes of giving Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it. However, he failed to complete the pass due to her pre-show rituals.
"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," Travis shared on the July 26 episode of his New Heights podcast. "So, I was a little butt-hurt I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her."
After publicly recounting his fumble—a move Taylor would later describe as "metal as hell"—Travis decided to shoot his shot and invite the Grammy winner to watch the Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium.
"I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court," he shared on The Pat McAfee Show. "I told her, you know, 'I've seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one's a little more lit.' So, we'll see what happens in the near future."
Travis was rocking a mustache—which he debuted in August during training camp—when he was first introduced to Taylor.
As he later noted of the era, "That 'stache and the 87 jersey was pretty iconic there for a little bit, and I had it when I met Taylor for the first time."
By early September, a source close to the situation told E! News that Travis and Taylor were "texting and talking here and there."
"It's been very low-key," the insider explained, "as he's been in season."
Accepting Travis' invite, Taylor joined the athlete's mom Donna Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium to watch him and the Chiefs take on the Chicago Bears. After the game, Taylor and Travis were seen packing PDA at a local bar.
Though folklore had it that it was the couple's first in-person meeting, the "Karma" singer later clarified the two had spent a "significant amount of time" getting to know each other beforehand.
As Taylor noted, "We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date."
As an indication that the relationship was heating up, Taylor brought her squad—including friends Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner, Hugh Jackman, Sabrina Carpenter and Antoni Porowski—to watch the Chiefs play against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Another sign that Travis could be The 1? Taylor started bonding with Brittany Mahomes—the wife of Travis' BFF and teammate Patrick Mahomes—in and outside of NFL games.
The couple took their romance to TV, making a surprise appearance on the Oct. 14 episode of Saturday Night Live. Their Big Apple takeover also included the after-party for the NBC sketch show and a date night at the Waverly Inn.
During a bye week, Travis traveled down to Argentina to catch the South American leg of Taylor's Eras Tour. Not only did the NFL star bond with Taylor's dad, Scott Swift, at the Nov. 11 show in Buenos Aires, but he also got a special shoutout from the stage.
"Karma is that guy on the Chiefs," Taylor sang, "coming straight home to me."
After the show, the Midnights artist was seen running up to Travis backstage and greeting him with a passionate kiss.
Taylor addressed the lavender craze surrounding her appearances at Travis' games.
"I'm going to see him do what he loves, we're showing up for each other, other people are there and we don't care," she told Time. "The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you're seeing someone."
The music superstar turned Travis' Dec. 17 game into a family affair, bringing her dad to cheer on her man.
Taylor and Travis spent their first New Year's Eve together, sharing a romantic kiss when the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1.
Continuing to bond with Travis' family, Taylor hung out with his brother Jason Kelce and sister-in-law Kylie Kelce at the Chiefs' game against the Buffalo Bills.
Taylor joined Travis on the football field when the Chiefs won the AFC Championship, a victory that cemented the team's spot in the 2024 Super Bowl. The couple shared a celebratory kiss before exchanging the L-word.
"Tay, I'm gonna enjoy with the guys," he told her. "I love you—so much it's not funny."
The pair locked lips on the field after Travis led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas.
Taylor posted footage of Travis on social media for the first time Feb. 12, poking fun at how she took her parents clubbing with the athlete after the Super Bowl.
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