Maya Benberry and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce ended their relationship more than six years ago, a romance that began during Kelce’s dating competition show, Catching Kelce.
Their breakup, marked by Benberry’s claims of infidelity in since-deleted tweets, had been relatively quiet until recently when Kelce was seen with global superstar Taylor Swift.
This newfound attention has brought harassment and threats from Swift fans directed at Benberry, despite her expression of support for Swift.
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Benberry and Kelce crossed paths during the reality dating series Catching Kelce, where women from each U.S. state competed for a relationship with the athlete. Benberry emerged as the “winner” of the show, which aired on E! in 2016. However, their romance came to an end by 2017, with Benberry publicly stating that Kelce had been unfaithful.
The matter largely lay dormant for nearly a decade until Swift’s appearance at a Chiefs game alongside Kelce’s mother, suggesting a possible relationship. Hints dropped by Kelce’s brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, further fueled speculation. On a radio show earlier in the month, Jason initially appeared to affirm the rumored relationship before retracting his statement, jokingly stating uncertainty about the situation.
Travis Kelce himself has neither confirmed nor denied a romance with Swift, emphasizing the need to respect their personal lives. However, fans of Swift, known as Swifties, scrutinized Kelce’s social media accounts, uncovering his past involvement with Benberry and other details. While it remains unclear whether her mere presence triggered their actions, what is evident is that Benberry has received public support for Swift, despite revisiting less pleasant memories of her relationship with Kelce.
Benberry expressed her thoughts on Swift to the Daily Mail, saying, “Taylor seems like such a fun girl with a beautiful spirit, so I wish her the best of luck, but I wouldn’t be a girls’ girl if I didn’t advise her to be smart. Only time will tell, but as the saying goes, ‘once a cheater, always a cheater.'”
Unnamed sources close to Kelce refuted the allegations to TMZ, asserting that their actual relationship lasted only a month after the show. They claimed that they couldn’t publicly announce their split due to a contractual agreement with the network and that Kelce had never cheated on Benberry.
In an interview with Inside Edition, Benberry also spoke favorably of Swift, stating, “I don’t know Taylor Swift, but I’m a fan of her music.”
“I don’t feel any way about her dating Travis … She’s beautiful. She’s successful. We’re in two different lanes.” Via X (formerly Twitter), she doubled down on those remarks after an odd kerfuffle over what Benberry says was an “accidental like” of a social media post critical of Swift. “Do you really think that I’m dumb enough to put out a statement as a girls girl and then go and like hateful comments?” she asked.
Apparently, Swift’s fans do think that, as they have sent her death threats, Benberry told Inside Edition. “Swifties are aggressive, very negative, very hypocritical,” Benberry told the program. “It’s really crazy to me that someone I think is positive and really nice would have such a negative and angry fan base.”
“Swifties are aggressive, very negative, very hypocritical,” Benberry told the program. “It’s really crazy to me that someone I think is positive and really nice would have such a negative and angry fan base.”
People well-acquainted with the fervent fandoms of Star Wars, Naruto, or BTS, as well as those familiar with the prevailing discourse on X, might perceive the reaction as less astonishing than Benberry does. However, Benberry remains steadfast in the face of opposition, expressing on Twitter last night.
Check out more of Benberry below:
