Travis Kelce may have found his leading man role. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is in talks to lead the action-comedy “Loose Cannons” at Lionsgate. “John Wick” series director Chad Stahelski is on board to produce through his 87Eleven Entertainment banner, along with Jason Spitz and Alex Young. Tim Dowling is on board to write.
Production is likely a ways from kick-off, as Kelce will be occupied with the coming NFL season that begins in two weeks.
With 12 active seasons in the NFL, Kelce has taken footsteps into Hollywood over recent years, leading with his popular podcast “New Heights,” which he co-hosts alongside his brother, recently retired Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce. But Travis’ romantic relationship with Taylor Swift has boosted him to New Heights of celebrity in the past year. The athlete will host the game show “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” this fall. He also features in a mysterious supporting role of Ryan Murphy’s coming FX series “Grotesquerie,” slated to debut Sept. 25.
“Loose Cannons” is also the title of a 1990 crime caper starring Gene Hackman and Dan Aykroyd. Directed by Bob Clark, that film followed a cop that teams with a detective with multiple-personality disorder to hunt down a lost-to-history Nazi sex tape, featuring Adolf Hitler. It’s quite a premise, but the film was a box office bomb at the time. That’s neither here nor there, as Kelce’s debut feature is not a remake of that Tristar release, despite sharing a title. Instead, this new production centers on two unhinged cops that are paired with one another as an effort to straighten them both out.
Screenwriter Dowling is a comedy genre regular, with credits including “Role Models” and “Office Christmas Party,” as well as Adam Sandler vehicles like “Just Go With It” and “Pixels.” Stahelski has partnered with Lionsgate on all four of his “John Wick” films; he is currently attached to direct a “Highlander” remake for the studio.
Blake Lively has managed to pull off the impossible. It used to be rare for a television star to make the crossover to movie stardom. From George Clooney to Will Smith, few actors in the 90s pulled off that feat. And while it’s a bit more common now, only a select group have soared from teen drama to A-List status.
In recent years, we can point to stars like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Charles Melton as proof that there’s life beyond the soapy high school drama. But let’s be honest: they’d be nothing and nowhere without the original cast of Gossip Girl.
The 2000s drama was ahead of the curve. Shows like Succession and White Lotus have taken up its mantle by commenting on the lives of the elite from the inside but those prep school kids blazed the trail. And leading the pack, forever changing what we think of Grand Central Station, is Blake Lively.
Decades later, she’s still on top. She’s a beloved A-Lister with an enviable marriage, an even more enviable friend group (Taylor, if you’re looking for more besties look no further), and a thriving career.
But how did she go from preppy headbands to Hollywood royalty? And, even more recently, why does her career feel like it’s always on an insane upward trajectory? Especially when, if we have to admit it, she’s not the greatest actress around. Likability and beauty can get you far — but Blake’s career is astounding. Is she really all that or is she just… really pretty?
Blake Lively’s Rise to Fame
Before she was Blake Lively: Hollywood Icon™, she was still the coolest girl on our screens. Her role in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was pivotal for millennials everywhere. Alongside America Ferrera (Hey Barbie!), Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, this ultimate girl gang rivaled her current Swift squad. We all wanted to be them. We all wanted to wear her pants.
She retained that mantle of being unattainably cool in her pivotal role: Gossip Girl.
As Serena van der Woodsen, Lively became the ultimate It Girl. Just like her character, she was the epitome of elite 2000s girlhood. She was like Paris and Nicole with an old-money sophistication. She was all bandage dresses and blowouts both on screen and off. Who didn’t try to recreate at least one of Serena’s outfits — and with disastrous results! — in the show’s heyday?
Post Gossip Girl, Blake faced the stingy choices available to young female stars once their adolescent drama rolled its final credits. For women, the desire to grow up in the public’s eyes leads to a string of sexualized roles. Or, the need to branch out manifests in less-than-successful career pivots — sorry to Leighton Meester’s one song.
While Blake didn’t go any of these routes, she didn’t make the splash she yearned for, either. She did a string of subpar movies that are not worth the watch. She starred as a perpetually beautiful woman who didn’t age in The Age of Adaline — kind of a reverse Benjamin Button except her biggest problem was staying hot forever. Then she starred in the clunky, Gone Girl-esque thriller A Simple Favor alongside Anna Kendrick. Though critics panned it for its nonsensical plot, confusing characters, and flat acting, it found cult fans on streaming and is even an iconic role for many fans — even recently announcing a sequel (we’ll get to that).
She also had forgettable roles as the hot love interest in films like The Town, a cult Boston crime film for which she put on an okay Boston accent, and Savages, a movie recently revived by Netflix.
As her most notable works post Gossip Girl, this isn’t the most robust resume. Yet Blake has retained A-List status. I wouldn’t call her an It-Girl, she’s not out partying or having abrat summer, but every time she steps out, she makes headlines. At this point, she’s known as much for her idyllic marriage with Ryan Reynolds and her friendship with Taylor Swift. Her daughter even has a feature in Taylor Swift’s “Gorgeous” — probably a bigger career credit than anything Blake has appeared in since Gossip Girl.
Meanwhile, many of her Gossip Girl castmates have found success beyond the series. Penn Badgley stars as the creepy serial killer Joe in Netflix’s You. As one of the streamer’s biggest shows, Penn has been catapulted back into the hearts of audiences everywhere — even if his character isn’t the typical heartthrob. Chace Crawford is subverting his pretty-boy looks in The Boys on Amazon, another smash hit series. His character, The Deep, is disturbed and dumb, and played with a brilliant blend of criticism and compassion by Crawford, who doesn’t merely rely on his looks … though he definitely could.
Not to mention her Sisterhood co-star America Ferrera starring in Barbie, the hottest movie of last summer, and being nominated for an Academy Award. Not her first award buzz, never forget Ferrera’s Emmy-nominated turn as Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty, one of the most addictive shows of the 2000s.
With everyone else in her orbit going on to transcend their roots and prove their actual talent, why hasn’t Blake done the same? And however has she managed to stay the most relevant? So the question is: Is she actually a solid actress, or are we all just distracted by how outrageously gorgeous she is? It’s like when your crush says something and you laugh even though it wasn’t funny. Are we all just crushing on Blake Lively?
Blake Lively Is The Queen of the Met Gala: Why did she skip Met 2024?
Testament to her enduring A-List status, Lively is one of the people’s favorites at The Met Gala, which she generally attends with her husband year after year. As one of the biggest and most exclusive annual events on the planet, only a handful of celebrities are invited to the Met steps each and every year. Blake is one of the lucky few.
Usually, the invite list is determined by who was most relevant that year. Whose press tour dominated culture and fashion headlines? What musicians were everywhere? Who were the industry It-Girls? Lively hasn’t fit that bill since the 2010s, yet there she is, smiling on the Met Steps each and every year.
It makes some sense when you consider how viral Lively’s looks go every year. She’s an easy muse — so designers never miss when dressing her. Therefore her absence at the 2024 Met Gala was remarkable. Many were hoping she’d revive the success of her most memorable gown from the Heavenly Bodies exhibit. But alas, nothing. Some speculated a falling out with Anna. Others, another pregnancy. Or was Blake finally just … uninvited?
Turns out, she was just busy being a mom and working on her various projects. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when I heard this. What projects? Lively’s biggest projects are The Met and Kansas Chief’s games. Sometimes I think she’s as much of a nepo bestie as Travis Kelce is a nepo boyfriend. But I recently ate my words. Blake Lively has a stacked Q2 — proving we too can finish the year strong even if we were lagging in the first half.
Blake’s Been Busy: Everything Blake Lively has been up to in 2024
So what are all these projects Lively is so busy with? Surprisingly, a slate of blockbuster films and a brand new business. She’s already embarked upon various press tours, which is why she’s everywhere right now.
Her most prominent, and controversial, venture for the year: starring in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s blockbuster It Ends With Us. This BookTok favorite is divisive to say the least. While Colleen Hoover’s genre of easy-to-read romantic fiction went viral, the literati aren’t a fan. The main point of contention: the writing is stinko. But to each their own. And on this particular book, Hoover’s critics are accusing of profiting from abuse and trauma because the film romanticizes an abusive relationship.
Yet, the power of BookTok compelled the studios to adapt this novel into a big budget movie starring Lively alongside Justin Baldwin, known for Jane The Virgin. For a minute, thanks to last year’s succession of strikes, it looked as though the movie might be scrapped. Call it Lively’s luck, but production continued against all odds and here we are: moments away from its big premiere.
Watch the Trailer for It Ends With Us here:
But that’s not the only press tour Blake is on. She joined her husband Ryan Reynolds on the press tour for Deadpool and Wolverine, even upstaging Reynolds and his co-star Hugh Jackman with her look for the final premiere.
Alongside Gigi Hadid, she appeared on the red carpet at Lady Deadpool. Little did we know, this was a hint of things to come. In case you forgot (I definitely did) Lively had a brief role as Lady Deadpool in the canonically awful Green Lantern films. She kind of reprised the role as the voice of Lady Deadpool in this new movie — just one of many cameos and Easter eggs in Marvel’s latest bloated action flick.
When not campaigning for wife-of-the-year, bestie of the year, or promoting It Ends With Us, she’s been filming the much-awaited sequel to A Simple Favor. She and Anna Kendrick have reprised their roles: mysterious Hot Mom (Lively, obviously) and Bored Mommy Blogger (Kendrick in an abundance of floral sundresses and wedges).
This sequel comes so long after the original because, despite the initial bad reviews, it found another life on streaming platforms. So, get ready to comfort-watch or hate-watch when it comes out — I’ll be doing both.
But Blake isn’t only trying to pump some much needed life back into her acting career. She’s enetered her Business Mogul Era. She’s already founded the brands Betty Buzz and Betty Booze and now she’s branching into beauty. Known for her scorching flowing locks, why wouldn’t she make a haircare brand?
The collection is called Blake Brown Beauty after her maiden name — which Reynolds joked he only just found out. Priced at $25 and under, Blake Brown Beauty is launching exclusively in Target to corner the affordable haircare market. The line consists of shampoos, masks and styling product. If there’s one thing the world needs more of, it’s celebrity beauty brands, right?
Promising to give the world that Blake Lively shine, the brand is a departure form many DTC celebrity beauty ventures, such as Cecred by Beyonce, Rate Beauty by Selena Gomez, or Hailey Bieber’s rhode. Instead, Blake is doing what she does best: going for mass appeal. It’s worked so far, might as well bet the house (or the hair) on it. But let’s be real, unless her shampoos come with a personal stylist and a Hollywood paycheck, we might just be setting ourselves up for disappointment.
This approach is similar to another celebrity whose success Blake takes major cues from: Jennifer Aniston. Before there was Serena, there was Rachel. From inspiring trends to becoming the people’s princess, Aniston and Lively have a lot in common. Namely that they’ve built gigantic careers on an average amount of talent. Pretty privilege is really kind to some.
Now, I’m no hater. I love looking at beautiful people as much as the next person. But as we brace ourselves for a Blake resurgence, someone has to say it: she’s prettier than she is talented.
The truth is, Blake Lively, like Jennifer Aniston, has found her niche. She’s good at being likable, at being the girl next door (if the girl next door lived in a mansion and was married to Deadpool). And in Hollywood, that’s a skill in itself.
So, is Blake Lively overrated? Maybe. Is she the second coming of Meryl Streep? Probably not. But is she good at what she does? Absolutely.
At the end of the day, Blake Lively is like that really pretty, really nice girl from high school who you want to hate but simply can’t. She’s not changing the world, but she’s not trying to. She’s just out here, living her best life, making us all wish we could pull off headbands and making Ryan Reynolds Instagram posts slightly more tolerable.
So here’s to you, Blake Lively. You may not be perfect, you may not be revolutionary, but damn it, you’re doing your thing. And sometimes, that’s enough.
So while I won’t be tuning into her latest slate of films or buying her beauty brand, I’ll be enjoying her press tour simply for the opportunity to decide which of her looks hit, and which of them miss.
Travis Kelce is making good on his promise to supportTaylor Swift as she trots the globe for her Eras Tour. Just days after the Kansas City Chiefs tight end won the Super Bowl, he hopped a plane for Sydney, Australia to join Swift at a February show, and since then, he’s ping-ponged between acting and hosting gigs in the U.S. and stadiums abroad, rubbed shoulders with royalty and even took to the stage. On Friday, that support meant a trip to Amsterdam, where Swift was playing the second of a three-night-stand at Johan Cruijff Arena.
Taylor Swift on night two of the Eras Tour in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Reports that Kelce was in London on July 4, reportedly golfing with teammatePatrick Mahomes, made this hypothesis feel like less of a sure thing, but a couple of eagle-eyed attendees spotted Kelce in the audience and snagged him for photos. Big Yeti was definitely in the Dutch building.
By the time Swift repeated her now-famous edit to the lyrics to her song “Karma,” trading “karma is the guy on the screen coming straight home to me” for “karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me,” the secret was out. Around then, folks in the stadium caught sight of Kelce’s unmistakable silhouette making his way to the backstage area, briefly diverting attention from Swift’s performance.
Taylor Swift on night two of the Eras Tour in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
As the pair strode from the backstage, Kelce raised his arms in an “Are you not entertained?” style entreaty for cheers as Swift waved at the screaming crowd. Then the couple draped their arms around one another and disappeared from view, another chapter in their highly scrutinized romance seemingly written.
There’s just something about sitting in a hairdresser’s chair that tends to send a person into a confessional trance. Maybe it’s the shampoo. Maybe barbers and stylists know a secret spot on the scalp to press to get you to say what’s up. It’s a mystery. Whatever it is, hair people tend to get the best gossip, so when Travis Kelce’s favorite barber, Pat Regan, starts talking about Kelce and Taylor Swift getting married, we’re all ears.
In the Monday episode of the hair industry-focused podcast Your Day Off, Regan had this to say about a potential wedding for Kelce and Swift: “Hopefully soon, that’ll be fun.”
You may better know Regan as “Patty Cuts,” his nom du barb. He’s been keeping Kelce’s hair in line for years, and even posted on Instagram in 2022 that Regan “sleep[s] at [Kelce’s] house every weekend.” He’s the one who gave Kelce a trim ahead of the Super Bowl (complete with a personalized Chiefs jersey-inspired haircutting cape for Kelce), and who casually shouted out Swift for snapping pics of him giving Kelce a pre-game groom with her signature soft filter. With a long-running follicular relationship like that, you just know who would be handling the groom’s clippers before a walk down the aisle. (Imagine the hair cape.)
Regan added that the two hadn’t “announced” any plans yet. He also discussed getting to know Swift during those pre-game buzzes.
“It’s, like, kind of cool to see because I know her as a person now,” he said. “She’s just a really nice person. She’s very interested in what you’re saying. She doesn’t act like the most famous celebrity in the world, you know.”
He called Swift “a good girlfriend to my friend.”
Those weekend sleepovers, however, are a thing of the past now that Kelce has moved houses to a more secluded and secure spot amidst the attention he’s received since his relationship with Swift became public knowledge. “Things kind of changed a little bit,” he said, but Kelce is still “one of my bros.”
“I’m happy for him and seeing the stardom that he’s getting,” Regan said. “Cause he’s just a normal guy too. You guys would love him. He’s just a regular dude.”
Regan’s not the only one hoping to hear wedding bells for Swift and Kelce in the near future: As the couple near their first anniversary, noted Chiefs fan Jason Sudeikis put Kelce on the spot while in character during a comedy sketch over the weekend, asking when he was going to make “an honest woman” of Swift. For his part, Kelce laughed and rubbed his beard, perhaps contemplating when he could next make it to Regan for a trim.
Representatives for Taylor Swift did not immediately respond to Vanity Fair’s request for comment.
Speaking on the Friday episode of his “New Heights” podcast with brother Jason Kelce, the tight end said he does not agree with “just about any” of Butker’s views but cherishes him as a teammate.
“He’s treated family and family that I’ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness. And that’s how he treats everyone. When it comes down to his views and what he said at Saint Benedict’s commencement speech, those are his,” Kelce said. “I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids. And I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life, that’s just not who I am.”
Butker made waves in his address to graduates at Benedictine College when he suggested women should be homemakers, railed against LGBTQ+ Pride Month and took at President Joe Biden and abortion. His comments sparked widespread backlash and the FNL distanced itself from the kicker’s comments.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer told CBS News in a statement. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mahomes said that while he doesn’t agree with all the beliefs espoused by 28-year-old Butker, the Chiefs quarterback nevertheless respects his teammate’s right to make them be known.
“I’ve known Harrison for seven years. I judge him by the character he shows every single day,” Mahomes said after one of the Chiefs’ voluntary practices in Kansas City, Missouri. “We’re not always going to agree, and there are certain things he said that I don’t necessarily agree with. But I know the person he is and he’s doing what he can to lead people in the right direction.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said that while he “talks to Harrison all the time,” he didn’t believe he needed to discuss the commencement address with his kicker when the team reconvened in Kansas City.
“We’re a microcosm of life here,” Reid said. “We’re from some different areas. Different religions. Different races. But we get along. We all respect each others’ opinions, and not necessarily do we go by those, but we respect everyone to have a voice.”
During Friday’s podcast, Jason Kelce added: “There’s always going to be opinions that everybody shares that you’re going to disagree with.
“And make no mistake about it, a lot of the things he said in his commencement speech are not things that I align myself with. But, he’s giving a commencement speech at a Catholic university, and, shocker, it ended up being a very religious and Catholic speech.
“To me, I can listen to somebody talk and take great value in it, like when he’s talking about the importance of family and the importance that a great mother can make, while also acknowledging that not everybody has to be a homemaker if that’s not what they want to do in life.”
Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.
Nepotism – noun – the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by gifting them jobs.
Before Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce was a superstar in the NFL world. The go-to tight end on the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs, the most recent dominating football franchise since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
And sure, Travis Kelce is a nine time Pro Bowler and seven time All-Pro selection with four of those being first team nods. He may hold the record for most consecutive and overall seasons with 1000 receiving yards (seven seasons strong)…but what the heck does Travis Kelce know about acting?
Reports indicate that Travis Kelce will be acting in none other than a Ryan Murphy original. Yes, that Ryan Murphy – the creator of shows like American Horror Story, Dahmer, and Glee…The Ryan Murphy who has 38 Primetime Emmy noms (and six wins), two Grammy’s and a Tony – just cast football professional and boyfriend of Taylor Swift in a scripted television series.
Which TV Show Is Travis Kelce Starring In?
The show is called Grotesquerie, and will also star Niecy Nash-Betts(who previously worked with Murphy on Dahmer) and Courtney B. Vance (who you may recognize from Murphy’s American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson).
Nash-Betts confirmed the news in an Instagram shortly after People reported Travis Kelce’s premier acting endeavor. She says,
“Guys, guess who I am working with on Grotesquerie?” the actress teased before showing Kelce, who said, “Jumping into new territory with Niecy!”
Judging by the teaser Ryan Murphy shared, a phone call from Niecey Nash warns of something bad happening that only her character can see.
And while Ryan Murphy has a habit of including unlikely stars in his shows (think Kim Kardashian in AHS), Travis Kelce’s inclusion begs a bigger question:
Is Trav the world’s first nepo boyfriend?
After the nepotism baby exposure that led countless celebrities to unnecessarily defend their names, we learned a ton about the state of the industry. Publications like Rolling Stone are riddled with nepo babies whose famed parents landed them the internship. Your favorite actor, singer, model, etc. is most likely a descendant of your mom’s favorite actor, singer, or model.
But the thing is, we already know that Kate Hudson is Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn’s kid. We know Lily Rose Depp’s parents…and the Jenners…and Angelina Jolie…and Miley Cyrus…I could go on. The point is, we didn’t care.
In today’s entertainment industry, it’s hard not to find a nepo baby. But as long as they’re good at what they choose to do, no one cares. Which is why I worry for Travis Kelce.
Travis is the face of brand deals galore. Especially since his New Heights podcast (alongside his brother and fellow NFL icon, Jason Kelce) is the hottest sports podcast on socials right now. Dating Taylor Swift may have been the best thing to happen to the Travis Kelce brand in general, because now he gets to go beyond sports and into bigger realms.
The 34-year-old KC Chiefs’ tight end’s previous TV endeavors include a cringe-worthy dating show called Catching Kelce and hosting Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?
So, yes, the question must be raised: can Travis even act? If we’re being completely honest, I can’t guarantee that answer. Murphy has a way of making any non-actor (see: Kardashian) into a passable star with camp lines and witty delivery…but I’m worried about Kelce.
Let’s all admit that when he began dating Swift, Travis Kelce got catapulted into superstardom as the First Boyfriend of The Era’s Tour… But have we taken it too far by launching an acting career? Is there a time when we should stay in our respective lanes?
I’m all for Travis getting the recognition he deserves..and I think the Kelces are our Royal Family…but I’d rather see a Keeping Up With The Kelces moment than watch Travis potentially fail at acting.
What would make sense? Travis Kelce in couture runway settings, or collaborating with high fashion brands to create exclusive lines. Travis and his family having their own reality show. Expanding their football empire in a number of ways.
What doesn’t really make sense? Casting Travis in Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie…but you bet I’ll be tuning in anyway.
The roast of Tom Brady on Sunday night was a divisive blast of entertainment, the kind rooted in a tradition of no-holds-barred insults that can’t be spoken in any other public setting.
Brady made headlines locally for ripping the people of Philadelphia, who have never spared him the humiliation of his defeat against Nick Foles and the Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
“Philly fans are just racist a**holes!” Brady said on the live Netflix special. “But (host) Kevin Hart is from there, so I get it. … In Philly, they have to grease up the light poles so people don’t climb them after games. You know how they grease up those poles? They rub someone from Philadelphia on them.”
Brady’s shots at Philly were pretty tame compared to some of the barbs thrown around during the roast, which went on for more than three hours. He tore into Kim Kardashian, claiming she was fearful of having to leave her kids supervised by unhinged ex-husband Kanye West. And Nikki Glaser, always a viper at roasts, ridiculed Brady’s divorce from supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
“You have seven rings,” Glaser said. “Well, eight now that Gisele gave hers back.”
On Wednesday’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast Jason and Travis Kelce shared their thoughts on the roast.
“I really don’t f***ing get it,” Jason said. “I don’t get why people do roasts. I don’t get why they’re a thing. ‘Ha ha ha ha, yeah, my family’s ruined! It’s so funny! Everyone’s laughing! It’s great! We’re all having fun, right?’”
The brothers considered a hypothetical scenario in which they agreed to be roasted. Travis said he’d want comedians Andrew Santino, Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart to do the honors.
“I would love Kevin to go up there and just f***ing rip me in half,” he said.
Jason had a different take.
“I would pick people that I would have no problem getting into a fist fight with, like family,” he said. “Like Dad, roast me, but I’m going to beat the f*** out of dad when the camera turns off.”
Jason speculated that two of his former Eagles teammates, Lane Johnson and Darius Slay, would be skilled roasters if given the chance. The brothers agreed Chiefs head coach Andy Reid would excel, but in a wholesome way.
“He would say something that would be hilarious, but it wouldn’t be that offensive,” Jason said.
The one person Kelce would never let on stage to roast him is his wife, Kylie, who knows too much about him.
“Every day I’m getting roasted by Kylie. I don’t need her to go up on stage and do that,” Jason said. He revealed a sword on the podcast that he bought her for their anniversary, maybe suggesting he’d rather she take him down with that than any verbal venom.
The Brady roast has spurred all kinds of think pieces. IndieWire’s Tony Maglio argued that the event shouldn’t have been broadcast live, since some of the unedited footage suggested many of the people there were uneasy about some of the jokes. Afterward, Netflix reportedly edited out the crowd’s booing of Kim Kardashian as she was attempting to tell a joke about Kevin Hart’s height.
At the Washington Post, Sally Jenkins argued the special was misogynistic and that many of the jokes were cruel and cheap rather than funny.
“The uncomfortable truth is that the only person it shamed was (Brady), and not gently,” Jenkins wrote.
Travis said he got a different impression from watching clips of the special, which he wasn’t able to see live.
“I commend everybody because nobody seemed to get their feelings hurt,” he said. “It just looked like everybody was having fun with it.”
There was one joke the Kelce brothers both admired from Nicki Glaser.
“Tom also lost $30 million in (cryptocurrency),” Glaser said. “Tom, how did you fall for that? Even Gronk was like, ‘Me know that not real money.’”
Jason then had a revelation.
“That’s probably why he did the roast,” he said. “It’s just, bam! Alright, I take that back. I’ll do a roast. What’d you guys pay Tom?”
Long before he began dating Taylor Swift, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had his sights set on Hollywood. There was no phone number-adorned friendship bracelet in sight when he headlined the 2016 E! reality dating series Catching Kelce or signed with CAA in an effort to get his “face out from under the helmet,” as he told Vanity Fair last June. Now, in the midst of his high-profile relationship, Kelce has further entered his show-biz era by booking his first major onscreen acting role.
Kelce has been cast in Ryan Murphy’s forthcoming TV series Grotesquerie, according to Deadline. He’ll star in an undisclosed role alongside Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance, and Lesley Manville in the show, which reportedly just began production and is slated for a fall debut.
The NFL star confirmed his news in an Instagram Story featuring a video of himself and Nash-Betts. “Guys, guess who I am working with in Grotesquerie?” she asks in the video before panning over to Kelce. “Stepping into new territory with Niecy,” Kelce adds. Murphy, who offered similar big acting breaks to the likes of Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian on seasons of American Horror Story, teasedGrotesquerie back in February, with a video in which Nash-Betts can be heard saying, “I don’t know when it started, I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s different now. There’s been a shift, like something’s opening up in the world — a kind of hole that descends into a nothingness.”
The 34-year-old Kelce enters his next season with the Kansas City Chiefs coming off the team’s third Super Bowl win in five years. He was also recently made the highest-paid tight end in the league with a contract extension worth an estimated $34.25 million that runs through 2027.
But off the field, Kelce has been engineering a post-football career. In addition to co-hosting the successful New Heights podcast with his brother and former NFL center Jason Kelce, Travis also hosted Saturday Night Live in March 2023, and returned to the sketch comedy series for a cameo alongside Swift last fall. Kelce also recently signed on as host of Amazon’s Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? game show and serves as an executive producer on two upcoming films—indie drama My Dead Friend Zoe, which premiered at SXSW, and a documentary on artist Jean-Michel Basquiat titled King Pleasure.
Eric Stonestreet, a star of Modern Family and Kansas City Chiefs fan, previously told VF that Kelce “will have the ability to do much more than just commentate on football” should he choose. “Can he be an actor? One hundred percent. Good performance starts with what Travis possesses naturally, which is an open heart.”
Then there were the musicians. Country singers including Randy Travis and Wynonna Judd were in attendance, as was area resident Jack Harlow. Josh Groban, who is enough of a regular that he’s even sang the National Anthem at the race, returned again this year.
Tina Knowles attends the Kentucky Derby 150 at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images
Tina Knowles, who many know as Beyonce’s mother, arrived in arguably the best sunglasses of the day. Actors including Stephen Amell, Chris Tucker, and Sheryl Lee Ralph also stopped on the red carpet for photos.
The biggest shocker of the day might be that Ralph hadn’t intended to arrive in the show-stopping hat you see below. According to a Gannett report, the Abbot Elementary star “intended to show up to the 150th Kentucky Derby hatless,” but singer Smokey Robinson and his wife, Frances, told her that head coverings for women were a long-standing tradition at the race. “They made me Derby perfect,” Ralph said via social media.
Sheryl Lee Ralph attends the Kentucky Derby 150 at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Given all that, it seems odd to say, “And now it’s time to get back to work.” But that’s what Swift is doing on May 9, when her highly lucrative tour resumes with a four-night stand in Paris.
Kelce has suggested that he’ll join her for part of her run in Europe, which spans the continent and the UK through August. But this weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is about as far from Europe as possible: he’s in Louisville, Kentucky, that Ohio-river-adjacent Southern city known as the home of Muhammad Ali, the Louisville Slugger baseball bat, and the Kentucky Derby—which happens to be on May 4.
That horse race attracts celebrities to the unassuming burg every May. Concerts and parties abound, with local broadcast station WLKY reporting that actor Cole Hauser and musician/local resident Jack Harlow were expected at one such gala.
Travis Kelce attends Sports Illustrated Revel at the Races at Ice House on May 03, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Sarah Anne Cohen/Getty Images
It doesn’t appear that any band members were at Friday’s show, and we can’t speak to any threeways. But we do know that Kelce was hanging out with band members Drew Taggart and Alex Pall “in what appeared to be a backstage area at the duo’s Kentucky Derby gig,” People reports. He was later spotted in the crowd during the show.
In an Instagram story shared by Pall, while he was backstage Kelce posed with retired NBA star Chandler Parsons, both staring off into separate points in the distance. This isn’t the first time Kelce has cozied up to Taggart and Pall: Kelce joined them onstage in 2023, the night the Chiefs won their Super Bowl match against the Philadelphia Eagles. The band also joined Kelce and the team in 2024 following their Super Bowl win in Las Vegas.
“He’s dating and happy,” the source said. “He’s a great guy and not into drama in any way.”
Alwyn “certainly doesn’t talk poorly about [Taylor],” the source said. “He was in love with her, and it just didn’t work out.”
It’s not surprising that he doesn’t talk poorly of her, because Alwyn rarely talks publicly at all. “Joe loves acting, but can’t stand the attention that comes with it. He’s not comfortable in the spotlight,” the source added.
Indeed, even when the two were dating, the notoriously private Alwyn refused to speak about Swift in interviews, even clamming up when asked where he keeps the Grammy he earned by co-writing songs with her. “I actually don’t know where it is,” he said in an interview with Gold Derby. “I think it’s on the piano.” In 2018, when GQ asked him to name his favorite Swift track, his response was that he was “just not even going to go into that side of the world.”
Swift has moved on with a new-ish romance with Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce, hard launching their relationship with an appearance at one of his games in September 2023. Though an unnamed source told Entertainment Tonight that Alwyn and Swift “are not in touch at this point,” their Venn diagrams do have significant points of overlap: For example, Alwyn’s next role is in director Yorgos Lanthimos’s Kinds of Kindness, which he stars in opposite noted Swift pal Emma Stone. Margaret Qualley, whose New Jersey wedding to frequent Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff Swift attended last summer, is also in the film. Just because Swift has said “So Long, London,” that doesn’t mean the world’s maps have been revised.
Representatives for Alwyn and Swift did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
NEW HAVEN, CT—Saying the singer-songwriter clearly had ulterior motives when she made The Tortured Poets Department, local Taylor Swift fan Fiona Johnson told reporters Monday the artist had purposefully released a big dud as a commentary on the music industry. “Although at first glance, it looks as though Taylor simply miscalculated with this meandering, overproduced, and underwhelming album, she actually did so intentionally to make a point about capitalism, rabid fandom, and its effects on art at large,” said Johnson, adding that Swift was smarter than she seemed, and would never write 31 songs and record over two full hours of music that sounded so flat and uninspired unless she was trying to reveal something deeper about modern culture and the music we consume. “Yes, many of the tracks like ‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’ and ‘The Albatross’ sound like a pale, tired reflection of her former self, but what if that was her goal all along, and she spent years diluting her artistic vision in order to make us think? Taylor is always 10 steps ahead of her fans. Why else would she release one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard?” Johnson also said that Swift would not currently be dating someone as dumb as Travis Kelce if it wasn’t a commentary on toxic masculinity.
Chiefs Fans Try To Name A Single Taylor Swift Song
NUMBER. WHEN YOU STOP BY. WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE EFFORTS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE FAMILY OF THE WOMAN WHO DIED. THIS GOFUNDME PAGE HAS SAID. BEEN SET UP IN HONOR OF LISA LOPEZ GALVAN THIS MORNING. IT SKYROCKETED THAT THE DONATIONS DID TO NOW OVER $178,000. $100,000 OF THAT IS COMING FROM TAYLOR SWIFT, ACCORDING TO THE TWO WORDS OF SUPPORT MESSAGES SHE DID LEAVE A COUPLE OF IDENTICAL MESSAGES ON THAT GOFUNDME PAGE. LISA LEAVES BEHIND A HUSBAND AND TWO CHILDREN LAST NIGHT DURING CNN’S AC360, WE HEARD FROM LISA’S BROTHER LEE’S SUMMIT MAYOR PRO TEM BETO LOPEZ, ABOUT THE KIND OF PERSON LISA WAS. LISA ABSOLUTELY WAS AN AMAZING WOMAN, UH, GREAT MOTHER, GREAT SISTER, GREAT FRIEND. UH, YES. SHE SHE JUST LOVED HAVING FUN AND HELPING OTHERS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT SHE DID IN THIS COMMUNITY, UH, ARE GOING TO BE FELT, UH, AND, UH, BADLY. UH, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE HURTING FOR A WHILE WITH WITH HER LOSS, THREE OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE HURT IN THE SHOOTING WEDNESDAY. AND I POSTED A LIN
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce auction off Eras Tour tickets at Patrick Mahomes charity gala
Updated: 4:58 PM EDT Apr 28, 2024
On Saturday night, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attended a Las Vegas gala to support friend and teammate Patrick Mahomes’ charity. Video above: Taylor Swift donates $100,000 to family of woman killed at Chiefs rallyThe 15 and Mahomies Foundation Golf Classic gala included a swanky evening of food and cocktails and an auction, during which Swift sold off Eras Tour tickets for $80,000.Some photos and videos of Swift and Kelce at the event circulated on social media. One fan posted on X, formerly called Twitter, that the pair were “super adorable” and “down to earth and kind” in the caption of a video. Auctioneer Harry Santa also shared a selfie with Swift in his Instagram Stories, and in another video, Santa wrote it was Kelce who “convinced” Swift to donate four tickets to her massively popular show. While making an onstage appearance, the Kansas City Chiefs star referred to Swift as his “significant other” as he shared the surprise donation“I was just talking to my significant other and uh,” Kelce said. “We might have one other auction item that wasn’t on the docket—has anyone heard of the Eras Tour?” In another video on X, Swift can be seen sitting with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, cheering during the auction. Santa then says, “Who would actually pay hundreds of thousands just to know Taylor Swift is actually cheering you on as you’re winning 4 of her tickets—this is insane! Let’s go!”Kelce replied, “Let’s go baby!”In another video, Santa announces the tickets sold for the “insane” $80,000 price tag. All-in-all, it was a very successful evening.
On Saturday night, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attended a Las Vegas gala to support friend and teammate Patrick Mahomes’ charity.
Video above: Taylor Swift donates $100,000 to family of woman killed at Chiefs rally
Some photos and videos of Swift and Kelce at the event circulated on social media. One fan posted on X, formerly called Twitter, that the pair were “super adorable” and “down to earth and kind” in the caption of a video.
Auctioneer Harry Santa also shared a selfie with Swift in his Instagram Stories, and in another video, Santa wrote it was Kelce who “convinced” Swift to donate four tickets to her massively popular show.
While making an onstage appearance, the Kansas City Chiefs star referred to Swift as his “significant other” as he shared the surprise donation
“I was just talking to my significant other and uh,” Kelce said. “We might have one other auction item that wasn’t on the docket—has anyone heard of the Eras Tour?”
In another video on X, Swift can be seen sitting with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, cheering during the auction.
Santa then says, “Who would actually pay hundreds of thousands just to know Taylor Swift is actually cheering you on as you’re winning 4 of her tickets—this is insane! Let’s go!”
Kelce replied, “Let’s go baby!”
In another video, Santa announces the tickets sold for the “insane” $80,000 price tag. All-in-all, it was a very successful evening.
Taylor Swift has a talent for singing about her past relationships and the men she has been with in her songs without actually naming them. Her lyrics always carry hints that can make fans draw their own conclusion. So when her recent album The Tortured Poets Department came out, everyone knew there were going to be songs about Joe Alwyn, who Taylor spent six years with before breaking up, and also about her current partner Travis Kelce.
However, Swift apparently did not forget about her short romance with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. In one of the songs from the album, titled The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, the pop superstar allegedly eviscerates her relationship with Healy. And “Gazing at me starry-eyed/ In your Jehovah’s Witness suit” does seem like a hint.
Why do people think the song is about Matty Healy?
Well Swift has always been a master at leaving hints with her lyrics, and this time it’s no different. One of the first things that made fans think the song was about Healy was the title, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. Fans took this as a hint because Healy once said that everyone else in his band was 6’4 and he was 5’10, which makes people think he is shorter than he is.
However, the real sign of the song being about Matty was in the first verse which said, “Gazing at me starry-eyed/ In your Jehovah’s Witness suit.” Which reminded the listeners about the way Healy dresses which was described as “close-cut suit and a tie,” by the New Yorker.
This is also a popular choice of clothing amongst Jehovah’s Witnesses who dress in a similar way to Healy, even though he is not a Witness himself. She also says, “If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal” in the song which apparently refers to their dating timeline which lasted till the early summer of 2023.
Some other lyrics from the song also seemed to allude to Taylor’s relationship with Matty. When she sings “You tried to buy some pills/ From a friend of friends of mine,” it reminded people of the time Healy spoke out about his experience with drugs and addiction.
The lyrics also inquire, “Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?” and “Were you writin’ a book? Were you a sleeper cell spy?/ In fifty years, will all this be declassified?” which seems to allude to the time Swifties thought that Matty Healy’s controversial history and habits were posing a threat to the popstar’s reputation.
There are other songs that allude to Matty Healy as well
When Swift’s new studio album was announced, people thought the songs would mostly be about her six-year-long relationship with Joe Alwyn which ended last year, and her current loving relationship with Travis Kelce. But people were pleasantly surprised to see that most of the songs seemed to allude towards the singer’s short spring romance with Matty Healy instead.
A lot of the sixteen songs in the album seem to point toward their relationship which was a point of gossip last year. The controversies that came up during the time were also alluded to in the song But Daddy I Love Him.
Other songs such as Guilty as Sin, I Can Fix Him (No I Really Can), loml, and even the title track The Tortured Poets Department which refers to someone as a “tattooed golden retriever” which seems to allude to Healy’s many tattoos. It seems as though a lot of the songs from the album were centered around her short-lived romance with Healy, which now seems to have been much more serious than initially thought.
By now, I’ve expected almost everyone to have streamed Taylor Swift’s new album: The Tortured Poet’s Department. Thanks to Swifties, and those curious to see if the album was about ex Joe Alwyn or ex Matty Healy (hint: both). TTPD broke Spotify’s streaming record in less than 12 hours. And then, two hours after the album released, she dropped a second installment…The girl never sleeps.
With 14 total albums, The Tortured Poet’s Department is a bit of a stylistic shift from her previous release, Midnights. We’re introduced to a heartbroken Swift, one who embodies vengeance and yearning through synth beats and biting lyrics. Her two features include Post Malone, on “Fortnight”, and Florence and The Machine, on “Florida!!!” You can listen to the album here:
Produced alongside her go-to squad, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dressner, Swift continues to challenge herself as an artist despite having conquered every accolade. While some songs lay flat (and maybe this has something to do with Antonoff’s production methods), others shine as instantaneous classics amongst Swift’s already impressive, groundbreaking discography.
The main takeaways from Taylor’s insight on her past few years is that Matty Healy had a much bigger impact on Swift’s story than we thought. We learn that Joe Alwyn cheated on Taylor in Orlando, Florida, and that’s why the state is mentioned so often throughout. And, furthermore, we learn that she still hates Kim Kardashian.
While this may not be the best album in her extensive collection, there are a handful of gems that stand out. With 31 songs total, The Tortured Poet’s Department can seem a bit redundant at times…and other times, Swift’s voice is often drowned out by stylistic beat choices and synths that don’t make much sense.
The fire for Swift burns bright throughout the world, but it’s important to note that she’s constantly churning out music. To be in creator-mode 24/7 means that not every song is going to be their best work…It’s statistically impossible, but Taylor will fare well nonetheless.
This isn’t your average album review, so I won’t delve into every song and lyric that may mean something…but here’s your essential rundown:
Popdust Hits: “Florida!!!”, “But Daddy I Love Him”, “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me”, “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
Popdust Misses: “Down Bad”, “The Tortured Poets Department”, “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”, “loml”
Songs About Joe Alwyn: “Florida!!!”, “So Long, London”, “loml”, “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”, “How Did It End?”
Songs About Matty Healy: “The Tortured Poets Department”, “Guilty As Sin?”, “Down Bad”, “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus”, “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”, “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
Songs About Travis Kelce: “So High School”, “The Alchemy”
The fanbase of the liberal singer Taylor Swift, a group of people who call themselves “Swifties” in her honor, are losing their minds this week after her Kansas City Chiefs tight end boyfriend Travis Kelce reportedly “liked” a post that was pro-Donald Trump.
Travis Kelce liking a post from Sage Steele promoting Trump. Not surprised that idiot is MAGA. Could smell MAGA on Travis from a mile away. pic.twitter.com/NwhrAaoExt
Newsweek reported that it all started last month, when the former ESPN host Sage Steele, who has long been known for her unapologetically conservative views, took to Instagram to post a series of photos and videos of herself with the former President Trump enjoying a night out at UFC 299.
“What. A. Night. After years of covering @ufc at ESPN, I FINALLY got to see it live & in person. Game changer. THANK YOU @danawhite … for EVERYTHING! Great people, great event, great fights! (Check out the last video – it’s the final minute of the main card fight .. so intense!!!) 🇺🇸#ufc299,” she captioned the post.
In anticipation of the liberal backlash that she knew she’d inevitably receive for daring to post images of herself with Trump, Steele ended the caption by writing, “(cue the divisive, close-minded thoughts and unfollows in 3…2…1… 😂) #diversityofthought.”
#Breaking News: Travis Kelce, NFL star tight end and boyfriend of Taylor Swift, is causing controversy after liking a post of ESPN former reporter Sage Steele and Donald Trump at a UFC event.
I think everyone, even celebrities, are finally waking up and supporting the MAGA… pic.twitter.com/EpyGOV3zY3
Though the post is from March 10, it resurfaced a few days ago when liberal fans of Swift were shocked and appalled to find out that it had been “liked” by Kelce, and it didn’t take long for them to go into full meltdown mode.
“I wasn’t expecting Travis Kelce to be a trump supporter but here we are,” one user commented, with another adding, “Not Travis Kelce liking a post with trump in it???”
Others claimed to have seen this coming, with one person sarcastically writing, “Travis kelce likes TRUMP? I would’ve never guessed this in a million years this is shocking news!! whats next? grass is green? the sun is a star???”
While Kelce appears to have stayed relatively quiet about politics over the years, Swift is a known radical liberal who has spoken out against Trump many times in the past. Back in 2020, Swift accused Trump of “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism” in response to comments he made condemning the violence that spread throughout the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
“After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?” she wrote on social media at the time, according to Daily Mail. “When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump.”
In her Netflix documentary “Miss Americana,” Swift talked about how much she regrets not openly opposing Trump during the 2016 presidential election.
“I like Taylor’s music about 25% less now,” Trump said in response.
Newsmax Host Greg Kelly slams Taylor Swift:
“They’re elevating her to an idol. Idolatry. This is a little bit of what idolatry, I think, looks like. And you’re not supposed to do that. In fact, if you look it up in the Bible, it’s a sin!” pic.twitter.com/qrw0MOxy3j
Swift told The Guardian in 2020 that Trump is “gaslighting the American public.”
“We’re a democracy – at least, we’re supposed to be – where you’re allowed to disagree, dissent, debate,” she said at the time. “I really think that he thinks this is an autocracy.”
Fox News reported that Swift also accused Trump of cheating in the 2020 presidential election.
“Trump’s calculated dismantling of USPS proves one thing clearly: He is WELL AWARE that we do not want him as our president,” she said. “He’s chosen to blatantly cheat and put millions of Americans’ lives at risk in an effort to hold on to power.”
Trump Thinks Swift Won’t Endorse Biden
That being said, it’s been years since Swift has attacked Trump, and she noticeably has yet to endorse Biden going into this year’s presidential election. Back in February, Trump speculated that it will be impossible for Swift to endorse Biden this time around after what he’s done to our country.
“I signed and was responsible for the Music Modernization Act for Taylor Swift and all other Musical Artists. Joe Biden didn’t do anything for Taylor, and never will,” Trump stated.
“There’s no way she could endorse Crooked Joe Biden, the worst and most corrupt President in the History of our Country, and be disloyal to the man who made her so much money,” he continued. “Besides that, I like her boyfriend, Travis, even though he may be a Liberal, and probably can’t stand me!”
JUST IN: Donald Trump says he likes Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce even though he may be a “liberal” and says he made Taylor Swift so much money so she can’t endorsed Joe Biden.
“I signed and was responsible for the Music Modernization Act for Taylor Swift and all other Musical… pic.twitter.com/NGg4r7TP3u
Perhaps like millions of other young Americans, Swift and Kelce have become so disillusioned about life under the Biden regime that Trump doesn’t seem that bad to them anymore. While one arguably shouldn’t read that much into one Instagram “like,” it would certainly be hilarious to see how many liberal heads would explode if either Swift or Kelce even considered endorsing Trump!
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INDIO, CA—In a viral video clip that left fans fawning over the celebrity couple, Travis Kelce reportedly tossed Taylor Swift 50 feet across the festival grounds at Coachella Saturday night. “He picked her up and hurled her like it was nothing,” said 25-year-old Brooke Renny, just one of dozens of festivalgoers who captured cell phone footage of the Kansas City Chiefs tight end as he held the pop star over his head, spun 360 degrees, and then sent her hurtling over the crowd. “You could tell she was saying ‘Throw me! Throw me!’ into his ear, and then he did. He whipped her across the grounds so easily—it was so cute. She just went soaring over the heads of everyone in the crowd.” At press time, Renny was gushing over another viral video that showed Kelce spiking Swift into the ground.
Chiefs Fans Try To Name A Single Taylor Swift Song
After singer Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, were spotted grabbing dinner at hyped LA restaurant Sushi Park, the chattering class was abuzz. Why is the star couple seen mainly at sushi spots? What did they order? And did this date mean that rumors that the duo was headed to Coachella were false? At last, we know the answers to these questions. First, sushi is delicious, so why not? Sushi Park is an omakase-only restaurant so they ate what they were given. And no, the rumors were correct, as the couple was seen at at least two of the music fest’s shows last night.
That last concern was a fair worry, though. Coachella 2024 kicked off in Indio, California on Friday afternoon, with a first-night headliner of Swift pal and collaborator Lana Del Rey. But around the time the once-mesh-masked singer was hitting the main festival stage, Kelce and Swift were in a West Hollywood strip mall, grabbing dinner at the beloved-by-celebs restaurant that proudly fails to serve standbys such as California rolls or salads. They were “Skippin’ Out On Coachella,” as TMZ put it, though the venerable online tabloid surely knows that the drive from WeHo to the Coachella Valley is two hours with reasonable traffic.
The couple made that trip on Saturday, though one of them likely knew the way better than the other. Kelce told Vanity Fair in 2023 that he has attended the festival every year since 2018, joined by a regular group of pals. Swift, on the other hand, hadn’t been to Coachella since 2016, when she arrived in a sharply retro platinum blonde do.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce watch Bleachers perform at Coachella on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
Christina House/Getty Images
The pair rolled into the festival towards the end of day two, as documented by slews of social media-using fans. The couple were first spotted dancing just offstage during the 6:50 p.m. set by Bleachers, the band fronted by Swift producing partner and friend Jack Antonoff.
The pair were later spotted in the crowd at Ice Spice‘s 8:30 p.m. set, dancing to her performance of Swift/Ice Spice collab “Karma (Remix).”
Swift was content to remain on the sidelines on Saturday night, but who knows what the rest of the festival might hold. In addition to Sunday’s acts, there’s a whole second weekend of shows from April 19-21. With The Tortured Poets Departmentset for release on Friday (a word search Easter egg hunt is already afoot) and Swift’s Eras Tour on break until May, the possibilities seem endless.
