The NFL regular season kicks off tonight at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City where the reigning Super Bowl champions will play Baltimore. Which, for the sport of gossip, means that we’ll be watching to see if a new season of TNT is also beginning. Will Taylor Swift be in the suite to cheer on Travis Kelce?
That’s actually not the major TNT story that’s been making headlines over the last couple of days. Instead we’re talking nonsense. The nonsense is over a contract that was posted on Reddit, supposedly drafted by Travis’s representatives at Full Scope, a PR firm, that supposedly confirms that TNT is a contract relationship and details the strategy for Travis when they break up. I saw this earlier in the week and spent exactly two seconds on it before swiping but there were a lot of people online who actually believed it, to the point where Travis’s people have come out with a strong denial.
Per PEOPLE:
“The documents, titled "Comprehensive Media Plan For Travis Kelce's Relations Following Breakup with Taylor Swift," are "entirely false and fabricated," a representative for Full Scope, the company that runs PR for Kelce, tells PEOPLE.
"These documents are entirely false and fabricated and were not created, issued or authorized by this agency," the company said.
The original Reddit page that shared the documents has been deleted, and Full Scope tells PEOPLE they have engaged with the online forum's legal team "to initiate proceedings against the individuals or entities responsible for the unlawful and injurious forgery of documents."
This is so f-cking stupid and annoying – because actual professionals have had to waste time shutting down this f-ckery when they could be doing something more productive.
As for how this actually happened, a lot of (rational) Swifties out there seem convinced that it was the work of “gaylors”, that segment of Swift Nation who remain obstinately convinced that Taylor is queer and are determined to undermine the legitimacy of TNT. Which, in the process, undermines their understanding of their fave and her place in pop culture.
Because, sure, fake celebrity relationships can be a thing, but like… WHYYYYYYYY would one of the most influential and powerful celebrities in modern history, a person who actually has a measurable effect on the economy of every city she visits around the world, from Tokyo to Toronto and London to Los Angeles, need to fake-date anyone?!
Taylor Swift, as we have seen, is extremely protective of her impact. As she should be. She is the savviest of entertainers, almost to the point of ruthlessness at times (there’s a member of our Squawk community – what’s up Ksenia! - who refers to her as an apex predator, which always makes me laugh), and there would have been absolutely no f-cking gain for her to engage in a sham of a love affair… TO WHAT END?!
In her words, can we all please exclude ourselves from this narrative?! It’s such a colossal waste of time, and our gossip time is valuable!
Instead, let’s focus on the other controversy that Taylor is connected to, by friendship: Brittany Mahomes. As we have seen, over the last couple of weeks, Brittany’s been doubling down on MAGA-ism. And this has not gone unnoticed by Big MAGA himself, to the point where he just posted a message of appreciation for her support on socials yesterday. And it’s obvious who his real target is. He doesn’t give a sh-t about Brittany, what he’s trying to do is associate himself with Taylor. You’ll recall, a couple of weeks ago he was already trying it with that bogus poster of her dressed as Uncle Sam with the words “Taylor Swift Wants You To Vote for Donald Trump” printed across it.
Again, to go back to my earlier point about Taylor’s influence – there are presidential candidates on all sides and operatives for all political parties so thirsty for her endorsement, this is how culturally powerful she is, and there are people out here thinking she needs a contract boyfriend? Get the f-ck out of here.
But back to the Brittany problem and this Trump situation…
Late last month, Taylor’s fans mobilised under the name Swifties for Kamala to raise money for Vice President Harris. A significant faction of Taylor’s fanbase is confident that they know her values and her politics and that she would never f-ck with Trump. They’ve been waiting for Taylor to make it clear, eventually, who she’ll be supporting in the upcoming US election. And they’ve been increasingly vocal about her friendship with Brittany.
Remember how Taylor’s fans reacted to her dating Matty Healy? How vocal they were about their contempt for his misogyny and racism? We know now that she and Matty eventually broke up, not because she was pressured by her fans but because he’s a f-ckboy. And then a year later, on the song “But Daddy I Love Him”, she seemed to be addressing that issue.
The lyrics of that track are widely interpreted to be a clapback against the fan criticism of her relationship.
“I'll tell you something right now
I'd rather burn my whole life down
Than listen to one more second of all this bitching and moaning
I'll tell you something about my good name
It's mine alone to disgrace
I don't cater to all these vipers dressed in empath's clothing”
Will Taylor’s defiance in persisting with Matty transfer to her friendship with Brittany Mahomes? Will they be in the suite together tonight, side by side, with matching blonde beach waves, big smug smiles, and f-ck you energy? What’s your prediction? Squawk with us! (app link here)
