As Travis Kelce breaks out into the world of acting, his superstar girlfriend, Taylor Swift, has reportedly given the career move her stamp of approval.
The 34-year-old tight end is set to make his professional acting debut in the FX horror series Grotesquerie, which will kick off on Wednesday.
The show’s co-creator, Ryan Murphy, opened up about getting Travis involved in the project at Monday’s New York premiere.
Chatting with E! News, Ryan teased that Grotesquerie is “very scary” and praised the show’s ensemble cast, led by Niecy Nash.
Taylor Swift
The Glee showrunner said Travis was “the best” and a total “star,” adding, “He’s so charismatic, and he’s so smart.”
Ryan also admitted he “always tried to get some Taylor Swift talk from him,” but the Kansas City Chiefs star wouldn’t oblige.
Still, the little that Travis did spill about his girlfriend were all “sweet, lovely things.”
“The only thing that we talked about was that [Taylor’s] very supportive of him, and if he has an interest, she wanted him to try it,” Ryan explained.
Travis Kelce has spoken out for the first time about his woeful start to the NFL season, after his miserable reaction on the Chiefs bench went viral on Sunday night.
Kelce has had the lowest production through any three-game spell of his entire career to start the 2024 season, and has been slammed by analysts and fans alike.
Many have pointed to his hectic off-season and life away from football with Taylor Swift as a potential reason for his on-field decline, but Kelce has now spoken out and insists: ‘It’s football, baby!’
Speaking on the latest episode of his New Heights podcast alongside now-retired brother Jason, Travis said: ‘I’ve had a lot of catches in this league, man. I’m not worried about the catches and the yards, and all of that, I have the most fun when I get the ball thrown my way, I mean, who doesn’t?
‘It has everything to do with execution and just making sure we’re doing everything we can to win these football games, that’s always going to be the goal. I think everyone saw my drop in the fourth quarter and the crucial third down, just trying to do too much before putting the ball away.
Travis Kelce has had a horrible start to his 2024 season with only eight catches in three games
Kelce has been in a high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift for a little over a year now
Do you expect Travis Kelce to be fully back in form by the playoffs?
Yes, he’ll peak by then.No, his struggles may continue.
‘That’s probably the biggest thing for me is making the play in big-time moments like that. I think with how defenses are playing us right now, I’m not really getting a lot of opportunities to make plays down the field, but not using that as an excuse.
‘Moving forward, still trying to make sure I can help the team out in that regard knowing I’ve been that weapon for us in the past. Moving forward, everyone’s just tweaking their game in the right direction.’
In every season of his career so far, tight end Kelce has averaged over 10 yards per reception a game, but this season he is down at 8.6 and has only had eight catches through three games.
While the Chiefs have managed to win all three of their games – against the Ravens, Bengals and Falcons – quarterback Patrick Mahomes has got the ball to his best friend Kelce far less than many expected.
Kelce dropped a pass on third down in the final quarter of the Chiefs’ win over the Falcons
NBC analysts Cris Collinsworth (left) and Rodney Harrison (right) both slammed Kelce Sunday
The reason for that is unclear, but Kelce is determined to keep plugging away and believes change is coming.
‘Whatever it is, it’s football, baby,’ he added. ‘I’m not getting caught up in getting the targets and all that, I just want to have a successful offense and I think Pat is doing a great job of finding the open guy and making the right decisions right now, and we have to keep finding, it’s a new offense, new players, new pieces and we’re just finding how to have success throughout the season.
‘As an offense, you’re going to go through these ups and downs throughout the season and you just want to make sure that you clean up all the mistakes, you’re making sure that you’re communicating so that everybody understands exactly where we’re going moving forward.
‘Nobody does it better than coach [Andy] Reid and Pat Mahomes in that regard.’
Kelce was spotted on the sidelines looking particularly miserable on Sunday night, and it was coincidentally the first game that his girlfriend Swift has missed this year.
NBC’s lead analyst Cris Collinsworth admitted he was ‘flabbergasted’ by Kelce on Sunday night, having also watched him struggle in week one against the Ravens.
Kelce used his New Heights podcast to speak out about his worrying start to the season
Kelce spoke about the trust he has for his quarterback and best friend Patrick Mahomes (left)
He said on commentary: ‘I’m just flabbergasted. I mean, one game, big deal. Two games, alright.
‘This is the third game now where we have not seen the magic of (Patrick) Mahomes and Kelce, and I can’t really explain that one.’
Rodney Harrison, another NBC analyst, blamed Kelce’s latest lackluster performance on his other commitments.
He said: ‘He’s busy. He’s got a lot on his plate. You think about it. He’s doing a lot of different things. Media-wise, he’s playing football, he’s got other things going on.
‘When you’re in that situation you’ve got to forget about everything else and focus 100 per cent on football. That’s the main responsibility.
‘He (Kelce) just doesn’t have the same speed. He’s a good player still but I don’t believe he’s a great, great player.’
Swift was spotted on a lowkey night out with BFF Gigi Hadid in New York City on Saturday
Perhaps the clearest indication of Kelce’s tumbling support in football right now is that his loudest supporters are Taylor Swift fans.
The criticism, in particular from Harrison, drew a furious reaction from Swifties and they took to social media to defend him.
One posted: ‘This is such a bs talking point. Because if you actually paid attention to Trav, he’s 150% locked in on football.
‘Outside of the podcast (that he films on his off day), we do not see him. All of the “stuff” you see him involved with was done during the off season. I’m tired.’
While she’s best known for her Grammy-winning music, Taylor herself has dipped her toes into the acting world with roles in The Lorax, Cats, and Amsterdam.
The Chiefs faced off against the Chargers, but despite Kelce’s high-profile status, it wasn’t his performance on the field that got people talking-it was Swift’s no-show. This follows the surfacing of an alleged ‘breakup contract’ that supposedly outlined a separation between the pop icon and the Chiefs‘ star tight end. According to the so-called “contract,” September 28 was intended to be the end of their romance, with an official announcement expected soon after. The document laid out what seemed to be a pre-planned statement on their breakup, drafted by Kelce‘s PR team.
Interestingly, the legitimacy of this contract has been fervently denied. Representatives for Kelce branded it “entirely false and fabricated,” even reportedly hiring legal experts to hunt down the origin of the misleading document. It’s unclear why such a rumor would surface, but it certainly added fuel to the fire during a notably rough stretch for the star player.
Kelce has had a sluggish start to his NFL season, with only eight receptions for 69 yards in his first three games. Critics have attributed his poor performance to various distractions-possibly including his relationship with Swift. Yet, both the Chiefs and his teammates have come to his defense. Head Coach Andy Reid dismissed claims that Kelce’s relationship with the superstar has affected his focus. “Trav is fine. He works hard, and he hasn’t lost a step. People will talk, but his focus and dedication haven’t wavered,” Reid said.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also backed his teammate, emphasizing Kelce’s ability to navigate challenges. According to Mahomes, defenses continue to zero in on Kelce because of his unparalleled impact. “The respect factor for Travis remains unreal, and it’s deserved. He knows the situation and wants to help the team win, no matter what it takes,” Mahomes commented after their recent game against the Falcons.
It’s also worth mentioning that Kelce looked visibly frustrated during that game, sitting alone on the bench as his struggles mounted. Despite this rough start, Kelce aims to turn things around-especially against the Chargers, a team he historically performs well against, averaging almost 68 yards per game.
As for Taylor Swift, her silence leaves fans speculating about her relationship with the NFL star. Is she simply busy, or could there be something to those breakup rumors? With Swift skipping out on consecutive Chiefs games, it’s anyone’s guess where things truly stand between the two celebrities. Only time will reveal whether this romance is destined for a comeback or whether it’s fading into the rearview mirror, much like Kelce’s stats this season.