Following a less-than-successful Super Bowl, it seems Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been left questioning their popularity, with a source now telling heat that close friends and family are concerned over mounting pressures for the couple.
It was a heartbreaking weekend for Travis, 35, and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates, whose crushing defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles saw their dreams of a historic third win dashed.
And it wasn’t only the sports star who suffered a blow, with Taylor, 35, also facing a knock back. When the singer appeared on the big screen, fans in the Caesars Superdome – the venue she sold out only four months before – booed. The shocked star was seen turning to pal Ice Spice, asking, ‘What’s going on?’
And now those cheers have turned to jeers, our source says Taylor is questioning where it all went wrong, and whether she and Travis should be changing tack.
‘Taylor has been left devastated by the boos,’ reveals our source. ‘It was a really shocking moment – especially after she was riding so high following the Eras Tour. She sees herself as a good person who strives to make the best decisions, so to receive a public bashing was quite traumatising.’
At the height of her Eras Tour, it was tough to imagine a crowd in which the record-breaking singer would face anything other than adoration. Aside from sell-out stadiums, Taylor received high praise for her generosity – giving a $100K bonus to everyone who worked on her tour, as well as donating to food banks in each city she performed. But with the Super Bowl showing a different side to public opinion, it seems the superstars are being advised to keep their careers firmly separate from their relationship.
‘Up until now, Taylor and Travis seemed to really complement each other’s public image, but there’s always a fear of over exposure – which is what her team think has happened,’ we’re told.
‘It’s been a blow to them both, and it’s put pressure on them to split things up, work-wise. Travis has been criticised for not giving the team his full attention amid his high-publicity romance with Taylor. It suddenly feels like the tide is turning, and both will be advised to protect their own individual brands – at whatever cost.’
Amid the boos, plenty rushed to Taylor’s defence. Tennis champ Serena Williams wrote, ‘I love you, Taylor, don’t listen to those boos!’ Eagles player Saquon Barkley also offered support, saying, ‘I don’t get why she was getting hate. She’s there supporting her significant other [and has] helped to make the game bigger.’
Others have argued that the boos were nothing more than a harmless jest at her changing allegiance. Before her romance with Travis, the star donned a different football kit from the Chiefs, having been a lifelong fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Playful or not, this isn’t the first time recently that Taylor has taken a hit. The singer found herself dragged into the ongoing feud between close pal Blake Lively and It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni – with the Gossip Girl star referring to Taylor as one of her ‘dragons.’ The singer also faced a snub at the Grammys earlier this month, walking away with no awards – despite The Tortured Poets Department being 2024’s top album.
‘Taylor’s been advised to lay low for a bit,’ our source now reveals. ‘It feels as if she’s done something wrong, which is painful. It’s created a strange atmosphere for her and Travis, as this is their first major bump in the road. Up until this point, it’s all been raucous fun. This has triggered some awkward conversations between their teams about when they should appear in public and how they should act, which doesn’t feel romantic to either of them.’
And with the pressure mounting, the couple’s inner circle are hoping this won’t spell the end of their picture-perfect romance.
‘Taylor isn’t a quitter, but experiencing so much vitriol from the American public has left her feeling really shaken,’ the source adds. ‘Friends and family are worried, and they’re hoping the couple can manage this darker period of their love story.’