Kansas City Chiefs President Denies Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Relationship Is a ‘Marketing Strategy’

Mar. 15, 2025

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift celebrate Chiefs AFC Championship win on Jan. 28, 2024.Photo:Patrick Smith/Getty

Patrick Smith/Getty

Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan is setting the record straight aboutTaylor SwiftandTravis Kelce’s relationship.Donovan appeared onCNBC’sSquawk Boxon Nov. 20, where he defended the legitimacy of the popular couple’s relationship.As with any celebrity relationship, whispers and accusations of dating purely for the publicity are inevitable, but Swift, 34, and Kelce, 35, have Donovan and the Chiefs organization on their side.“I’d love to say that it was a marketing strategy, but it is an authentic relationship, and we’re happy to have it,” Donovan said on the show.The Chiefs president went on to say the singer and tight end’s relationship has been “nothing but good” for the Kansas City organization.Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift celebrate after defeating the San Francisco.Ezra Shaw/Getty"I think the best thing I can say about the whole relationship and the impact it’s had on us is: Taylor Swift is an authentic member of the Kansas City Chiefs kingdom. She is an authentic fan, and that matters to our fans and our fanbase, and it matters to us and we try to respect that.”One user on X (formerly Twitter) replied to a post of the video, andadded, “I can’t believe after going on a year and a half we’re still having this conversation about whether or not the relationship is legit and whether or not she’s a legit fan,” in response to the video.Anotherwrote, “Exactly and we don’t give a s— what other fans think about it!“Swift has attended four of Kelce’s games since this NFL season kicked off, after making it to 13 games last year — including the Super Bowl, which required her to fly back to the U.S. from Tokyo during her string of Eras Tour shows in Asia.They’ve gone undefeated with the singer in the building, but suffered their first loss this season to Josh Allen and the Bills in Buffalo on Nov. 17.Taylor Swift watches the first half of game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 10, 2024.Jamie Squire/GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Donovan, meanwhile, has been a strong supporter of the romance from the start.In Oct. 2023,he told PEOPLEthat Kelce is a “team player” who can “handle the attention” that his relationship with Swift brought on.“Travis is a smart team player,” Donovan said at the time. “He can handle it and has been very professional.”

Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan is setting the record straight aboutTaylor SwiftandTravis Kelce’s relationship.

Donovan appeared onCNBC’sSquawk Boxon Nov. 20, where he defended the legitimacy of the popular couple’s relationship.

As with any celebrity relationship, whispers and accusations of dating purely for the publicity are inevitable, but Swift, 34, and Kelce, 35, have Donovan and the Chiefs organization on their side.

“I’d love to say that it was a marketing strategy, but it is an authentic relationship, and we’re happy to have it,” Donovan said on the show.

The Chiefs president went on to say the singer and tight end’s relationship has been “nothing but good” for the Kansas City organization.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift celebrate after defeating the San Francisco.Ezra Shaw/Getty

Ezra Shaw/Getty

“I think the best thing I can say about the whole relationship and the impact it’s had on us is: Taylor Swift is an authentic member of the Kansas City Chiefs kingdom. She is an authentic fan, and that matters to our fans and our fanbase, and it matters to us and we try to respect that.”

One user on X (formerly Twitter) replied to a post of the video, andadded, “I can’t believe after going on a year and a half we’re still having this conversation about whether or not the relationship is legit and whether or not she’s a legit fan,” in response to the video.

Anotherwrote, “Exactly and we don’t give a s— what other fans think about it!”

Swift has attended four of Kelce’s games since this NFL season kicked off, after making it to 13 games last year — including the Super Bowl, which required her to fly back to the U.S. from Tokyo during her string of Eras Tour shows in Asia.

They’ve gone undefeated with the singer in the building, but suffered their first loss this season to Josh Allen and the Bills in Buffalo on Nov. 17.

Taylor Swift watches the first half of game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 10, 2024.Jamie Squire/Getty

Jamie Squire/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Donovan, meanwhile, has been a strong supporter of the romance from the start.

In Oct. 2023,he told PEOPLEthat Kelce is a “team player” who can “handle the attention” that his relationship with Swift brought on.

“Travis is a smart team player,” Donovan said at the time. “He can handle it and has been very professional.”

source: people.com