Taylor Swift thanked her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, after winning the top prize at the MTV Video Music Awards Wednesday night, in a rare vocal nod to their very public partnership.
“I would always hear someone cheering and ‘whoooo’ from across the studio where we were shooting it,” said Swift in an acceptance speech, for Video of the Year which she won after self-directing the video for her song “Fortnight.” “And that one person was my boyfriend Travis. Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic.”
The mere mention of Kelce’s name prompted a round of elated shrieks and screams from Swift fans in attendance, with the decibel volume likely on par with the Chief’s Arrowhead Stadium crowds. The singer, fresh off an endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, added she “will always remember” Kelce’s jovial attitude on the shoot.
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While the two have appeared frequently in public together since they began dating last year and Swift has become a regular at Chiefs games, the speech marked a rare public outpouring of words of gratitude from Swift for her seven-time All-Pro tight end beau. Kelce, on the other hand, has lovingly gushed over her on the podcast he shares with his older brother, retired NFL player Jason Kelce—in one case, he went on for 10 minutes about “my lady.”
Kelce was not at the VMAs. His team is scheduled to play conference rivals the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
If Kelce needs any motivation, he can recall that Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow has ambivalent thoughts about Swift’s music, which he shared last year.
“I have a lot of respect for what Taylor Swift has done with her career,” Burrow, who prefers rappers Future, Gunna and Young Thug, told a press conference. “I can’t say that I’m listening to too much Taylor Swift on the speakers in the headphones. I know a lot of people that are, but that’s just not me. I’ve heard the tour is a lot of fun, though. Maybe I’ll stop by.”
