Taylor Swift’s new friendship with Tom Cruise has attracted attention, including questions about what her husband, Travis Kelce, thinks of the relationship.
A new report offers insight into Kelce’s reaction to Swift’s friendship with Cruise and how he views the unexpected connection.
Does Kelce approve of the burgeoning relationship between his new wife, 36, and the 64-year-old Mission: Impossible star? According to the report, the Kansas City Chiefs future Hall of Famer not only approves of the friendship, but believes he could turn it to his advantage in his post-NFL career.
Kelce is turning to Cruise for Hollywood connections, with insiders describing the movie star as the tight end’s ticket into the industry, according to the report published this week by the Daily Mail.
The Mail report described Kelce as “desperate for Tom Cruise’s approval,” and also reported that Swift also “stands to gain from new A-list friendship.”
“The tightening bond the trio share could also play an important part in the next chapter of the three-time Super Bowl winner’s life,” wrote the Mail in the report bylined by four different editors and a staff writer.
Travis Kelce’s Hollywood Ambitions Get a Cruise Boost
With Kelce’s playing career possibly in its final season and Cruise’s decades of studio relationships and box office success making him one of the most powerful figures in the movie industry, the Swift-Cruise pairing raises questions about how far Kelce could actually go in Hollywood after he hangs up his helmet and cleats for the final time.
“Tom will open doors for Travis,” an insider close to Kelce said, according to the Daily Mail reporting. The same source said Cruise “can help Travis get a foot in the Hollywood door” and “may even give Travis a role in “Days of Thunder 2,” which would be a great fit.”
The insider told the Mail that Kelce “very much wants to work in Hollywood either as an actor or host, or maybe even both. He feels he has a chance and has the look for it.”
A guest at Kelce and Swift’s July wedding in New York offered a similar read on the reception, saying the couple “worked the room like crazy” as Swift introduced her husband “to every heavy hitter there,” all people who could help him get cast in movies, according to the same report. The guest called the wedding “a networking event to help Travis get a leg up in Hollywood.”
Kelce already has a foothold in the industry. He appeared in Ryan Murphy’s FX series “Grotesquerie” in 2024, had a small role in “Happy Gilmore 2,” and hosted Amazon’s game show “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” He signed a three-year, $54 million extension with Kansas City in March that includes an out after this season, and turns 37 on Oct. 5.
Tom Cruise Praises Taylor Swift’s Directing Eye
But while Kelce is reportedly setting his sights on Cruise to pave his path into the movie business, Cruise says he wants to work with the other half of the power couple, Swift, even indicating that he would star in a movie that the global superstar would direct.
“It would be amazing to work with her on anything,” Cruise told BuzzFeed UK at the London premiere of his film “Digger” on Sept. 22, according to Thought Catalog’s coverage. “I make movies, you know, let’s go make a movie. I think she’s such a talent in anything she does. She’s absolutely brilliant. She’s a brilliant writer.”
Cruise pointed to Swift’s music video work as evidence she could handle bigger productions.
“If she ever decided to direct, she could be a director of feature films,” the Top Gun star said, adding “she does her videos and she does a beautiful job,” according to Thought Catalog. Swift releases her single “Patient Zero” on Sept. 25 and receives the inaugural Artist Director Honours at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27, recognition for a catalog spanning more than 15 music videos and four Best Director wins.
A separate insider told the Daily Mail a Swift-recorded song for a “Days of Thunder” sequel came up during a Monday night suite conversation at Arrowhead Stadium, adding “it wouldn’t be surprising if their friendship eventually became a business collaboration,” according to a separate Mail account of the friendship.
The Cruise-Swift bond predates football. Cruise’s team requested tickets to a 2024 London stop on the Eras Tour, and Swift “rolled out the red carpet for him,” a source told the Mail. Kelce, described as “also a huge fan of Tom’s action movies,” is credited as the bridge that pulled Cruise deeper into Swift’s world, with the two later dancing together in Wembley’s VIP section.
None of the Days of Thunder casting talk, song collaboration ideas or wedding networking claims have been confirmed by Cruise, Swift or Kelce.
What Travis Kelce Thinks of Taylor Swift’s New Friendship With Tom Cruise