On Tuesday, August 26th, Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce, a famous American football player. But how did This Love come to be? Let’s take a look back at the summer of 2023 to understand this Love Story.
Travis’ Wildest Dreams:
The relationship between these New Romantics all started on July 8th, 2023, at the Kansas City show of The Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium. Travis, a Kansas City Chiefs football player, attended the concerts with the hopes of meeting Taylor. However, Travis hadn’t contacted Taylor’s management team, so he wasn’t allowed access to meet her.
“This podcast gave me a boyfriend”
A few days later, on the New Heights podcast he shares with his brother, Jason, his missed opportunity at the concert. He explained to Jason and the listeners his plan to give Taylor a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it. After being told of the podcast, Taylor reached out to Travis to arrange a get-together. In 2025, Taylor explains that “this podcast gave me a boyfriend. After Travis used it as his personal dating app a few years ago” (Swift, 2025, 4:40-4:47).
“Karma is the guy on the Chiefs”
Their relationship remained a secret until September 24th, 2023, when Taylor was seen in Travis’s suite at a Chiefs’ game. At the game, Taylor is seen chatting with Donna Kelce and cheering on Travis. About a month later, on November 11th, Travis once again attended The Eras Tour but was this time spotted in the VIP tent. That same night, Taylor debuted the famous “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs” lyric change during her closing song. This became an Eras Tour tradition anytime Travis attended her concert.
“You know how to ball, I know Aristotle”
On April 19th, 2024, Taylor’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, was released with two songs referring to her relationship with Travis Kelce, including “So, High School” and “The Alchemy.” In London, Travis made a surprise appearance on the Eras Tour. He carries her across the stage and pretends to reapply her makeup in preparation for her next song. Through the end of Taylor’s tour and Travis’ football season, they are both seen supporting and cheering each other on.
“It’s the end of an era, but the start of an age”
After The Eras Tour ended, Taylor spent a lot of the time out of the spotlight with limited social media presence until August of 2025. Within a few days, Taylor surprised her fans with her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, and a surprise appearance on the New Heights podcast. During the podcast, she talked about life before, during, and after The Eras Tour; her new album, regaining; her master’s; her relationship with Travis; and even baking sourdough bread!
“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married “
Taylor announced her engagement to Travis on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, on Instagram with the caption “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married “. The post included multiple photos of their engagement, with “So, High School” playing in the background, reaching 14 million likes in the first hour.
Travis proposed at his Kansas City house, in a customized courtyard garden similar to Taylor’s “Lover” photoshoot. They were about to leave for dinner when Travis suggested a glass of wine in the garden where he proposed. Ed Kelce, Travis’ father, said in an interview that the proposal happened on August 10th, 2 weeks prior to the post. Taylor’s ring was designed by Travis and Lubeck and is worth about 3.5 to 5 million dollars. Worth a lot more than Paper Rings! Their engagement was celebrated globally by fans, celebrities like Selena Gomez and Taylor Lautner, and even companies like Ikea, United Airlines, and Poppi!