She celebrated turning 34 with all of her best friends, but one person was noticeably absent. So why wasn’t Travis Kelce at Taylor Swift’s birthday? The Midnights songwriter stepped out with some of her best friends in New York on December 13, 2023, but the Kansas City tight end wasn’t in attendance.
In her Time 2023 Person of The Year profile, Swift spoke for the first time about her relationship. “This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” Taylor revealed, referring to when Travis revealed on his New Heights podcast over the summer that he tried to give singer his number via a friendship bracelet at her Eras Tour show in Kansas City.
“We started hanging out right after that,” she added. “So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for because we got to get to know each other.” She also isn’t hiding anything in this relationship. “When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” she explained.
“The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.” As she celebrated another lap around the sun, everyone wanted to know why Travis Kelce wasn’t at Taylor Swift’s birthday.
Why Wasn’t Travis Kelce At Taylor Swift’s Birthday?
Travis Kelce wasn’t at Taylor Swift’s birthday because, well, he had football practice. The Kansas City Chiefs take on the New England Patriots on Sunday December 17. Wednesdays are a traditional practice day for football teams in the lead-up to the weekend games.
According to People: “Sources close to both Swift and Kelce have emphasized their commitment to their individual careers, and the couple celebrated her birthday early with friends in Kansas City at a holiday party on Sunday.” That’s not to say he wasn’t there in spirit though, because photographers noted many, many bouquets of flowers arriving at her New York apartment before she hit the town with her bestie, Blake Lively.
At the Kansas City Chiefs game at Arrowhead on December 10, Ava Hunt—the daughter of Chiefs CEO and part-owner Clark Hunt—shared a snap to Instagram of her giving the pop star a lavender-wrapped birthday present. “PLEASE-the world is dying to know what in the world you buy as a gift for Taylor Swift!?!!?!?” one person commented. Another asked, “What’s in the package? Chiefs jersey?” When one Instagram user asked if Hunt handed Swift the gift, she replied, “Yes for her birthday!!”
As for their holiday plans, the Midnights singer wraps up the South American leg of her Eras Tour and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end finishes the NFL season, the pair is reportedly coordinating their schedules to see each other. “They have very detailed plans coming up while she’s on tour and he has games,” a second source tells Us. “Taylor and Travis have the next few months completely laid out. They don’t want to start their relationship off with big gaps [in time spent apart]. They’re trying to be as much like a regular couple as possible.”
The second source adds that the lovebirds are hoping to squeeze in visits with each other’s families before jetting off on a romantic trip with just the two of them. “They love [getting together] with their families and friends, but right now, what they value above all else is alone time.”
As for where the duo may hunker down this holiday season, a third source notes that they’ll likely spend time in Nashville, Tennessee, where Swift owns a $2.5 million, 5,600-square-foot mansion. “Travis hasn’t been to Taylor’s Nashville place yet, so he’s really looking forward to it.”
A source told Entertainment Tonight about the state of the relationship: “Things between Travis and Taylor are going really well,” the source said. “Their relationship is progressing in a great way. Taylor is planning to spend a lot more time at Travis’ house in Kansas City while she is on a break from touring.”
“They’re both very excited to be together, and Travis is making sure that Taylor feels comfortable and at home,” they continued. “They have mutual respect and admiration for one another, and their feelings for each other are sincere.”
