Taylor Swift’s romance with Travis Kelce stirs drama with ex-girlfriend, inner circle

Swift and Kelce’s relationship is ‘very new’ per a source

Taylor Swift’s new alleged romance with Travis Kelce has sparked turbulence in both the entertainment and sports industries.

While a source tells Fox News Digital that the relationship between the pop star and Kansas City Chief’s player is still “very new,” it has certainly transfixed the public and caused a media circus.

The attention the relationship has garnered has not gone unnoticed, particularly by two ex-girlfriends of Kelce’s, both of whom have made it clear they are not interested in the “Taylor + Travis” tour.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are still in the “very new” phase of their relationship, according to a source. (Hector Vivas/TAS23/Jason Hanna)

Here is a look at what the two women have said, through words and actions.

Maya Benberry

Hell hath no fury like a woman left scorned. Maya Benberry met Kelce on his 2016 E! dating show, “Catching Kelce,” where 50 women, one from each state, competed for the tight end’s heart. She won the competition and said she was in love with him and that they dated for eight months. She even thought she would marry the NFL star.

Benberry said that infidelity, which she learned through social media, led to their split.

“Like the saying goes, ‘once a cheater always a cheater,’” the life coach, 31, boldly claimed of Kelce. “Certain qualities don’t change in men. I feel like Travis is a narcissist, so most narcissists don’t change,” she told “Inside Edition.”

A source close to Kelce told Fox News Digital that “he never cheated on her” and that Benberry is “trying to get her 15 minutes of fame.”

Maya Benberry says she and Travis Kelce dated for eight months and that their relationship ended because of his infidelity. (Maya Benberry Instagram/Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Benberry said she is “offended” by that narrative, and that she originally spoke out about the cheating five years ago.

“I don’t feel anyway about [Taylor] dating Travis. It’s cute. I mean, I had him first,” she pointed out to “Inside Edition”. “It’s nothing about Taylor. It’s more about [Travis] led me to believe that we have a future. And now, five years later, you’re laughing. And I feel like you’re mocking me. I’m not jealous or bitter about Taylor. She’s beautiful. She’s successful. We’re in two different lanes. My issue is more with Travis in the sense of now you’re trying to turn me into – I don’t know. A bitter person? A liar? Like I’m delusional? And I’m the furthest thing from that.”

I’m not jealous or bitter about Taylor. She’s beautiful. She’s successful. We’re in two different lanes. My issue is more with Travis.

— Maya Benberry on her ex-boyfriend Travis Kelce’s romance with Taylor Swift
Despite praising Swift, Benberry says she questions the “genuineness” of the duo’s relationship, since Kelce has been “talking to the media a lot.”

A representative for Benberry did not immediately respond to Fox News DIgital’s request for comment.

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This past summer, Kelce hinted on his own podcast “New Heights” that he might be into Swift, while also explaining what happened (or didn’t) when attending her Eras Tour.

“I was a little butt-hurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her. . . . If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets,” Kelce explained of an exchange that has become common between fans during Swift’s Eras Tour. “And I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it,” implying that it was his phone number, not his jersey number.

A few months later, reports emerged that the pop-star and eight-time Pro Bowler were hanging out. Then came Swift’s outings to Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri to watch Kelce play. Her presence solidified the romance rumors, and she was seated in a suite with Kelce’s mother, Donna.

Taylor Swift was seated in Travis Kelce’s suite along with his mother Donna, left. (Jason Hanna/Getty Images)

Kelce then shared on his podcast that he was thrilled Swift accepted his invitation to come to one of his games. “Shoutout to Taylor for pulling up. That was pretty ballsy,” he told his co-host, brother Jason. “I just thought it was awesome how everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her, you know, the friends and family. She looked amazing. Everybody was talking about her in great light. And on top of that, you know, the day went perfect – for Chiefs fans, of course.”

After Swift’s second appearance at his game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where she was featured over a dozen times on screen, Kelce admitted that the NFL was “overdoing it.”

KAYLA NICOLE

Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole dated off and on from 2017 through 2022. The couple is pictured at The ESPY Awards in 2018, left, and the NFL Honors in 2022. (Allen Berezovsky/Variety/Getty Images)

Up until last year, Kelce was dating journalist Kayla Nicole, with whom he had an off-and-on relationship. The couple first split in 2020, and Kelce defended himself from brewing cheating rumors at the time. The couple reunited a few months later, only to split again in May 2022.

Nicole quickly infiltrated the Chief’s Kingdom, becoming fast friends with the quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his girlfriend, now wife, Brittany.

Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany attend the 2022 NHL All-Star Weekend with Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole. (Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)

The two women frequently posted content together at Chief’s games. Nicole was also in attendance for many of Brittany’s biggest events – including her baby shower and bachelorette party.

However, some bad blood seems to have infiltrated the former foursome, with Nicole now unfollowing Brittany on Instagram. Fans noticed Nicole unfollowed Mrs. Mahomes after Brittany was spotted out to dinner with Swift in New York last weekend, and again in a suite at MetLife Stadium watching the Chiefs beat the New York Jets.

Taylor Swift was spotted during a tense moment of the Kansas City Chief’s game looking a little concerned with Brittany Mahomes and Blake Lively. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

A representative for Nicole did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Brittany still follows Nicole on the platform.