On and off the field.
In 2016, Travis Kelce was the lead in his own Bachelor-inspired reality show, Chasing Kelce. But it wasn’t until seven years later that his dating life truly took over the spotlight. Kelce’s rumored relationship with Taylor Swift is dominating headlines, and even NFL commentators are getting in on the fun. But what about the rest of Kelce’s dating history?
In the decade since the Chiefs tight end got drafted, he has had a few public relationships — and it doesn’t seem like he minds fans knowing about his love life.
Kelce went public with his crush on Swift during a July episode of his New Heights podcast, explaining how he attempted to give her his number during her Eras Tour performance at Arrowhead Stadium. The singer was on vocal rest, so his plan — putting his phone number on a friendship bracelet — didn’t work. But Kelce’s efforts eventually paid off. On Sept. 24, Swift attended the Chiefs game and they left together, seemingly confirming dating rumors.
Now that the NFL player is off the market (or seems to be), here’s a look back on all of the girls he’s loved before.
Kelce publicly dated Maya Benberry for eight months after choosing her as his winner on Catching Kelce in April 2016. Even during the show, he told Benberry he wasn’t too sure about his choice, questioning if she had too much “arrogance,” per the US Sun. “I have been attracted to women like that my entire life and those relationships didn’t work because of that,” he told her — but he ended up choosing her anyway, saying he had to “go with [his] heart.”
After they split in December 2016, Benberry reportedly said they would be friends for life, even if their romance was over.
However, following the Taylor Swift dating rumors, Benberry threw some shade at her ex. In a Sept. 26 interview with the Daily Mail, she implied that Kelce was “just using” Swift. “Only time will tell but like the saying always goes, once a cheater, always a cheater,” Benberry added.
A source close to Kelce denied cheating rumors on Sept. 26, explaining that Benberry and Kelce only dated for a month post-Catching Kelce but waited to announce their breakup since they were under contract.
The insider added that Kelce never cheated on Benberry and hasn’t spoken to her in five years. Per the source, Benberry’s claims were only “a poor excuse of someone trying to get her 15 min of fame.”
Kelce dated sports journalist Kayla Nicole on-and-off for five years after some flirting on Instagram. They broke up briefly in 2020 amid cheating rumors, which Kelce denied on Twitter. “This is fake news ... a lie ... and not why Kayla and I broke up," he wrote in a since-deleted Tweet in August 2020.
Per People, they were back together by November 2020, and Kelce called her “the absolute best” in an IG Live.
The duo split for good in May 2022, prompting rumors that Kelce was stingy with his money in the relationship (which both Nicole and Kelce have slammed as untrue).
Kelce and Swift were first spotted together in September, but many fans are already convinced they’re meant to be. After she attended his NFL game, an insider told People that while Swift “is very focused on work right now,” she couldn’t resist a Sunday game.
“Travis invited her to the game, and of course she said ‘yes.’” the source said. “She just thought it was a fantastic way to spend Sunday.”
Per TMZ, they had spent time together before, but kept their previous dates “very private.” This time, however, Kelce and Swift were reportedly holding hands while celebrating the Chiefs victory at a private party.
On Kelce’s podcast on Sept. 27, he gushed over Swift’s “ballsy” move after she attended his game. “I just thought it was awesome that everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her. The friends and family. She looked amazing … It was absolutely electric,” Kelce said, per Us.
It sounds like he watched a replay of Swift at the game. “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 … it was definitely a game I’ll remember, that’s for damn sure,” he added.
But according to Kelce, he’s not going to make talking about Swift a habit, considering she’s “not in the media as much.” In the future, he wants to keep the conversation to sports.
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