Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been together for over a year now and the loved-up couple continues to put on displays of gooey, sweet, and yes, sometimes cringey, affection.
Their love story has been brought under the microscope once again after a fake ‘contract’ popped up, suggesting Tayvis, both 34, might be in a PR relationship.
Swifties (the many, many millions of them) have been lapping up Taylor’s latest romantic entanglement which played out across the globe through the lens of her Eras Tour.
From belting out tunes together at the US Open to running onto the NFL field for the Kansas City Chiefs’ big win, this is an unfiltered, full-tilt Taylor Swift love story.
And while the Cruel Summer hitmaker is more in the headlines than ever before, she looks perfectly at ease with her boyfriend Travis by her side.
However, despite her clear heart eyes when she looks at him, some seem convinced this love could be treacherous — or entirely manufactured.
Anyone who saw Cats (2019) knows acting is not Taylor’s strongest suit (but we love the enthusiasm). Despite this, rumours of her carefully orchestrated relationship persist.
The Red songstress has been plagued by showmance claims from many of her relationships, but it seemed for a while she and Travis were beating the allegations.
So is it all a PR stunt, or is there something deeper here? Is Travis really ‘the 1’ for Taylor?
Let’s take it back to where it all began…
When did Taylor and Travis start dating?
Sparks first flew when the football star tried to give the Clean singer a friendship bracelet with his number on it at the Eras Tour in Los Angeles back in July, 2023.
He was unsuccessful but rumours of a bubbling romance quickly swirled as Travis made his pursuit of the 12-time Grammy winner known.
Travis and his brother made subtle nods to the relationship, building excitement before Taylor finally appeared at a Chiefs game in September, surprisingly spending time with his mum, Donna.
She kissed him on the cheek and sped off in his getaway car after games, whisked away into the sunset in his convertible like a scene from a romantic movie – fans were instantly sold on the romance.
Before long Taylor became a firm fixture at his games, chest-bumping Brittany Mahomes, looking concerned as Travis gets tackled, and wearing a golden ’87’ friendship bracelet.
Off the field, Travis was raving about Taylor with nothing but positive comments, giving tiny insights into their relationship while remaining ‘respectful’ of their personal lives.
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He regularly joked about the relationship on his podcast with his brother Jason and has patiently answered Swifties’ questions on football as the fanbase becomes more invested.
Sneaky date nights and buying out entire restaurants for after-parties gripped the world’s attention before a surprise SNL appearance confirmed the romance.
Snaps of Taylor kissing him on the cheek and her iconic red lip smudged after their date night suggest these two are more than just friends.
The Taylor and Travis ‘contract’
For months, neither publicly confirmed they were dating, but coyly never denied anything when directly asked.
The pair still haven’t actually spoken about their relationship in any depth, with Taylor hard launching Travis on her Instagram in a birthday post for Prince William.
This romantic equivalent of a neon sign definitely has the hallmarks of a showmance, with the couple being so heavily promoted by everyone around them.
Not that they need to divulge any details as Travis appearing on the Eras Tour stage couldn’t be a more clear sign that the pair are totally besotted.
However, to some this felt jarring considering Taylor’s reputation for silence regarding ex-partner Joe Alwyn, having written songs about secret loves and sneaking around throughout her career.
At the end of September, HuffPost’s culture newsletter declared it a ‘clear PR stunt’ and dismissed the relationship as Travis committing to a ‘bit’ too much.
‘The only thing I’m looking forward to from Swiftce is the breakup anthem we may get soon,’ the writer added – a tired line often written about Taylor.
Taylor and Travis never addressed the claims and the furore seemed to calm down, until September 2024 when a fake ‘contract’ appeared online, seemingly written on the NFL star’s PR company paper.
It was claimed the entire romance was a hoax and the couple was due to split on September 28, with a whole announcement written out.
Full Scope PR has since denied the paperwork is real, stating the documents are ‘entirely false and fabricated and were not created, issued or authorised by this agency,’ according to the Daily Mail.
Why are people so convinced it’s a showmance? We investigate…
From Travis’ side, there’s no harm in dating a global superstar to boost your personal fame and the NFL is certainly milking the hype, as the tight-end himself admitted.
A year on and he has landed a role in Ryan Murphy’s show Grotesquerie and appeared at the US Open dripping in Gucci, which some have speculated is a brand deal.
He may just be a big fan of Gucci bucket hats but it’s likely the huge attention on them may have prompted some brands to look his way.
When they got together, the Super Bowl was on the horizon and the viewing figures and popularity boost Travis and the Chiefs have had is nothing to overlook.
The Kansas City team went on to win for a second year in a row, with Taylor rushing out onto the field to congratulate her man – an epic moment beyond romcom writers’ wildest dreams.
Taylor’s reason for a PR relationship is a little less clear-cut as she is at the top of her game right now with the Eras Tour and her albums smashing records.
Kicking off the ‘evidence’ is the second game at which Taylor appeared – Jets vs Chiefs – and confirmed this was an ongoing romance not just a one-off date.
Innocuous enough, unless you’re aware of the pesky negative press around her private jet emissions which tend to garner more attention than other celebs (even if she doesn’t top the emissions lists).
Now if you search ‘Taylor Swift’ and ‘Jets’, you’ll find adorable snaps of her loved-up, watching a football game with her besties Blake Lively, Sophie Turner, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds.
While a smart move, simply adding the word ‘private’ or ’emissions’ into that search negates any helpful PR distraction so probably not worth a whole relationship.
Fans were not keen on her rumoured romance with Matty Healy before Travis and it quickly fizzled out – with the all-American beefcake swooping in to wash away any undesirable association for Taylor.
So is Tayvis a hoax?
There’s no denying the relationship has benefitted both, but the wins are very small when the payoff is throwing her love life back into the spotlight and scrutiny.
A still lingering (misogynistic) criticism of Taylor is her relationships, with the Dear John singer often branded as a serial dater – even getting grilled on Ellen over them at 23 years old, looking visibly uncomfortable.
Those not living in Swiftland seem to forget she was in a very private relationship for over six years with British actor Joe, keeping hidden and rarely discussing each other publicly.
Meeting at the Met Gala in 2016, rumours flew as they were papped together in Nashville the following year before posting matching cacti on Instagram in 2018 which Joe said ‘wasn’t purposeful at all’.
He spent the next year dodging questions about her before attending the BAFTAs after-party together in 2019 – in one of the only public snaps of them holding hands.
In her Miss Americana documentary, Taylor revealed: ‘I felt sort of like a wounded animal lashing out. I figured I had to reset everything. I had to reconstruct an entire belief system for my own personal sanity.
‘I also was falling in love with someone who had a wonderfully normal, balanced life. We decided together we wanted our relationship to be private.’
This is a stark contrast to her very public relationship with Travis, who fans joked was letting her be ‘bejeweled’.
The Chiefs tight-end speaks respectfully of his girlfriend, without divulging endless details and seems to embrace her status as an icon and global megastar – all while grinning ear to ear.
After a year together, Taylor and Travis still appear to have good chemistry, laughing together constantly with the megastar letting her hair down more often.
Taylor even welcomed him on stage with her in Wembley for the Eras Tour – an invite that should not be taken lightly.
Most likely these two are genuinely dating and navigating their delicate new romance while also being everyone’s favourite power couple with all eyes on them.
Above all else, who cares if they are dating ‘for real’ or not – it’s their life and if fans were a little less intense in scrutinising her every move maybe they could just enjoy the love story.
Call it what you want to but Taylor and Travis could be endgame, especially if it’s not hurting their careers along the way.
This article was originally published on October 23, 2023.
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