Travis Kelce's Biggest Career Opportunities Since He Became Taylor Swift's Boyfriend
Travis Kelce was a big name in the sports world before he started dating Taylor Swift in 2023, but it's hard to argue the Kansas City Chiefs tight end hasn't become a household name since becoming Swift's lover. The two didn't go public with their romance until September of that year, but Swift told Time they actually started dating around July. It was after they publicly confirmed their relationship that we really saw Kelce's career blossom off-field, with plenty of new ventures flooding in.
One of Kelce's biggest career moves has to be becoming host of the "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" spin-off "Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?" The U.S. Sun reported in April that Kelce signed on the dotted line for two seasons, with a source claiming he's making around $750,000 per season after tax. But while the news was officially confirmed a few months into his and Swift's romance, a source claimed to Us Weekly negotiations actually began before the world knew about the two.
That's not all keeping Kelce busy amid his budding romance, though. It was announced in February 2024 that he's serving as an executive producer on the movie "My Dead Friend Zoe" and, the following month, it was revealed he's also executive producing the documentary "King Pleasure." Then, in May 2024, news broke that Kelce was on board for the new FX series "Grotesquerie," where he'll be working under Ryan Murphy and alongside Niecy Nash-Betts. Plus, there's the triumph of becoming the subject of some of Swift's songs, of course. But that's not all he's gained from hooking up with the "Blank Space" singer.
Travis Kelce's podcast and social media accounts got a massive boost from Taylor Swift fans
Hallmark fan Travis Kelce hasn't only seen new work opportunities come his way since getting cozy with Taylor Swift. His pre-Swift gigs have gotten more traction, too. The athlete hosts the "New Heights" podcast alongside his brother, Jason Kelce, and according to Bloomberg, 50% more people tuned in after rumors began swirling about him and the "Cruel Summer" singer. Not only that, but their "New Heights" YouTube channel attracted 350,000 new subscribers. Impressive.
That affect also stretched to Kelce's social media. CrowdTangle data (via Fox Sports) revealed Kelce gained a whopping 1 million Instagram followers after Swift was spotted at the Kansas City Chiefs' games against the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets in September and October. And that in itself meant more career opportunities for Kelce. An Impressive study (via The U.S. Sun) found he could now be making as much as $34,200 for every sponsored post shared on his Instagram. But that figure is nothing compared to how much experts are claiming Kelce could make in general. Sports marketing analyst at Pinnacle Advertising, Bob Dorfman, revealed to Insider that Kelce could pocket as much as $10 million a year outside his football gig thanks to his association with Swift. "Now he's sizzling hot — swiftly grabbing the attention and buying power of a whole new fan base and demographic," Dorfman shared.
Travis Kelce doesn't seem to mind his new opportunities coming from his Taylor Swift romance
Travis Kelce seems to know all too well about the boost Taylor Swift has given his career too, and he's not shying away from it. He proved that in an October TikTok in which he took it all in his stride after a fan shouted to him, "Let's go Taylor's boyfriend!" Clearly approving of his new moniker, Kelce reacted with a confident fist bump in the air. And despite the pressures of dating someone so famous, Kelce has also spoken about all the new opportunities that have opened up to him, such as private time at Sydney Zoo in Australia. After he and Swift spent quality time there together in February, Kelce told his brother on the "New Heights" podcast, "There were full-on helicopters just flying around. They helicoptered us! Well, not us, Taylor." He then added, "This is all because Taylor is the biggest and the best thing possible."
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And while Kelce is having fun with his newfound super notoriety, it sounds like Swift is happy too... as long as their time together isn't interrupted, of course. Following the confirmation of his "Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?" gig, a source told Us Weekly, "Taylor is very excited about the opportunities Travis is getting and fully supports him. [But] she wants him to be conscious of his schedule. The only issue is making sure they can see each other."