ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, who has defended Taylor Swift supporting boyfriend Travis Kelce at NFL games, shared his prediction for the couple’s relationship outcome.
Stephen A. Smith has another hot take to share.
During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, the ESPN analyst participated in a Hot Takes game with host Jimmy Fallon, and shared his perspective on the future of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship after the topic was selected in the game.
“I’m scared to get this wrong,” Stephen admitted after the statement “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will get married in 2025,” came up on the hot take generator during the March 5 episode of the late night show. “Travis Kelce, that’s my dog. I gotta tell you, a lot of ladies love Travis Kelce. Travis Kelce has loved a lot of ladies. But Taylor Swift is a different animal.”
The NBA analyst continued, “She looks good, she’s incredibly talented and she’s worth about a billion. We’re going to guess a ‘yes,’ on this one.”
He emphasized that Taylor’s attributes make her a “three-headed monster that’s hard to turn down.”
And while Stephen has no real insight into Taylor, 35, and Travis’ relationship, the Chiefs tight end, also 35, has teased that wedding bells are certainly in his near future, if not this year.
When he was asked during a Feb. 3 press conference if he’d propose after Super Bowl LIX—where the Chiefs were bested by the Philadelphia Eagles—Travis cheekily told reporters, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Meanwhile, Travis’ dad Ed Kelce previously gushed that the couple were about to enter a “very good” period after the Eras Tour concluded and the Super Bowl was behind them.
“Without the NFL season without the Eras Tour,” Ed explained to Today Australia in February. “Just them really connecting more. That can only be a good thing.”
But Ed—who also shares Jason Kelce, 37, with ex Donna Kelce—wouldn’t detail any further than that. In fact, he deadpanned when asked about a potential wedding, “You really think I was going to come up with that?”
Whether Travis is going to marry, kiss or kill Taylor—it’s looking like all three for these two. Keep reading for a deeper look into the couple’s romance…
July 2023: So, Make the Friendship Bracelets
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s love story began in July 2023, when the singer’s Eras Tour made a stop at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
As a huge Swiftie, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end caught the show with hopes of giving Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it. However, he failed to complete the pass due to her pre-show rituals.
“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,” Travis shared on the July 26 episode of his New Heights podcast. “So, I was a little butt-hurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.”
Summer 2023: This Is Him Trying
After publicly recounting his fumble—a move Taylor would later describe as “metal as hell”—Travis decided to shoot his shot and invite the Grammy winner to watch the Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court,” he shared on The Pat McAfee Show. “I told her, you know, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.’ So, we’ll see what happens in the near future.”
August 2023: Enchanted to Meet You
Travis was rocking a mustache—which he debuted in August during training camp—when he was first introduced to Taylor.
As he later noted of the era, “That ‘stache and the 87 jersey was pretty iconic there for a little bit, and I had it when I met Taylor for the first time.”
September 2023: Sparks Fly
By early September, a source close to the situation told E! News that Travis and Taylor were “texting and talking here and there.”
“It’s been very low-key,” the insider explained, “as he’s been in season.”
September 2023: Cheer Captain
Accepting Travis’ invite, Taylor joined the athlete’s mom Donna Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium to watch him and the Chiefs take on the Chicago Bears. After the game, Taylor and Travis were seen packing PDA at a local bar.
Though folklore had it that it was the couple’s first in-person meeting, the “Karma” singer later clarified the two had spent a “significant amount of time” getting to know each other beforehand.
As Taylor noted, “We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”
October 2023: Team Up
As an indication that the relationship was heating up, Taylor brought her squad—including friends Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner, Hugh Jackman, Sabrina Carpenter and Antoni Porowski—to watch the Chiefs play against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
October 2023: It’s Nice to Have a Friend
Another sign that Travis could be The 1? Taylor started bonding with Brittany Mahomes—the wife of Travis’ BFF and teammate Patrick Mahomes—in and outside of NFL games.
October 2023: Welcome to New York
The couple took their romance to TV, making a surprise appearance on the Oct. 14 episode of Saturday Night Live. Their Big Apple takeover also included the after-party for the NBC sketch show and a date night at the Waverly Inn.
November 2023: Karma Is Her Boyfriend
During a bye week, Travis traveled down to Argentina to catch the South American leg of Taylor’s Eras Tour. Not only did the NFL star bond with Taylor’s dad, Scott Swift, at the Nov. 11 show in Buenos Aires, but he also got a special shoutout from the stage.
“Karma is that guy on the Chiefs,” Taylor sang, “coming straight home to me.”
After the show, the Midnights artist was seen running up to Travis backstage and greeting him with a passionate kiss.
December 2024: Speak Now
Taylor addressed the lavender craze surrounding her appearances at Travis’ games.
“I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” she told Time. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone.”
