Travis Kelce is defending his “protective” nature after seemingly nudging Taylor Swift‘s security guard out of the way in a now-viral video.
Kelce, 34, was pressed by older brother Jason Kelce about his big weekend in New York City during the Wednesday, October 18, episode of their “New Heights” podcast. When asked whether he received any “pushback” from Swift’s security detail for “pushing them out of the way,” Travis explained what really went down.
“I didn’t push him,” he asserted. “I placed my hand on the gentleman’s back to let him know I was behind him. If I would’ve pushed him, he probably would’ve turned around and tased me.”
Jason, 35, played devil’s advocate, teasing, “That sounds like a way somebody who pushed someone would describe pushing them.”
The conversation started after the siblings shared a fan’s TikTok on the podcast, in which a social media user gave their best impression of Travis getting a “protocol” rundown from Swift’s security team. In the clip, the spoofed version of Travis solely responded with “New Heights” catchphrases like “New news!” and “Alright now.”
Travis acknowledged that the parody was “well thought out” before further outlining what was going through his head on the NYC outing. He and Swift, 33, stepped out twice in the Big Apple over the weekend on consecutive date nights. In footage from Saturday, October 14, Travis could be seen helping Swift out of the car — and seemingly telling her security staff to step aside.
“Good sir, can you excuse me? I need to get the door,” he explained on Wednesday, praising the pop star’s “great” personnel team. “I’m right behind you. don’t want to startle you, I know it’s your job to keep crazy people away and if you just randomly get pushed in the back while standing in front of a door, that could probably be a little alarming.”
Jason proceeded to ask his younger brother if he felt “like a security guard” himself when out and about with Swift, but Travis noted that the behavior is standard for him — regardless of whether he’s with an international A-lister.
“I feel like whenever I’m on a date, I’m always having the sense of like, I’m a man in the situation. I’m protective. … You always have that self awareness, I guess,” he said.
Travis first made his move on Swift during a July episode of his podcast after seeing her perform in Kansas City as part of her record-breaking Eras Tour. He later invited her to see him “rock the stage” with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium — and she accepted. Swift was spotted in a VIP suite on September 24 and has attended multiple games since.
“Travis is different from anybody Taylor has dated before and she is falling for him more and more as the days go by,” a source exclusively revealed to Us Weekly of the budding romance.
Travis “goes out of his way to make Taylor feel special in any way he can,” per the insider. “He makes her feel safe and protected, and at the same time, he supports her independence and success.”
