Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce jokes (unsurprisingly) stole the show during the 2024 NFL Honors on Thursday, February 8, thanks to host Keegan-Michael Key.
“Of course, we’re going to talk about Travis and Taylor. I think they’re both great, and I’m happy for them,” Key, 52, said during his monologue. “But, you know, Travis Kelce isn’t the first NFL player to have a relationship with a pop star. There’s [Russell Wilson] and Ciara. There was Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson. And, of course, Peyton Manning and Brad Paisley. Can’t forget those guys.”
Key continued to name-drop Swift, 34, even bringing up her current Eras Tour schedule.
“My understanding is that Taylor Swift is in Tokyo right now. The only people further from the Super Bowl are the Carolina Panthers,” Key quipped, referring to her four-day stint in Japan as part of the ongoing concert tour.
Keegan-Michael Key’s #NFLHonors monologue 😂 @KeeganMKey
📺: #NFLHonors on CBS & NFLN
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“There has never been a season like this, everybody,” Key continued. “Who would have thought that we’d see a year where Taylor Swift went to more playoff games than [former New England Patriots coach] Bill Belichick.”
Belichick, 71, was the Patriots’ head coach from 2000 to 2023 and secured six Super Bowl wins for the team throughout his tenure.
Key also made a throwaway reference to Swift when joking that the Super Bowl being held in Las Vegas allows NFL fans to “bet on anything” and pointing out what could be the “biggest lock of the night” in terms of prop bets.
“Will we keep cutting to an influential blonde superstar?” Key joked. “You bet we will — [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell.”
Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs are set to play the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, February 11. While Swift, 34, has been a regular at her boyfriend’s games since they went public with their romance in September 2023, fans have wondered whether the singer will be present at the Super Bowl following her final Tokyo concert on Saturday, February 10. Thanks to time zones — and Swift’s ownership of a private jet — her attendance seems likely. (Even the Embassy of Japan thinks so.)
Kelce, for his part, has answered plenty of questions about Swift since kicking off the Super Bowl press conference marathon earlier this month.
“She is absolutely the No. 1 fan right now, and I love having her at every single game that she can make. And we’ll see,” he told reporters on Monday, February 5. “My focus is on trying to win this game. Everything afterwards would just fall in place. They tend to roll out the red carpet for you if you win the Super Bowl so I don’t think you got to plan this party.”
