LOS ANGELES: Travis Kelce’s ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole set off fresh speculation among fans after an Instagram Halloween post on Friday that many interpreted as a thinly veiled dig at Kelce’s fiancée, pop star Taylor Swift.
Nicole, 33, shared photos of herself dressed as R&B singer Toni Braxton and quoted lines from Braxton’s 2000 hit “He Wasn’t Man Enough” — lyrics including “He wasn’t man enough for me” and “I’ve already had your man” — which prompted commenters to read the post as a message aimed at Kelce and Swift.
“This was a very SAVAGE move,” one Instagram user wrote, while another said: “This is how you have the last laugh.” Those comments were cited from public replies on Nicole’s Instagram post.
Fans have long scrutinised social-media signals around the high-profile relationships.
Nicole dated Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on and off from 2017 until 2022. Kelce, 36, and Swift, 35, began dating in 2023 and announced their engagement in August 2024.
Link to Taylor Swift’s new song
The social-media reaction was amplified because Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, includes a track — “Opalite” — whose lyrics some fans say echo a resurfaced clip of Kelce scolding Nicole at dinner: “Get off your phone… you’re not even drinking your wine anymore.”
In the song, Swift sings: “She was in her phone / You were just a pose,” lines Swifties argued could be a reference to that moment.
Swift’s lyrics and the diner clip have been widely circulated online and discussed by fan communities.
Nicole’s posts read as responses
In the days following the album’s release, Nicole posted a throwback clip from America’s Next Top Model showing Eva Marcille asserting, “I don’t compare myself to other girls. I’m Eva.”
She also shared an Instagram Story meme reading, “And when God give you ball, BALL,” which followers interpreted as a confident rejoinder. These posts were visible on her public social feed.
Public sightings and reactions
Meanwhile Swift was seen in New York on Friday evening with friends, wearing her engagement ring and appearing “unbothered,” according to reports and social-media posts documenting the outing.
Public reaction to the back-and-forth has been strong on X and Instagram, with some users aligning behind Nicole and others defending Swift.
Nicole has previously spoken publicly about moving on from athlete relationships and said she preferred partners from the entertainment industry; she also responded to earlier criticism with a quip that “life handed me lemons and I made a lemon martini out of it,” remarks reported in past interviews and circulated online.
