Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romance is a real-life fairytale — and one that reflects some of the most iconic on screen love stories.
When Swift and Kelce first started dating in summer 2023, the couple quickly became one of Hollywood’s most prominent and popular couples. With Swift’s global music stardom and Kelce’s reputation as a star NFL athlete, fans have often compared their relationship to that of a fictional romance that blossoms in TV, film and popular novels.
Swift and Kelce, however, are very real; the twosome were first linked in July 2023 when Kelce revealed he attended one of Swift’s concerts in an effort to gift her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it. While his quest was unsuccessful, the duo eventually met up, and Swift made her first appearance in the football stands three months later.
The twosome have been inseparable ever since, with Swift often traveling across the country to cheer Kelce on, while the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has showed his support for the pop star during her Eras world tour.
After the Chiefs secured their spot in Super Bowl LVIII with their AFC Championship win against the Baltimore Ravens in January 2024, Swift rushed onto the field to congratulate Kelce. As the pair found each other in the crowd, they embraced in a passionate kiss and exchanged “I love you’s” before Swift told her boyfriend that she’s “never been this proud.”
When fans realized the Super Bowl would take place just one day after Swift was scheduled to perform In Tokyo the following month — and one week after the Grammys where her 2022 album, Midnights, scored a nomination for Album of the Year – social media quickly flooded with comparisons to High School Musical’s Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens). In the 2006 film, the basketball star and honors student must find a way to shine in their own individual talents while also supporting each other when it matters most.
“I really need Travis Kelce to give Taylor Swift a ’T’ necklace like the one Troy gave [and] Gabriella in HSM2,” one person wrote via X, while another added, “Taylor and Travis are the Troy and Gabriella of 2023.”
Keep scrolling for every fictional couple that remind Us of Swift and Kelce’s love story:
‘High School Musical’: Troy and Gabriella
There’s no denying that Swift and Kelce perfectly emulate the love story of Troy and Gabriella from the High School Musical franchise, down to red being the color of both the Chiefs and East High. Beyond being a music and sports duo, the pair find themselves in a tight situation as their conflicting work schedules may keep them from being able to support each other for upcoming milestone moments.
Swift was able to cheer her boyfriend on during the AFC Championship, but Kelce will unlikely be able to attend the 2024 Grammys due to practice obligations. One week later, Kelce will be playing alongside the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, while Swift will be wrapping up her four-day concert stint across the globe in Tokyo.
Paralleling the plot of HSM — where Troy and Gabriella must figure out how to compete in a basketball game, science fair and school play all in one night — Swift and Kelce will have to try and find a way to be everywhere all at once.
Unlike Troy and Gabriella, at least Swift has a private jet.
‘One Tree Hill’: Lucas and Peyton
When Swift showed up on the field after the Chiefs secured the AFC Championship against the Ravens, fans immediately began comparing the twosome to One Tree Hill’s star couple Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Peyton (Hilarie Burton Morgan).
Swift anxiously searching for Kelce in the crowd before leaping into his arms for a romantic kiss is much akin to the season 4 episode of OTH where Lucas realizes he loves Peyton after winning the state championship basketball game. As people bustle all around him and confetti falls, he focuses on Peyton, telling her, “It’s you, Peyton. The one I want next to me when all my dreams come true. It’s you.”
Kelce, for his part, could be seen refusing to let go of Swift as he made his way through his congratulations on the field.
Even Burton Morgan sees the similarities. “Yes yes yes,” she wrote via X after a fan posted a photo of Swift and Kelce alongside Lucas and Peyton.
‘A Cinderella Story’: Austin and Sam
While Baltimore wasn’t suffering from a drought before the AFC Championship, Swift and Kelce finding each other on the field to embrace and share a public smooch in the rain gave Us major flashbacks to 2004’s A Cinderella Story, where Austin (Murray) finds Sam (Hilary Duff) in the stands during a storm to confess his love.
‘All American’: Jordan and Layla
There is something so special about a sports and music duo. While All American’s Layla (Greta Onieogou) isn’t a singer herself, she is a successful producer with her own label. Despite her hectic schedule, Layla has always been there for Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) during his football games since the pair began dating in season 5. The butterflies we get seeing those two support each other is a lot like how we feel seeing Swift and Kelce cheer each other on in real life.
‘Saved by the Bell’: Jessie and Slater
The original smart girl and lovable himbo duo, Saved By the Bell’s Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley) and Slater (Mario Lopez) were a fan-favorite couple that, in our opinion, totally blew Kelly (Tiffani Theissen) and Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) out of the water. While Swift and Kelce hopefully argue far less than this on-again, off-again fictional pair, the parallels can’t be ignored: there’s heat, there’s genuine love and there are two people who excel in their very different, but equally impressive, talents.
‘Glee’: Rachel and Finn
OK, don’t come for Us — we definitely aren’t saying Swift is anything like Glee’s Rachel (Lea Michele) besides in her talent and love for her boyfriend, Finn (Corey Monteith). Misgivings aside, Rachel stole the spotlight with her singing skills, while Finn was a lovable giant who excelled on the football field. Their ending is a tragic one, but the beginning of their love story certainly reflects the real-life romance of Swift and Kelce.
‘Barbie’: Barbie and Ken
Let’s be serious: who is more of a real-life Barbie than Swift? And while Kelce is way too evolved to think patriarchy should rule over Barbieland, his devotion to Swift clearly mirrors that of Ken’s. The Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) of the 2023 film don’t end up together, but their dolls are still an iconic pair with an incredible legacy, just like Swift and Kelce.
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’: Jake and Amy
Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy’s (Melissa Fumero) lives don’t revolve around sports or music. In fact, this couple actually works together as detectives in the 99th precinct of New York City.
Still, Jake and Amy are an example of why opposites attract. A beautiful and incredibly smart woman paired with an empathetic and lovable man, the duo bring out the best in each other. They are both excellent at their jobs, even if they differ in their methods — a lot like Swift and Kelce, if you ask Us.
As one of the most beloved TV romances, we mean this comparison as the utmost of compliments.
