Travis Kelce is known for what he does on the field – but recently, he's been making headlines for his game off the field, as rumors about him and Taylor Swift dating swirl.
He shared what he's looking for in a partner and his deal breakers in a Sept. 19 episode of podcast "Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari."
"You have to be grounded," he said. "You have to have some sort of balanced lifestyle. High maintenance, I'm out the door. I've never been a part of that."
He said he's looking for someone who reminds me of his mom, Donna Kelce, whom he describes as an "absolute angel."
"You got to have some sort of sweetness to you," he said. "If you're arrogant or you think you're snooty or just higher above people, that's the biggest turn off for me."
The episode came amid chatter that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is dating Taylor Swift. On the July 26 episode of his “New Heights” podcast, the said he failed while trying to hand his number to Taylor Swift.
Kelce explained that he built up the courage to ask Swift out on her “Eras Tour." But when he arrived at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, he was "disappointed" when he learned that he couldn't see the singer.
“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings," he said. "So I was a little butthurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her."
Kelce noted that his number was on the bracelet and he thought it would be a sweet gift to give to Swift. But when he couldn't meet her in person, he took it "personal."
“She doesn’t meet anybody or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal," he said. "But it was an unbelievable show."
Rumors continue to follow the singer and the football player. And Kelce’s brother, Jason Kelce, implied those rumors are true.
“It’s hard to answer because I don’t really know a lot about what’s happening with Travis’ love life,” the Philadelphia Eagle prefaced his answer when asked about the dating rumors in an interview with 94 Wip, a sports show.
Neither is stranger to having his love life in the public eye. While Swift rarely publicly comments on her relationships, she sings about them in songs.
With his love life making headlines, who has Travis Kelce publicly dated previously?
Maya Benberry
Kelce was the star of an E! dating show called “Catching Kelce.” He said he regretted it later on. “It was extremely awkward,” Kelce said on The Pivot in 2023. He told the podcast he was swayed to do the dating show, after first turning it down, for financial reasons.
Kelce briefly dated Maya Benberry, the winner of the show.
Benberry confirmed the couple had broken up after the show. “There’s no love lost. We’re still good friends,” she said in a YouTube video posted after the show concluded.
“It was great having a boyfriend, somebody I really was into, somebody my parents like. It was an amazing experience,” Benberry said.
Kayla Nicole
Kelce began dating Kayla Nicole, an on-air sports reporter, in 2017. They were together for five years, Kelce said on The Pivot.
In addition to having a degree in broadcast journalism, the Pepperdine University graduate is also a model. She posted a picture of herself modeling some lingerie for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty brand, and in September, she posted a video of herself walking in a New York Fashion Week show.
As of 2023, when Kelce spoke to The Pivot, the two had split. “I’m in the free market right now. I’m out there just enjoying life, focused on my profession,” he said.
Kelce dispelled rumors that they broke up due to him not spending enough money on her.
“Don’t buy into that s--t," he said. “I would never say that I was supporting her. She had a very financially stable life and what she was doing in her career.”
“But you’ve got to be crazy if you’d think I would never helped or gave her a couple thousand to grab some food or she gave me some money to go get some food," he added.
"We were in a relationship for five years. A hundred dollars here, a hundred dollars there wasn’t even thought about.”