Travis Kelce Says He's 'Very Protective' On Dates (2024)

The budding romance between Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce has the entire world freaking out. The celeb couple's joint star power has united Swifties and NFL fans for probably the first (and only?) time in history.

If this seems like a whirlwind romance, think again. Travis may be an even bigger "Mastermind" than Taylor herself. It all started on July 8, 2023—only a day after Taylor dropped her latest album, Speak Now (Taylor's Version). Travis was clearly moved by the album's thesis and decided to shoot his shot at Taylor's Eras Tour concert at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

The stunt was, TBH, a pipe dream until Taylor showed up at Travis' game on Sept. 24, and the dominoes cascaded in a line.

So, if Taylor put Travis on the map for you, you may be itching to know more about all of the girls he's loved before. Read ahead for everything to know about his dating history, including his ex-girlfriends and past flings.

Maya Benberry (2016)

Travis pulled a page out of The Bachelor’s book and starred on his own reality dating show called Catching Kelce in 2016 on E!. He legit dated 50 women at once—one from each state. Apparently, it was so overwhelming that he simply referred to the women by their state names instead of their, um, given names, according to Salon. Travis eventually selected Maya Benberry of Kentucky, even though he had some doubts about their compatibility, per Page Six.

"I love your confidence, but at times it does get overconfident," he told Maya, The U.S. Sun reported. "It kind of shows arrogance. I have been attracted to women like that my entire life, and those relationships didn't work because of that."

They eventually broke up after a few months post-show at the end of 2016. Maya later accused him of cheating on her, according to Hollywood Life.

“When you and your ex broke up five months ago but you find out via social media that he has supposedly been in another relationship for 6…” she wrote on Twitter, The Shade Room reported.

Overall, Travis has said Catching Kelce was “extremely awkward,” and that he went on it for financial reasons, per TODAY and The Pivot.

Now, Maya is a beauty blogger and life coach, according to Hollywood Life. She also recently spoke to Daily Mail UK about Travis and Tay's relationship, saying: "Taylor seems like such a fun girl with a beautiful spirit so I wish her the best of luck, but I wouldn’t be a girls' girl if I didn’t advise her to be smart! I’m sure by now she has mastered the ability to see who is really there for her—and who is just using her."

The beauty blogger also "liked" a comment calling Taylor Swift a "5" on Instagram, but later walked it back, per Page Six. "I don't think Taylor is a 5," she said. "I liked it without paying attention."

A source reportedly close to Travis later told TMZ that the couple only dated for "a month," that Maya's cheating claim was for "15 minutes of fame," and that the pair haven't spoken in five years.

Another source told Page Six that the couple were contractually obligated to delay the announcement of their breakup, as Maya had won Catching Kelce.

Kayla Nicole (2017 to 2022)

Travis’ longest relationship was on-again-off-again with Kayla Nicole, a sports broadcaster and model, from May 2017 to 2022, according to Page Six and Hollywood Life.

One year after his breakup with Maya, Travis began following and flirting with Kayla through Instagram. Soon after, the pair made things official. "I was just stalking her and then finally on New Year's, she gave in," he told E! "And, you know, New Year new me. She just shot her shot, jumped in my DMs, and the rest is history."

They broke up for the first time in August 2020 after rumors that Travis was unfaithful, but he denied it over Twitter, per TMZ. “This is fake news… a lie… and not why Kayla and I broke up… take all your hatred somewhere else please,” he wrote.

A few months later, they got back together, but then broke up again in May 2022. It's not clear why they called it quits, but Barstool Sports reported that she broke up with him because he made her pay for half of everything. However, Kayla tweeted that it wasn’t true: “Not sure where y’all got this nonsense from, but it’s absurd and very false,” she wrote on the social media platform.

Today, Kayla has worked as an on-camera host for several sport sites, per Hollywood Life. It also appears she's a bit of a fitness influencer, and shares her progress on IG:

It seems Kayla wants to separate herself completely from her history with Travis, too. She recently unfollowed Brittany Mahomes, wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, on Instagram after the former soccer star was seen out in New York City with Taylor Swift.

Zuri Hall (2022 to 2023)

In October 2022, rumors circulated that Travis was seeing Access Hollywood correspondent Zuri Hall, Page Six reported. She was spotted in his family suite at a Chiefs game, according to Barstool Sports.

Plus, one of Travis’ friends shared a video of Zuri with him in the background, per Hollywood Life. Some fans even noticed that Kayla and Zuri followed each other on social media—but then unfollowed each other as soon as the rumors began.

While neither have confirmed whether they officially dated, Travis shared that he was single in 2023, the outlet wrote.

Now, Zuri is an entertainment host who’s also worked for MTV, E!, American Ninja Warrior, and the Miss USA pageant, Hollywood Life reported.

Taylor Swift (2023)

Although Travis never gave Taylor *that* friendship bracelet, they apparently connected. In fact, reports that the two were “hanging out” on Sept. 12 quickly caught everyone's attention, per Page Six. Later, the gossip account DeuxMoi claimed the couple had actually started seeing each other as early as July 2023.

“Taylor and Travis have been quietly hanging out,” an insider shared with The Messenger. “She saw him when she was in NYC a few weeks ago.”

Travis’ brother, Jason Kelce, even confirmed that the rumors were “100-percent true” on the WIP Morning Show in September...before saying he was joking and didn't actually know what was going on between the two.

After Taylor's first appearance at a Chiefs game, though, their relationship was all but confirmed. The couple was seen in several videos and pictures leaving the stadium together in a literal "Getaway Car." Plus, more recently, it was leaked that Taylor spent time with Travis' family leading up to the game that day.

Travis also reportedly rented out an entire co*cktail bar, Prime Social in Kansas City, for a post-game party. Another photo of Taylor and Travis looking extra cuddly at the celebration also leaked, and quickly went viral.

Travis was then seen leaving Taylor Swift's apartment on October 1, 2023, per Page Six. Later, Taylor brought several friends to her rumored boo's game—including Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, and Sabrina Carpenter. Trust, there were even more Taylor/Mama Kelce moments, too.

The night before the game, Taylor also took some girlfriends out to dinner—which included Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany.

But perhaps the most exciting development in the Traylor Swelce saga was on Oct. 14, when the couple both appeared on SNL. Travis made a cameo in a skit entirely about the hysteria surrounding his relationship with Taylor, and the "Karma" queen herself introduced musical guest Ice Spice.

Travis later said on an episode of New Heights that the cameos were unplanned, and the pair had only gone to support Ice Spice, as she and Taylor are friends.

Following these quick cameos, the couple were also spotted for the very first time in public together—holding hands.

One TikToker pointed out (in a now viral TikTok video) that they were waffling (or interlocking fingers). Experts previously told Women's Health that this handholding style "symbolizes a heightened desire to be and stay connected." Hmmm.

Then, on an Oct. 18 episode of New Heights, Travis responded to fans' reactions of him "replacing" Taylor's security. "I feel like whenever I'm on a date, I have a sense of like, 'I'm a man in this situation.' I'm protective," he said.

Rooting for you, Traylor!