And this year, Lifetime’s Christmas in the Spotlight raised eyebrows with a plot—centered around a pop star falling in love with a pro football player—almost identical to the real-life love story between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. In fact, Swifties noticed many Easter eggs alluding to the couple in the TV movie, which premiered on Nov. 23.
For one, the script contained countless references to Taylor’s lyrics, including her 2008 smash “You Belong With Me.”
“Growing up, I was never really the cheerleader type,” pop star Bowyn (Jessica Lord) told pro football player Drew (Laith Wallschleger) after meeting him backstage at one of her concerts. “More of a bleacher girl, kind of a nerd, to be honest.”
Elsewhere in the flick, Drew told Bowyn that she’s “the best thing at this party,” an allusion to Taylor’s Midnights track “You’re Losing Me.”
Even supporting characters spoke in Taylor’s song titles. Jeannie Mai‘s Mira, who served as Bowyn’s manager, convinced her client to give Drew a chance at romance by telling her “you’ve gotta calm down” and “you know all too well that life is not guaranteed.”
Meanwhile, a news anchor covering Bowyn and Drew’s relationship seemingly gave a nod to Taylor’s “The Alchemy”—her Tortured Poets Department song rumored to be about Travis—by saying, “The alchemy between these two is off the charts.”
Other songs seemingly referenced in the script included “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” “…Ready For It?,” “But Daddy I Love Him,” Cassandra,” “Mean” and “Wonderland.”
But lyrics seemed to be only half of the Easter eggs: Taylor’s favorite number 13 was Drew’s jersey number in the movie. Bowyn’s fans were also called Arrowheads, an apparent nod to Arrowhead Stadium where Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs play.
XNY/Star Max/GC Images; Lifetime
Plus, Bowyn began dating Drew after he publicly declared his crush on her, similar to how Travis recapped his attempt at shooting his shot with Taylor on his New Heights podcast before their romance.
“Swing by Bay Springs someday to watch the Bombers rock the stadium,” Drew told Bowyn, which almost echoed Travis’ words during a September 2023 appearance on the The Pat McAfee Show: “I threw the ball in her court. I told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead.'”
But what’s real and what’s folklore? Keep reading for a deep dive into Taylor and Travis’ romance.
July 2023: So, Make the Friendship Bracelets
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s love story began in July 2023, when the singer’s Eras Tour made a stop at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.As a huge Swiftie, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end caught the show with hopes of giving Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it. However, he failed to complete the pass due to her pre-show rituals.”I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,” Travis shared on the July 26 episode of his New Heights podcast. “So, I was a little butt-hurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.”
After publicly recounting his fumble—a move Taylor would later describe as “metal as hell”—Travis decided to shoot his shot and invite the Grammy winner to watch the Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium.”I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court,” he shared on The Pat McAfee Show. “I told her, you know, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.’ So, we’ll see what happens in the near future.”
August 2023: Enchanted to Meet You
Travis was rocking a mustache—which he debuted in August during training camp—when he was first introduced to Taylor.As he later noted of the era, “That ‘stache and the 87 jersey was pretty iconic there for a little bit, and I had it when I met Taylor for the first time.”
September 2023: Sparks Fly
By early September, a source close to the situation told E! News that Travis and Taylor were “texting and talking here and there.””It’s been very low-key,” the insider explained, “as he’s been in season.”
September 2023: Cheer Captain
Accepting Travis’ invite, Taylor joined the athlete’s mom Donna Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium to watch him and the Chiefs take on the Chicago Bears. After the game, Taylor and Travis were seen packing PDA at a local bar.Though folklore had it that it was the couple’s first in-person meeting, the “Karma” singer later clarified the two had spent a “significant amount of time” getting to know each other beforehand.As Taylor noted, “We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”
October 2023: Team Up
As an indication that the relationship was heating up, Taylor brought her squad—including friends Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner, Hugh Jackman, Sabrina Carpenter and Antoni Porowski—to watch the Chiefs play against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
October 2023: It’s Nice to Have a Friend
Another sign that Travis could be The 1? Taylor started bonding with Brittany Mahomes—the wife of Travis’ BFF and teammate Patrick Mahomes—in and outside of NFL games.
October 2023: Welcome to New York
The couple took their romance to TV, making a surprise appearance on the Oct. 14 episode of Saturday Night Live. Their Big Apple takeover also included the after-party for the NBC sketch show and a date night at the Waverly Inn.
November 2023: Karma Is Her Boyfriend
During a bye week, Travis traveled down to Argentina to catch the South American leg of Taylor’s Eras Tour. Not only did the NFL star bond with Taylor’s dad, Scott Swift, at the Nov. 11 show in Buenos Aires, but he also got a special shoutout from the stage.”Karma is that guy on the Chiefs,” Taylor sang, “coming straight home to me.”After the show, the Midnights artist was seen running up to Travis backstage and greeting him with a passionate kiss.
December 2024: Speak Now
Taylor addressed the lavender craze surrounding her appearances at Travis’ games.”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 told Time. “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.”
December 2023: You, Who Charmed Her Dad
The music superstar turned Travis’ Dec. 17 game into a family affair, bringing her dad to cheer on her man.
January 2024: All the Midnights
Taylor and Travis spent their first New Year’s Eve together, sharing a romantic kiss when the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1.
January 2024: Chosen Family
Continuing to bond with Travis’ family, Taylor hung out with his brother Jason Kelce and sister-in-law Kylie Kelce at the Chiefs’ game against the Buffalo Bills.
January 2024: Saved by the Perfect Kiss
Taylor joined Travis on the football field when the Chiefs won the AFC Championship, a victory that cemented the team’s spot in the 2024 Super Bowl. The couple shared a celebratory kiss before exchanging the L-word.”Tay, I’m gonna enjoy with the guys,” he told her. “I love you—so much it’s not funny.”
February 2024: Super Bowl Champs
The pair locked lips on the field after Travis led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas.
February 2024: TikTok Official
Taylor posted footage of Travis on social media for the first time Feb. 12, poking fun at how she took her parents clubbing with the athlete after the Super Bowl.
June 2024: Instagram Official
Taylor’s first Instagram pic featuring Travis was a selfie of the two with Prince William and his and wife Kate Middleton‘s eldest kids Prince George and Princess Charlotte backstage at the singer’s Eras tour show at Wembley Stadium in London.
June 2024: Travis’ Eras Tour Stage Debut
While attending his seventh Eras tour concert, and second show at London’s Wembley Stadium, the NFL star joined his girlfriend onstage as a backup performer during her performance of “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”
September 2024: Back in the Game
Taylor joined Travis for the Chief’s first game of the regular 2024-25 season and appeared to re-enact a PDA moment from October 2023 in this photo shared by Chariah Gordon, who is pictured with her boyfriend, Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman.
September 2024: Wedding Date
The two attended model Karen Elson‘s wedding to Electric Lady Studios owner Lee Foster in New York City.
September 2024: U.S. Open Date
The next day, the pair attended the men’s singles final match at the U.S. Open.
October 2024: Double Date
The two stepped out for a double dinner date with Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in NYC.
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