Travis Kelce Says He’s Happy to Be Taylor Swift’s Arm Candy

“It’s the life I chose, I guess.”

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Neon Carnival held during the Coachella Music and Arts Festival on April 13, 2024 in Thermal, California.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Travis Kelce, arguably the ultimate golden retriever boyfriend, says he has no problem being his superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift's arm candy.

On Thursday, Sept. 5, in a newly released pre-recorded interview for CBS Mornings, the 3-time Super Bowl champ and Kansas City Chiefs tight end admitted that he doesn't mind being known as Mr. Swift.

“It’s the life I chose, I guess,” Kelce said. “I have fun with it.”

The NFL star went on to say that he realized "it coms with the territory," especially since he doesn't want either his fame or his girlfriend's fame keep him from doing "fun activities like this and signing up for cool sponsorships like this and endorsements."

Kelce has certainly thrived under the proverbial spotlight. Recently, Travis Kelce and his brother, recently retired NFL center Jason Kelce, signed a three-year, $100 million deal for their hit podcast, New Heights. Kelce is also the host of the upcoming gameshow Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, and landed his first major acting role in Ryan Murphy's new FX series, Grotesquerie.

Taylor Swift is joined on stage by Travis Kelce during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at Wembley Stadium on June 23, 2024 in London, England.

Taylor Swift is joined on stage by Travis Kelce during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at Wembley Stadium on June 23, 2024 in London, England.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In the same CBS Mornings interview, Kelce also opened up about how his family is handling his newfound fame, which undeniably hit a new level after he started dating Swift.

"Everyone's loving it," he explained. "Mama Kelce is having so much fun. I think my dad is slowly getting more comfortable with it, and Jason has always been a pro at it."

Kelce and Swift have seemed to also find a way to still enjoy each other, both in private and in the public eye, despite all eyes being on the couple. In a previous episode of Barstool Sports' Bussin' With The Boys podcast released in June, Kelce said that he's not going to "hide anything" when dating the pop star.

“You want to keep things private, but at the same time I’m not here to hide anything,” Kelce said at the time. “That’s my girl. You know what I mean? That’s my lady. So it’s like, I’m proud of that.”

Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs (L) celebrates with Taylor Swift after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Travis Kelce #celebrates with Taylor Swift after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

“So it’s not like I’m sitting here trying to juggle how to keep this under wraps,” he continued. “You just don’t want to let everybody into your personal life and be able to comment on it knowing that everything she does is getting a headline.”

In another honest moment during a previous New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Kelce admitted that he has no idea how he wound up dating the "Bad Blood" star.

“I don’t know how I did it because she wasn’t into sports, so I don’t know how the f*** I did it," he said.

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.