One of the funniest things I’ve seen this week are the TikToks where women are telling their boyfriends that Taylor Swift is going to help Travis Kelce make a name for himself and Tay will make him famous. The NFL dudes are steaming mad about it, because to them, Travis Kelce is one of the most famous men in the world. Like, I get it – he IS legitimately a huge deal in football, and football is an American obsession. But Taylor Swift is global, baby. There are now legions of Swifties paying attention to football because Taylor is dating “that guy.”
All of which to say, people are also suddenly paying a lot of attention to Travis’s romantic history now too. The Snake Fam is arguably the largest investigative body ever assembled, and they’ve spent more than a decade deciphering every clue, every Easter egg, every hint, every breadcrumb Taylor has ever given them. Running through Travis’s history was easy-peasy. Some of what I’m learning now is a total surprise – I actually didn’t know he had a dating show called Chasing Kelce. It was on that show that he met and fell for Maya Benberry. They were together for only a few months back in 2016, but she’s already chiming in about his relationship with Swift. First, Maya “liked” a comment which called Taylor a “5” (yikes) and then Maya gave an interview to the Mail (via Page Six):
Travis Kelce’s ex-girlfriend is sending Taylor Swift a stark warning. Amid the stars’ budding romance, Maya Benberry claimed “the man that [she] knew him to be when [they] dated” is an unfaithful one.
“Taylor seems like such a fun girl with a beautiful spirit, so I wish her the best of luck, but I wouldn’t be a girls’ girl if I didn’t advise her to be smart!” Benberry, 31, told DailyMail.com Tuesday — even though she recently “liked” a comment calling the pop star a “5.”
“I’m sure by now she has mastered the ability to see who is really there for her — and who is just using her.”
The marketing and brand consulting expert — who dated the Kansas City Chiefs player for a few months in 2016 after winning his E! reality dating show, “Catching Kelce” — hopes Swift “comes out the teacher in this situation and not the student.”
“Only time will tell,” she went on, “but like the saying always goes: Once a cheater, always a cheater.”
Though Benberry did not elaborate on her claims during the interview, she previously seemed to accuse Kelce, 33, of cheating on her with his next girlfriend, Kayla Nicole. “When you and your ex broke up five months ago but you find out via social media that he’s supposedly been in another relationship for 6…” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet.
This is so Kardashian. This is the exact kind of situation in which Khloe would find herself. Anyway, “Kelce sources” ran to TMZ to clap back at Maya, saying that she and Travis only dated for a month and it was mostly contractual (meaning, part of the show). The source also called her interview “A poor excuse of someone trying to get her 15 min of fame.” It’s true! It’s also the kind of messy drama which Taylor kind of hates. She hates it when a man has adjacent drama. Taylor wants to be the only drama in his life.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JULY 18: American football tight end Travis Kelce arrives at The ‘Players Party’ 2022 Co-Hosted By Michael Rubin, MLBPA And Fanatics held at the City Market Social House on July 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 708357135, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Travis Kelce, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JULY 18: American football tight end Travis Kelce arrives at The ‘Players Party’ 2022 Co-Hosted By Michael Rubin, MLBPA And Fanatics held at the City Market Social House on July 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 708357138, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Travis Kelce, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- THERMAL, COACHELLA VALLEY, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA – APRIL 15: Travis Kelce arrives at the REVOLVE Festival 2023 celebrating the 20th Anniversary of REVOLVE in partnership with The h.wood Group on April 15, 2023 in Thermal, Coachella Valley, Riverside County, California, United States.,Image: 769978238, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Travis Kelce, Credit line: Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
“I’m sure by now she has mastered the ability to see who is really there for her — and who is just using her.”
Bestie, she is also using him. lol. Honestly, Taylor couldn’t do better to bury her Matty the racist rat era. Remember how Matty and her were saying “I love you”s in their concerts, she was claiming she has never been happier in her personal life? This is the move to make everyone forget all the mess. They are basically perfect for each other.
Also, Taylor is self-confessed cheater. She won’t be fazed by that warning.
I agree. This is nothing more than her public palate cleanser to make people forget about Matty. It will continue as long as she’s enjoying the press and then she’ll end it.
I feel like Taylor has a dating agency that fixes her up with the person that best fits whatever public persona she is working at the moment. I guess she is working homecoming queen right now. Needs the handsome footballer as her date for the dance.
This is hysterical. I think her relationship with Joe Alwyn was the only one that didn’t feel 100% manufactured.
I guess she better keep looking for that handsome football player.
Yep. This is the type of guy she should have gone for after breaking up with the English actor. But I guess the heart wants what it wants (a racist asshole) and now she has to use the popular American sportsman to make people forget the other dude.
I don’t know, the whole thing feels believable to me. She ends a long term relationship with a really boring dude and falls into bed with a bad boy she has a past with (and Matt Healy has a crazy charisma) and then comes to her senses and then goes the opposite way and goes for the hot jock who is aggressively pursuing her.
@smalltown, tell me you’re a Swiftie without telling me you’re a Swiftie. I don’t buy the “Joe is boring” narrative at all. He didn’t want to marry her, period. And to downplay Mealy as a “bad boy with charisma” and now “hot jock”? This girl can make no wrong choices, 100% zero bad decisions, it seems!
My labelling of Joe as boring comes from watching his GQ 10 things video, same with my impression of Matt Healy. I have no impression of them otherwise but watched both videos when someone here mentioned them and Healy came off as charming and Alwyn as so bland and I got bored watching him.
I am a sports girl so yeah I think Kelce is hot. He is the only guy she has ever been with that I ever found physically attractive lol.
I’ll buy that you had very limited exposure to Joe and Healy, based on those snippets of their personalities you saw. But if you’ve been following Swift, you would know that she dedicated almost 4 albums to Joe. Not something you would do with a guy you find boring. She only spun the “stifling, boring” narrative after he failed to make the ultimate commitment after 6 years together. Underground in a “real” relationship for 6 years and then emerging with these highly publicized outings with attention-seeking guys IS understandable, now that you mention it, because she is an attention-seeking girl at heart.
Whatever Swift’s intentions, Kelce is a great distraction from the fact she was so into the problematic Matty. Maya Benberry’s thing feels like such a look-at-me stunt
I am inclined to believe this person is trying to get her 15 minutes of fame. You don’t insult a woman’s looks if you are trying to be supportive of women.
No kidding, Tulipworthy. I hate the toxic masculinity of “rating” women, and there’s Benberry signing right onto it, ugh, after she claims to be a “girl’s girl” 🙄
That part was super shady and made me discredit her subsequent advice. It’s just not something a “girl’s girl” would do.
I’m one of those who never heard of Travis until he was interviewed about wanting to give Taylor a friendship bracelet at one of her concerts he attended. Those comments went viral so that’s how I learned of him. I don’t follow football at all, my knowledge is very limited and to me it’s like a universe I rarely enter. I’m sure we’ll learn more about Travis’s past over the coming days both good and bad. I hope Travis is ready because he had to know the Swifties would launch their own version of a CIA investigation and go over his life with a fine tooth comb!
Swift is not going to want to be associated with a guy with a cheating history…or has she?
Lol why? So she can be the only cheater in the relationship?
She’s beautiful. He is average looking in my opinion – I don’t watch football so I had never heard of him. For now, this seems to be a mutually beneficial relationship. I give it a few months.
He’s hot with his beard. Mustaches are disgusting though.
I listen to my local sports talk radio during my commute and the morning guy made a similar comment. Everything Travis has ever said or done or “allegedly said or done” (his words) is going to come out. The guy said he actually feels sorry for Travis in a way.
As for this story, is anyone truly surprised?
Another fun piece is watching all the football guys get super mad because their superstar is having accomplishments overshadowed by who he is dating. So indignant…as if that’s not what they do to women all.the.time.
And they’re mad on behalf of a man that seems to be having the time of his life
I don’t have strong feelings for or against Taylor Swift, but this guy is giving me nothing but “famewhore”. He had a reality dating show?! Taylor is in her fuckboi era, clearly
I don’t know what the definition of famewhore is but he is legitimately one of the best tight ends in the league. He does really seem to like attention, but it seems fine to me- just fun. His brother is the best though. 🙂
When all is said and done, I bet we get a few good songs out of this. “He played with the ball, and then with my heart, he treated my love like a game”….ooh the lyrics write themselves!!
This is the “winner” from his reality show? Look, should everyone involved have been respectful enough to properly end things before moving on? Yes, obviously. Should everyone also have had realistic expectations about the seriousness of the relationship given it’s origin and duration? Also yes.
Travis had a more serious, on-again/off-again girlfriend in recent years, but I don’t believe we’ve heard from her publicly. She looks a great deal like this Maya lady. It’ll be interesting to see what else bubbles up from his past. (Hopefully all good stuff. I really like him and his whole family, and I’ll be extremely disappointed if he turns out to be a POS.)
He was with Kayla for like 5 years and they broke up like a year ago.
Kayla has said nothing about this situation but she’s the one getting racist attacks on twitter from stans and others who practice misogynoir as well has having weirdos in her IG comments the past few days. 😐
That’s terrible. I hate that Kayla’s catching strays over this. Especially when she’s stayed out of it.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Maya is happy to let people assume she’s the “pretty black lady he dated for five years” instead of the “fake girlfriend of five minutes from a terrible reality show.” (I certainly thought she was Kayla on first scroll.)
He is just nasty and unwashed looking I cant find it in me to care
You should see his brother, Jason, who plays for the Eagles. Looks like a mountain man with a very long beard. But he’s married with kids so somebody found him attractive I guess.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
They found his money attractive too. I mean Danny Devito also got married. It’s not just good-looking people who get married 😂 And some good-looking people never marry. Travis is not attractive, but you’re right, his mountain man brother is even worse.
Haven’t many of Taylor’s relationships “overlapped?” So there’s something else they have in common.
Yes, she has a history of starting something before ending the previous thing.
That’s why none of her relationship workout. People even forget with joe, she cheated on calvin and run away to tom , so she can be with Joe. In her gorgeous song, she talks about how gorgeous Joe when she first met him while Calvin was dj at the club.
As Asian i feel very weird how many white woman and men tells that she is role model for her kids and take them to her concert. First of all she lies, cheat and never own up her mistakes. She constantly use white woman privileges and weapon her fanabase anyone criticize her and her work.
Also all her songs are about love and breakup , i dont why why 8 years old are comfortable enough to listen to these songs.
I dont know how thats is role model behavior with constant chasing pr and never been single for more than year. Which is real woman empowerment she likes to parrot but she knows her audiences are dumb and every time buy into fairy tale nonsense. This is peak Caucasian behaviour never ever get called out.
Im just saying, for past few months taylor tour , many many people in the west especially woman constantly in tik tok and other social media workship taylor swift and how great role model she is. As asian living in asia i find its very weird and none of the people here look at celeb as role model.
The Kelce fam is beloved in NFL circles. The brothers are sweet, hard working, the best at their positions (both have won a he SuperBowl) and aren’t afraid to show their emotions when talking about each other or their Mom/family. I think it will fun to see Taylor be w/ a true American dud
If they date a while.
PS also like that he appreciates she is a global star and proud of her for it. B/c he is considered the best player in his position he doesn’t get jealous of her fame/career. Hope they have fun!!
The more I hear about this guy, who I had no idea about because I’m not American, the more I think he’s perfect for Taylor. It’s obvious he loves the attention and will happily play her PR games. She needs a distraction after the racist mess that was her previous relationship and he clearly wants a bigger audience.
All I will say before getting out the line of fire is that he seemed to have a type based on Maya and Kayla Nicole, and it’s definitely not Taylor. Now he pursued Taylor, and maybe that’s because he wanted to go against that type. I’m just weary of men who do this because they eventually tend to revert back to their type. I will say I think that Taylor and Travis make sense in paper in that the both have similar MOs, so hey maybe it could work. She should definitely demand he get rid of that hideous mustache though. He looked so much more attractive when he was dating Kayla Nicole.
Twitter (I refuse to call it anything else) has been off the chain after a couple of right-wing Federalist Society types made disparaging remarks about Taylor and her looks. Whew child!
This ‘relationship’ won’t last a month. If that. I’d be surprised if it lasts past this week.
sigh…maya sounds like she’s looking for her 15 min of fame. this sounds like the script you write for the mean girl of a high school rom com. “i’m a girl’s girl….just some friendly advice…” and proceed to say offensive sh*t and rate another girl. come on! girl, if you’re giving taylor a “5” (arguably one of the most famous and rich women in the world), then you’re not on the scale. grow up.
This will be over in a hot NY minute.
Never trust someone so clearly Yassified.
Sorry, but Taylor IS a 5, at best. Not appearance-wise. She’s obviously tall, leggy, blonde, pretty, business-savvy and uber-rich.
But personality? The girl who openly dated racists, who lies, who twists narratives and sics her fans on anyone and everyone with no care for the damage they do? She knows how bad they are, and she loves it. She’s disingenuous but very well curated.
She’s never seemed like a kind person, but she’s seems to perform niceness well enough to fool people who want to believe she’s awesome.
This stupid rating system is in and on itself so demeaning and backwards. People have different preferences and mostly it gets used to put women down.
In general, I agree with this viewpoint.But I’m not talking about her appearance or sexiness. It’s no different than the “he’s a 10, but he (does random thing)” trend of rating a person’s appeal due to their ACTIONS. . I’m not assessing her physical appearance, I’m judging her behaviour. It has ZERO to do with her gender.
It’s just that SO. MANY. PEOPLE. give Taylor a pass on awful behaviour and personality because she’s Taylor, and it’s revolting.