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Travis Kelce has no issue with being girlfriend Taylor Swift’s muse.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, seemingly inspired two tracks on Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, but he wasn’t surprised by the subtle shout-outs.
“He heard everything before it was released. He is so proud of [her] and understands and accepts that being with her means being a part of her music,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “And he’s secure and fine with it.”
Kelce isn’t the only person referenced on TTPD, which dropped on April 19. Swifties have been dissecting the record since its release, trying to pin down which songs are about Joe Alwyn, whom Swift, 34, dated from 2016 to 2023, and Matty Healy, whom she had a months-long romance with in 2023. Swift and Healy, 35, reconnected after her split from Alwyn, 33, after being previously linked in 2014.
The source tells Us that Kelce is unfazed by Swift writing about past flames.
“Travis is understanding about the ex-boyfriend songs,” the insider says. “He recognizes that her past experiences are an important part of her expression.”
The source adds that just because there aren’t more Kelce-inspired songs on TTPD doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
“She has written other songs, some inspired by Travis, but they weren’t produced or part of the album,” the insider shares. “There wasn’t time for them to be part of the album. She’s kept some private and hasn’t released them yet. She has a journal and writes all the time.”
Swift references football in the lyrics to “The Alchemy” and “So High School,” both of which appear on TTPD.
“So when I touch down, call the amateurs and cut ‘em from the team,” Swift sings on “The Alchemy” before celebrating “a winning streak” and being “the greatest in the league.”
On “So High School,” she quips, “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle” and references the “Kiss, marry, kill” game. Kelce was asked to play the game with Swift, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry during a 2016 Afterbuzz TV appearance, which has since resurfaced.
“Damn, that’s messed up. I don’t want to kill any of them,” Kelce quipped during the interview. “Ariana, sorry, love you, but you’re gone. And then Taylor Swift would be the kiss. And what’s the last one? Katy Perry? Yeah, Katy Perry would be the marry.”
Swift and Kelce started dating in the summer of 2023. The pair confirmed their romance that September when Swift showed up to her first Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Kelce has made it known that he isn’t intimidated by the extra attention that comes with dating Swift.
“I think it was all the home videos my mom used to have with the old camcorder, the handheld joint, at the house. I just always felt comfortable with the camera on me and the lights on me,” he told Extra’s Billy Bush on the set of his new Amazon Prime Video game show Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? in an interview published on Thursday, April 25.
“I love a good challenge. I get excited for a challenge,” he continued. “Something that I haven’t done before is something that really makes me focus … and there’s something about that that I got a love for.”
Swift, meanwhile, is enjoying how her romance with Kelce differs from past relationships that were kept more under wraps.
“[It’s] been so refreshing for Taylor not to feel the need to hide with Travis,” a second source exclusively told Us earlier this month. “He makes her feel safe and protected like she has the freedom to be and act however she wants.”
