Travis Kelce’s ex-girlfriend has taken a not-so-subtle swing at his new partner, Taylor Swift – and the internet is refusing to ignore it.
American football tight end Travis, 36, has quite the history with Kayla Nicole, having started dating her in 2017 and remaining together for five years, on and off.
They met on social media, getting together after a few months of Instagram flirting and a brave New Year’s DM on her end.
In 2020, the public couple split for the first time amid rumours Travis had been unfaithful, although he branded the reports ‘fake news’ and reunited with Kayla months later. They split for good in May 2022.
However, it appears their rocky romance is still on Kayla’s mind, as she referenced her ex’s wife-to-be in a new ad.
The 34-year-old influencer and podcaster stars in a commercial for betting app Sleeper, debuting during the Super Bowl and also featuring Tiffany Haddish and Ben Simmons.
Comedian Tiffany and basketballer Ben act as ‘ex-communicators’ who help clients move on from their ‘high-profile relationships’.
‘Have you or someone you know been injured emotionally in a high-profile relationship? It’s very common,’ Tiffany begins, adding, ‘You may be entitled to retribution,’ before Ben corrects her, ‘Compensation.’
‘You need emotional injury specialists, Simmons and Haddish,’ they say, vowing to ‘confront your ex so you don’t have to.’
What follows are client testimonies from Cardi B’s ex Offset, and Love Island USA’s Ace Greene, as well as Kayla.
While the reviews of their services are mixed, with Kayla saying, ‘Don’t get me started on these two; they have no idea what they’re doing,’ it’s only a matter of seconds before a T. Swift pun arises.
‘Simmons and Haddish promised me that they could put an end to this whole ex-girlfriend fiasco quickly,’ says Kayla as she’s labelled the ‘Ex of a certain NFL player’ in an on-screen banner.
‘That doesn’t sound right,’ Ben then interjects.
‘Rapidly?’, Kayla suggests, with Ben replying: ‘That’s not what I said.’
‘OK, pronto,’ retorted Kayla before Ben forced the correct terminology out.
‘I said “Swiftly.” Why is that so hard to remember?’, he argues back.
The dig was anything but cryptic, with X users keen to share their thoughts and urge Kayla to ‘move on’ after four years out of her relationship with Travis.
@taybleached wrote: ‘It’s been 4 years. Travis didn’t say a single word her. But she’s still appearing in ads as his ex shading him and embarrassing herself.’
@LeoStateOfMind accused Kayla of being ‘miserable’, imploring her to ‘leave Travis and Taylor alone’.
‘Travis ain’t thinking about a ex girlfriend who won’t stop throwing shots at him’, added @sharnaesdream88.
Kayla was also called ‘corny’ and ‘bitter’, while @YOYOK_1989 wrote after watching the ad: ‘Second hand embarrassment has reached new heights’.
Not everyone was so heated about the whole thing, though, as @JHardy__ penned: ‘I guess I’m in the minority cause this is hilarious’.
However, in the replies, @divacowboy informed them: ‘its embarrassing when someone thats in it has said repeatedly that they dont want to be known as an ex’.
Indeed, Kayla previously admitted it was ‘overwhelming’ going through a ‘public breakup’, but made it known she didn’t want people to read into everything she now posts.
Appearing on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, she told her castmates: ‘I just get a lot of, like, s**t because [Travis] is dating such a mega superstar.’
Insisting that she likes Taylor, she continued: ‘It’s pretty constant. Exhausting. Constantly. It doesn’t matter. I could post about the sky being blue, and people will have a response about an ex and their new situation.’
The exact cause of their relationship’s eventual demise remains unknown, although both have hit out in the past at rumours that they split due to Travis being ‘cheap’.
Kansas City Chiefs athlete Travis began dating Taylor, 36, in 2023, and while their relationship is mostly private, they do enjoy sharing glimpses with the world.
During her Eras Tour show at London’s Wembley Stadium in June 2024, Travis sent the crowd wild by joining the dancers on stage.
Then, last August, Taylor used the New Heights podcast, which Travis co-hosts with brother Jason Kelce, to announce her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.
The number one record features several songs about her relationship with Travis. Tracks such as Wish List include lyrics about wanting to settle down and have kids with him, while upbeat tune Wood is a much cheekier insight into the more intimate aspect.
Later that month, Taylor and Travis broke the internet by announcing that they were engaged, and the Grammy winner proudly showed off her sparkling ring on her album press tour.
Their Insta caption read at the time, ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨’, in a post that has over 37million likes.
Of course, Kayla was quizzed on the big news as soon as the opportunity arose, but she was keen to move the conversation along.
Walking a red carpet last year, the Daily Mail asked if she had any thoughts to share, to which she replied: ‘Oh, no, no, no…’
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