Taylor Swift is no stranger to bizarre rumors. In 2015, people speculated that she had insured her legs for a whopping $40 million. Before that, some believed that the pop star didn’t have a belly button. Even Swift’s complex dating history has been plagued with wild conspiracy theories, and her high-profile relationship with Travis Kelce is no exception. In 2023, celebrity gossip blog Crazy Days and Nights posted a blind item that suggested an NFL player had signed an iron-clad NDA before getting into a relationship.
Commentators assumed that the post alluded to the “Blank Space” hitmaker and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s highly-publicized romance. Social media users seemed to think there was stock to the rumor after watching an interview of beloved NFL mom Donna Kelce’s interview on “Today.” When the hosts asked for her thoughts on meeting Swift at a September football game, she simply answered, “It was okay.” Redditors reasoned that the strangely tight-lipped response indicated that Donna had also signed an NDA.
Legal expert Emma Gill reckons the “Bad Blood” singer makes all of her beaus sign them. “By definition, we’ll never really know what conditions are imposed by non-disclosure agreements — but you can find templates for ‘Relationship NDA’ online,” she explained to the Daily Mail. “The law is there to protect your reputation and prevent confidential information about you being used for someone else’s personal gain.” Given the nature of a non-disclosure agreement, it’s hard to judge the validity of the rumors, but there could be a simpler explanation.
Travis Kelce is always happy to talk about Taylor Swift
In Travis Kelce’s 2023 Wall Street Journal profile, his mother, Donna Kelce, offered some insight into her lukewarm statements about meeting Taylor Swift on “Today.” The proud football mom didn’t want the world to see her as an overly excited parent in the early days of Travis and Swift’s relationship. As such, Donna intended to come across as neutral, but the public perceived her as disapproving instead. Travis even called his mom after the interview aired and praised her efforts so she wouldn’t obsess over her chosen words. Moreover, when Donna spoke to WSJ, she seemed happy to share her true feelings about her son’s romance with the “Fortnight” songstress. “He’s happier than I’ve seen him in a long time […] God bless him, he shot for the stars!” she enthused.
Meanwhile, Travis himself happily sang his partner’s praises throughout the interview — notably without any prompting. The NFL star has similarly gushed about the Grammy winner ever since their relationship began. In the first “New Heights” podcast episode following Swift’s NFL debut, Travis enthused, “Shout out to Taylor for pulling up, that was pretty ballsy.” He continued, “I just thought it was awesome how everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her.” However, Travis also stressed that he wouldn’t be going into any great detail about their relationship to protect the couple’s privacy. The NFL tight end stayed true to his word and remained vocal about their happiness without giving too much away.
Some of Swift’s exes have spoken about her publicly
Despite ongoing speculation that Taylor Swift makes her partners sign an NDA to protect her reputation, it’s worth noting that certain exes haven’t shied away from speaking negatively about her in public. A month after Calvin Harris’ relationship with the world-conquering pop star ended, in June 2016, TMZ reported that Swift was a major contributor to his and Rihanna’s smash hit “This Is What You Came For.” The “Love Story” singer’s rep later confirmed the story to People and revealed that she had penned the song under the pseudonym Nils Sjoberg.
Harris wasn’t happy about the move and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice his frustrations. “I figure if you’re happy in your new relationship you should focus on that instead of trying to tear your ex-bf down for something to do,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “I know you’re off tour, and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy [Perry], etc. but I’m not that guy, sorry. I won’t allow it,” (via Elle).
John Mayer was similarly peeved after his high-profile ex released the scathing “Dear John” in 2010. The track seemingly accused 32-year-old Mayer of manipulating and hurting 19-year-old Swift. When the “Gravity” hitmaker spoke to Rolling Stone in 2012, Mayer admitted he felt “humiliated” by the song because he didn’t think he had done anything to deserve her ire. Mayer further criticized Swift for using her songwriting abilities to paint him in such a horrible light. He also felt ambushed by his ex releasing the song without any warning.
