The Truth About Travis Kelce And Kayla Nicole's Relationship

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce disappointed some fans when he confirmed his breakup with sports journalist Kayla Nicole in August 2020. The couple had been dating for about three years when Kelce took to Twitter to deny allegations that infidelity led to their split. "This is fake news ... a lie ... and not why Kayla and I broke up," Kelce wrote in a since-deleted tweet (via TMZ). "Take all your hatred somewhere else please," he added. 

His tweet was in response to a post that claimed their breakup came after the NFL player got caught with another woman. "Girlfriend of NFL player Travis Kelce LEAVES Him After He Got Caught W/ Becky," the tweet claimed. A few days before Kelce confirmed the breakup rumors, there was speculation he and Nicole had split after followers noticed Nicole had unfollowed him on Instagram, per TMZ. At the time, Chiefs fans were upset by the couple's separation, as many had grown to love seeing Kelce and Nicole together since they first went public in 2017.

Aside from his flourishing career in the NFL, Travis Kelce became a more familiar face in pop culture after he appeared on E!'s 2016 reality show "Catching Kelce," where he looked for love in a "Bachelor"-esque fashion. He carried on a brief relationship with the chosen winner, Maya Benberry. However, by December 2016, Benberry announced the two had split, according to The Kansas City Star. Per TMZ, Kelce began dating Kayla Nicole in 2017.

It's unclear how the former couple met, but the sports journalist did reveal that she and Kelce first connected via Instagram. He repeatedly liked her posts, but having never made a move she decided to slide into his DMs herself (via People). Following their breakup, fans noticed that Nicole removed all social media pics with Kelce and announced she was "blocking" all naysayers and trolls from her page. 

In October 2020, fans wondered if Kelce and Nicole had rekindled their romance after Nicole was spotted at a Chiefs game against the New England Patriots. One month later in November 2020, Nicole was seen "sport[ing] her Kansas City best at Arrowhead Stadium" watching the Chiefs play, per the New York Post. And it looks like those signs were pointing in the right direction.

Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole's relationship was filled with a lot of ups and downs. In August 2020, the couple broke up for the first time, but it didn't last long. After being spotted out together multiple times, the Kansas City Chiefs player seemingly confirmed the two had given their relationship another go after he called Nicole his "girlfriend" in December 2020, per TMZ. Kelce confirmed his relationship status during a Q&A session and couldn't stop gushing about Nicole. He shared, "She's the best. She's the absolute best."

Over the next two years, Kelce and Nicole seemed like true couple goals. The two were attached at the hip, and wherever one went, the other followed. In February 2022, the football star spilled the details about how he was going to spoil the sports journalist for Valentine's Day, per E! News. He shared, "I think I might treat her to something, a nice scenic dinner out here in Los Angeles. We're still trying to figure it out though." Things appeared to be going great and in March 2022, the couple even served as bridesmaid and groomsmen in their good friends Patrick and Brittany Mahomes' wedding, according to People. It truly seemed like Kelce and Nicole were going to be the next ones to walk down the aisle — but things changed over the following months.

Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole ended their on-and-off five-year relationship in May 2022. Barstool Sports claimed the reason for the breakup was because the Kansas City Chiefs star made Nicole pay for half of everything they did. One of the sports journalist's friends reportedly told the outlet, "Travis is very cheap. In the beginning he tried to make Kayla 'prove' that she wasn't with him for the money...so she had to pay half of everything." The rumors picked up serious steam, and Kelce eventually addressed the speculation that he was cheap. He told "The Pivot" podcast, "How crazy is that? Don't buy into that s**t!"

Although the couple has broken up and gotten back together in the past, it doesn't seem likely this time around. Especially because Kelce has reportedly moved on with Taylor Swift. Kelce and Swift began their rumored romance in July 2023 after the Kansas City Chiefs star publicly shared his admiration for the "All Too Well" singer. 

Kelce and Swift have only sparked more buzz as the musician has attended a number of Kelce's games and gotten close with Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany Mahomes, who was once close friends with Nicole. It seems like Nicole is over the Swift and Kelce love fest, however, and has unfollowed Brittany and Patrick, per TMZ. Safe to say that both Nicole and Kelce are trying to move on from the relationship they once had.