Taylor Swift is speaking publicly about her relationship with Travis Kelce for the first time since their romance stole fans’ hearts — and she isn’t sparing any details.
Swift, 33, opened up to TIME about her record-breaking tour, love life and more after being named the magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year, giving her first major interview in nearly four years. When asked to break down the timeline of her and Kelce’s connection, Swift didn’t hold back.
“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” she teased, referring to a July episode of Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, during which he revealed that he wanted to give Swift a friendship bracelet at one of her Kansas City Eras Tour stops.
According to Kelce, 34, the pair weren’t able to meet at the concert, but Swift confirmed that the twosome “started hanging out right after that.” Sparks were already flying by the time Swift was spotted at her first Kansas City Chiefs game in September.
“We actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other,” she continued. “By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”
Swift has appeared at several of Kelce’s NFL games since, most recently cheering him on in Wisconsin on Sunday, December 3, when the Chiefs faced off against the Green Bay Packers. Kelce has returned the favor, flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina, last month to see Swift perform on the international leg of her Eras Tour.
“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Swift told the outlet. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”
Swift’s presence at Kelce’s games has been a hot topic among both music lovers and sports fans, with cameras often panning to show Swift and her posse — which has recently included Patrick Mahomes‘ wife, Brittany Mahomes — in the stadium during the broadcast. “I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in,” she confessed, noting that she has “no idea” when the cameras are trained in her direction. “I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once.”
While she can’t help her level of fame, Swift doesn’t want to take away any of Kelce’s spotlight. “I’m just there to support Travis,” she said. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”
Kelce previously hinted on “New Heights” that the NFL might be “overdoing it” with the attention on his relationship with Swift, but the league defended its coverage of the couple in an October statement. Swift, meanwhile, has been enjoying her introduction to the sports world.
“Football is awesome, it turns out,” she joked. “I’ve been missing out my whole life.”
Apart from her Chiefs appearances, Swift and Kelce have spent time together in New York City, making joint surprise cameos on the season 49 premiere of Saturday Night Live in October. Later that month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the pair are “really happy” together.
“They’re not saying they’re in love yet. But it’s obvious to her friends they’re heading in that direction,” the insider added. “Friends think they’re in love.”
A second source asserted last month that Swift and Kelce are “a very real couple” with “a very real connection,” noting that their busy schedules won’t impact their relationship. “They have very detailed plans coming up on how to stay together while she’s on tour and he has games,” the source told Us.
