'It surprised me, too': Mahomes, Andy Reid talk Taylor Swift's 'New Heights' debut
Stephen A. Smith has no doubt that Travis Kelce will use his disappointing postseason as motivation this season. (1:03)
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Earlier this month, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was with his family when Brittany Mahomes, his wife, received a call from Taylor Swift, the girlfriend of tight end Travis Kelce.
The purpose of the call was for Kelce and Swift to inform one of their favorite couples of the upcoming event: Swift, the pop superstar singer, will make a special guest appearance on "New Heights," the podcast Kelce hosts with his brother, Jason.
"It surprised me, too," Mahomes said Wednesday when Swift decided to announce her new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," on the podcast's upcoming episode, which will be released at 7 p.m. ET.
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING
TAYLOR SWIFT. TONIGHT. 7PM ET. pic.twitter.com/RjjaFVaYy3
Mahomes added of the call: "I was in the back of the FaceTime. I'm obviously super excited, just knowing Taylor and seeing the process from just a little bit closer of how she makes the albums. It's going to be amazing because of how much works she puts into [it]. What better place to announce it than the 'New Heights' podcast, where I feel she can be herself and showcase who she is."
Before the podcast's announcement -- which was done at 12:12 a.m. ET on Aug. 12 for Swift's 12th album -- "New Heights" was already one of America's most popular sports podcasts. Wednesday's show is expected to be the most watched and most listened to episode in the podcast's history, which began in Sept. 2022. Since she began dating Kelce more than two years ago, Swift has not done an extensive interview about her courtship that has generated much attention and hoopla.
The Wednesday night "New Heights" episode will also be Swift's podcasting debut. Swift jokingly addressed the negative backlash she received from some NFL fans who were annoyed that TV broadcasts showed her several times during most of the Chiefs' games during the 2023 season.
"As we all know, you guys have a lot of male sports fans that listen to your podcast," Swift said during the episode. "I think we all know that if there's one thing that male sports fans want to see in their spaces and on their screens, it's more of me."
Kelce responded to Swift's joke by smiling and laughing. Last year, after the Chiefs were victorious in Super Bowl LVIII, Kelce spent much of that summer traveling across Europe with Swift while being an encouraging presence at many stops on her Eras Tour. Swift said on the episode that one reason she chose to be interviewed by her boyfriend and Jason Kelce, the former star center of the Philadelphia Eagles, is because her favorite podcast is "New Heights."
"People are going to be really excited to watch it tonight," Mahomes said. "I haven't seen [the full interview] yet. I'll be tuned in. I'll have something to watch this night off that I have."
After the Chiefs' final training camp practice on Wednesday morning, Andy Reid, who is entering his 27th season as a head coach, grinned when he shared that he doesn't plan on watching the episode live with millions of other fans of Travis Kelce and Swift.
"Listen, I'm, like, really old," Reid said, smiling. "My grandkids will be all over it. I'm happy for [Kelce and Swift]. Both of them like each other and what a plus that is. They care about each other and I think that's the most important thing.
"The older you get, you want these [players] to have somebody they can settle down with. I think it's a neat deal for both of them."
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