Travis Kelce Says His Relationship With Taylor Swift ‘Just Took the F*ck Off’

THE RUNDOWN:

• In Travis Kelce’s September GQ cover story, he spoke candidly about his girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
• “When there is not a camera on us, we’re just two people that are in love,” he shared.
• Kelce also discussed their recent public appearances, how he’s turned Swift into a football fan, and the similarities between her and his mom.

Travis Kelce is opening up about his relationship with Taylor Swift.

In his September GQ cover story, which dropped today, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end spoke candidly about how they keep their romance grounded despite being in the spotlight.

“Whenever I’m with her, it feels like we’re just regular people,” he said. “When there is not a camera on us, we’re just two people that are in love. It can be perceived as something else because of how much it is talked about and how much we are tracked whenever we do go out, but I would say that... it happened very organically, even though from a media standpoint it was being tracked. It still happened very organically.”

He continued, “Nothing I’ve ever done has been a controlled, organized process. When I say it was so organic, we fell in love just based off the people we were sitting in a room together with. We are two fun-loving people who have the morals to appreciate everyone for who they are. We share all those values. It kind of just took the fuck off.”

Kelce also reflected on some of their public appearances, like the time they attended the US Open last September to watch the Men’s Singles Final match between Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner.

“When you see me hanging out at the US Open with Taylor, it may look like the two of us are partying,” he said. “But I’m just enjoying the fun of being at this really cool event that I always wanted to go to with the person that I love.”

Kelce and Swift at the US Open.

Speaking of sports, he also takes some credit for making her a football fanatic. “I sort of made her a football fan,” he said. “She is the most engulfed fan now. She knows what the injury reports look like. She understands what special situations are, third and short—all these things because she just naturally loves to hear about my job.”

He even mentioned that Swift adopted one of his signature football moves: his first down gesture. When asked where the move originated, he couldn’t recall exactly, but said, “I know Tay picked it up, and she did it in New Orleans,” he said.

And as for watching her perform, Kelce is more than happy to play the fan when she’s onstage. “I get to be the plus-one,” he said. “I get to go and be that fan. Because I am a fan. I’m a fan of music. I’m a fan of art. And it’s so cool that I get to experience her being that plus-one for me on the football field…. I feel that same enjoyment every time she comes to my shows.”

Kelce and Swift at the AFC Championship Game on January 28, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland.

The couple also bond over the shared experience of performing in packed stadiums. “I hadn’t experienced somebody in the same shoes as me—having a partner who understands the scrutiny, understands the ups and downs of being in front of millions,” he said. “That was very relatable, seeing how exhausted she would get after shows she would get after shows. She may not think of herself as an athlete. She will never tell anyone that she is an athlete. But I’ve seen what she goes through. I’ve seen the amount of work that she puts on her body, and it’s mind-blowing.”

Her tour prep only added to his admiration. “To go out on a stage, on a computer, essentially, for three hours. The [Eras Tour] floor is literally—I’ve seen underneath that thing. It is a football-field-sized computer. You take that into Singapore, where it is scorching hot, and all of a sudden you’re feeling the fumes from the computer and the sun, and you’re doing a show for three hours with a lot of energy, bringing it every single song.”

“That is arguably more exhausting than how much I put in on a Sunday,” he continued. “And she’s doing it three, four, five days in a row.”

Kelce couldn’t help but continue to gush about her stage presence. “People gravitate towards how she performs and how she makes it feel like the entire stadium is in this little room with her,” he said. “She is so good at mesmerizing everybody and making everybody feel like it’s an intimate situation. I think that alone—there is so much calm and coolness. She’s beautiful. She’s up there making everyone feel at ease.”

Swift even inspired a shift in his own on-field energy. “Whenever I get in front of a crowd, I feel like I’ve got to be like, Woooo! Like, excited, bringing the energy,” he said. “Then I saw that coolness and that calmness and that relatability that she is so good at presenting. I really grabbed that. Like, Man, I can use that side of entertainment as well. It’s not just always being the guy that brings the energy and creates these exciting moments.”

Swift and Donna Kelce at the AFC Championship Game on January 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kelce also drew parallels between Swift and his mom, Donna Kelce. When asked about similarities between the two, he replied: “Their kindness, their genuineness, their ability to say hello to everyone in the room. Their ability to show love and support no matter what. And on top of that, their work ethic. I saw my mother reach goals that she had set for herself, go from being a teller to working all the way up in the KeyBank building.”

“I’ve seen Taylor do the exact same thing,” he added. “Setting goals for herself and exceeding the expectations and really captivating the world in that regard.”