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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Maanya Sachdeva

Taylor Swift charms Travis Kelce’s parents during Kansas City Chiefs game

Getty Images

Taylor Swift was seen cheering on her rumoured boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, and chatting with his father during the Kansas City Chiefs’ match against the Denver Broncos.

On Thursday (12 October), Swift, 33, returned to the Arrowhead stadium in Missouri to watch the Chiefs defeat the Broncos 19 to 8 – one day after the Los Angeles premiere of her concert film The Eras Tour.

She swapped a red carpet-ready Oscar de la Renta gown for a red Chiefs jacket, reportedly arriving at the stadium 45 minutes before kickoff.

This is the third time in four weeks that the Grammy-winner has attended a Chiefs game, as fans become increasingly convinced Swift and Kelce, also 33, are in a relationship.

Videos from Thursday’s match showed Swift hugging Brittany Mahomes – the wife of Kelce’s teammate and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes – after an impressive play by the American footballer.

She was also seen chatting with Kelce’s parents, Donna and Ed, while watching the game from a suite at Arrowhead, as the camera panned to Swift multiple times during the broadcast. One presenter quipped that viewers could “play a drinking game [about] how many times we will show her throughout the game”.

Swift made her way to Missouri after the glitzy premiere of her record-breaking The Eras Tour concert movie, with fellow pop mega-star Beyoncé among the guests attending. Other stars to turn up for the event included Adam Sandler, Maren Morris, and Mariska Hargitay.

“I can’t thank you enough for wanting to see this film that so vividly captures my favorite adventure I’ve ever been a part of: The Eras Tour,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “And the best part is, it’s an adventure we’re still on together.”

Swift’s presence at Kelce’s games has delivered a major ratings boost to the NFL, with 27 million people tuning in for the match between the Chiefs and New York Jets on 1 October.

After the game, Kelce admitted the NFL coverage of Swift was slightly excessive during an episode of his podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce.

Swift in conversation with Kelce’s mother Donna
— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

In conversation with his brother Jason, 35, he addressed criticism from longtime NFL fans who expressed their frustration about constant references to Swift during the match, while discussing how the league is “treating celebrities at games”

“They’re overdoing it a little bit, for sure,” Travis admitted. “Especially my situation. I think they’re just trying to have fun with it.”

Swift in conversation with Kelce’s mother Donna
— (Getty Images)

The NFL later issued a statement defending its coverage of Swift at Travis’s games, in a statement given to People.

“We frequently change our bios and profile imagery based on what’s happening in and around our games, as well as culturally,” the message read.

“The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we’ve leaned into in real time, as it’s an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport.”

“The vast majority of our content has remained focused on the game, our players and variety of other initiatives, including our Toy Story Funday Football alt-cast, the international games and more,” they continued

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