Travis Kelce's mom deftly avoids Taylor Swift questions

Taylor Swift reacts while sitting next to Donna Kelce. Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Donna Kelce deftly avoids questions about son's relationship with Taylor Swift

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 10/6/23

For those who can't get enough of the NFL's biggest show — its obsessive lean-in to the Taylor Swift phenomena — Donna Kelce isn't biting.

The most famous football mom in America dropped in on "The Today Show" as the buzz around her son Travis's relationship with the pop superstar.

Donna didn't bite on any of the questions by Hoda Kotb and Samantha Guthrie on the relationship between the Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end and the pop superstar, avoiding mentioning any specifics that would give the public any insights on how the two are getting along. In doing so, she also either fanned the flames of conspiracy theories that the two aren't actually dating or she may be playing coy to protect their privacy.

As obnoxious as the coverage seems to many, including Travis himself, it's fair to ask why his mom came to New York for the interview in the first place if she was not going to give the hosts what they were looking for. Donna Kelce isn't new to the media game by any stretch of the imagination — she has been a favorite of TV cameras and journalists as both of her sons played in four of the last six Super Bowls. (Last year, she was a featured attraction as Travis's Chiefs defeated Jason's Eagles.)

The breathless hype hasn't changed the NFL's place as the king of television, as Sportico's Anthony Crupi pointed out in an article about the supposed ratings boost Swift provided "Sunday Night Football."

That said, the Swift-Kelce romance (or con, if you're cynical) almost feels as if the NFL and NBC are forcibly creating a "Friends" reboot in real time by leaning so heavily on their speculated dynamic. It doesn't help that the league was reportedly pushing TV executives to help promoted Swift's upcoming concert film. Coupled with how much coverage Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has gotten since the start of the college football season, you could be forgiven if you thought the football gods were writing in place of the Hollywood writers, whose strike mercifully ended at the end of September.

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