Weird Things Everyone Just Ignored About Travis Kelce And Kayla Nicole's Relationship

Travis Kelce is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. The 35-year-old's personal life has been making headlines, not just because he is a talented athlete, but because many women find him attractive. His good looks and charm landed him a dating show, "Catching Kelce," in 2016. Despite finding "love" on the show, Kelce didn't find his happily ever after. After the show ended, he met Kayla Nicole. She obtained a degree in broadcast journalism from Pepperdine University, according to TMZ. When she was first starting out, Nicole worked as an on-camera host for the "NBA, BET, Global Grind, HotNewHipHop, XONecole, All Def Digital, BallisLife" on her Instagram bio, and she did some modeling work, per Heavy. These days, Nicole's work has shifted slightly. She founded the health and wellness website, Tribe Therepē, and hosts The "Pre-Game" podcast. You amight recognize her from the television show, "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."

Kelce and Nicole started dating in 2017, and things seemed great between them. They made plenty of public appearances together and often shared photos on social media, letting the world know how in love they were. However, there were quite a few strange things about their romance that no one seemed to think twice about back then. After the two went their separate ways in 2022, some of those weird things started to come to light. And, now that Kelce is engaged to Taylor Swift, we're taking a closer look back on his previous relationship to highlight, perhaps, why things with Nicole never worked out.

Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole met in a rather interesting way. Following Kelce's time on reality television, Nicole decided to slide into his DMs to shoot her shot, so to speak. "He had been following me and insta-flirting for a few months," she previously revealed via her Instagram Story in June 2022, per TMZ. "Soooo after a little liquid courage and a pep talk from @‌iqueenb (something along the lines of 'WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR') I dm'd him on New Years." She also went on to share the very first message that she sent to Kelce. "My mom says it's rude to stare and not speak," she wrote. 

By May 2017, the two took their relationship public. According to Us Weekly, the then-couple attended the wedding of NFL player Jeremy Maclin, with Kelce posting a pic on Instagram calling Nicole the "peanut butter to my JELLYTIME." From that point forward, Kelce and Nicole weren't shy about sharing their relationship and made plenty of appearances together, from NFL-related events to walking red carpets together at various awards shows.

Something that people seemed to overlook was the fact that Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole's relationship was on and off. People magazine confirms that the two broke up and got back together "several times" over the course of their five-year romance. While the two seemed to put on happy faces whenever they were together, it seems there was a lot going on behind the scenes that people didn't know. Nicole pretty much proved that after she and Kelce split for good in 2022. She's decided that she won't ever date another athlete — at least, that's her plan.

"I'll never say never, but I fully, wholeheartedly believe that I am out of the athlete stage," she said on the "Behind the Likes" podcast in January 2024. "I do think that I am attracted to men in positions of power, and I also think that those types of men are attracted to me. I would love to date an executive of a record label or a movie producer," she added. For what it's worth, Nicole hasn't gone public with another relationship since her split from the NFL star.

Although Travis Kelce has moved on with his love life in a major way, there were definitely a few things from his relationship with Kayla Nicole that turned heads when he went public with his new romance. One of those things was the rumor that he had cheated on Kayla Nicole. As it turns out, Kelce's ex-girlfriend Maya Benberry — whom he met on "Catching Kelce" — sent a stern warning to Swift when she learned of their budding romance. "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," Berberry told the Daily Mail in September 2023. She continued, "Only time will tell but like the saying always goes, once a cheater, always a cheater."

Kelce and Nicole split in 2020, and it didn't take long for infidelity rumors to circulate. Kelce was quick to deny them, saying, "This is fake news ... a lie ... and not why Kayla and I broke up... take all your hatred somewhere else please," according to Page Six. Interestingly, Nicole made mention of her exes cheating on her long after her split from Kelce. "When you are cheated on, the heartbreak and devastation that come with that. The insecurities that come with that. It can be overwhelming," she said during an April 2025 episode of her "Pre-Game" podcast. "In my experience, I don't have successful, monogamous relationships without any element of cheating."

Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole appeared to have something really special together, despite their breakups along the way. They were both supportive of one another, and Nicole wasn't afraid to give her man props. According to Heavy, one of Nicole's Instagram posts was a congratulatory message for her main squeeze after he was inducted into his high school's Hall of Fame back in 2018. "Just know, I woulda bagged you in high school, too! Congrats on being inducted into your alma maters' Hall of Fame. Absolutely nothing makes me happier than seeing you shine. As usual, I am so so proud," she wrote in the since-deleted post. In another post, Nicole gave Kelce a big shout out. "There are a million and one words to describe him, but my favorite is THE BEST. Like, literally," she wrote. That post has also been deleted. 

Per Heavy, Nicole had also called Kelce her "best friend," which is something that people yearn to find in romantic relationships — and it's something that Kelce's new leading lady can relate to. In her new song "Wi$h Li$t," Taylor Swift made reference to wanting to find someone who was her best friend. "I just want you / Have a couple kids, got the whole block lookin' like you / I made wishes on all of the stars / Please, God, bring me a best friend / Who I think is hot," she sings on the track, according to People magazine.

Continuing with the social media chatter, Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole were very open on every platform. They often shared Instagram photos of their red-hot romance with fans. And their captions were just as loved up. For example, in celebration of one of Nicole's birthdays, Kelce posted some pictures of her in an orange bikini and shared a super mushy caption. "My lil baby turned another year older this month! The future is gonna bring you so many amazing things, I can't wait to see you blossom! And for the times life gets a little out of control just know I gotchu in my arms making sure you're always good," he captioned the post — which has been deleted — per Heavy. Dare we say it was giving love bombing?

Kelce has reeled his overly affectionate posts way back since he started dating Taylor Swift. In the two years that he and Swift have been together, he's only shared a handful of posts of the two of them together and his captions are hardly over-the-top. If nothing else, it seems as though Kelce has matured since he and Nicole broke things off. Or maybe he's just taking a less is more approach.

The first time Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole split in 2020, there were rumors that Kelce cheated. However, when the two went their separate ways in 2022, the rumors about their split were alarming. "In the 5 years they dated he apparently made Kayla Nicole split every bill, dinner, trip, etc. The intention was for her to prove she wasn't just in it for the money and actually liked him," Barstool reported. Kelce was quick to deny this, however. In January 2023, he addressed the rumors on "The Pivot" podcast. "How crazy is that?" he said. "Don't buy into that s***."

"I would never say that I was supporting her," Kelce continued, adding, "she had a very financially stable life and what she was doing in her career ... We were in a relationship for five years. A hundred dollars here and hundred dollars there wasn't even thought about, which is ridiculous." Nicole also denied the rumor, taking to X to re-share Barstool's report and adding, "Not sure where y'all got this nonsense from, but it's absurd and very false."

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole's relationship is that they never got engaged despite dating for five years. Given all their sweet messages to one another on social media and speaking so highly of one another when they were together, it's somewhat surprising that an engagement wasn't in the cards for them. Alas, it seems as though Kelce knew that Nicole wasn't the one for him, or maybe it just wasn't the right time. After all, he proposed to Taylor Swift after the two had been dating for just two years.

As Kelce and Nicole move on with their lives, some fans are convinced that Swift made mention of Kelce's past relationship with Nicole in the song "Opalite." According to Page Six, Swift seemed to imply that Nicole was only with Kelce for "clout." The line that gives it away? "You couldn't understand it, why you felt alone / You were in it for real, she was in her phone / And you were just a pose." Yikes.