Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce could not accompany his wife, Taylor Swift, to the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, where she made history as the most-awarded artist in the show’s history.
While the show aired live from Los Angeles, Kelce helped lead Kansas City to their 24-10 win over the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.
He recorded two catches for 59 yards and a touchdown, his second score of the season. The 36-year-old tight end, however, supported Swift from afar.
The pop star accepted the first-ever Artist Director Honors and took home the Video of the Year award for “The Fate of Ophelia.” While the song is inspired by her romance with Kelce, she dedicated the award to the “ultimate showgirl” — the late Dolly Parton.
A few days before the Chiefs-Dolphins matchup, Swift released a new EP, “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.” During the VMAs, Swift premiered the music video for her latest single off the bonus album, “Patient Zero.”
Chiefs Star Travis Kelce Loves Seeing His Friends in Taylor Swift’s Music Video
AfterSwift dropped the teaser for the new music video, fans learned “Patient Zero” starred herself, Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell. However, the NFL-related cameos took viewers by surprise.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly Stafford, make cameos. Fox Sports analyst Erin Andrews’ husband, Jarret Stoll, appears in the music video, as does fellow NFL reporter Charissa Thompson’s longtime boyfriend, Steve Cundari.
Cundari posted behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot on Instagram one day after the big premiere. He simply captioned the post, “Patient Zero //.”
Kelce commented, “Legendary.”
Swift and Kelce went on vacation with Andrews, Stoll, Thompson, and Cundari at the exclusive Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana, last year. All the guys and their respective partners attended the couple’s star-studded wedding at Madison Square Garden this summer.
Travis Kelce Appears in the Lyric Video for Taylor Swift’s New Song, ‘Cleveland!’
While Kelce does not make a secret cameo in “Patient Zero,” he is the main subject of another song from “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.” — “Cleveland!” And he appears in the lyric video for the track.
The 14-time Grammy winner sings, “He already took me to Cleveland/Now I’m wearing white/so hate all you like/This is the love of my life.”
This isn’t the first song she’s written about Kelce: “So High School” from “The Tortured Poets Department” and “Wood” from “The Life of a Showgirl” nod to the veteran tight end. And while some fans love the new song, many of the reviews were quite scathing.
Travis Kelce Shares 1-Word Reaction to Taylor Swift’s New Music Video