Travis Kelce appears to have slipped in a sweet tribute to his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, during his acting debut in the thriller series Grotesquerie. In Wednesday’s episode, Kelce took on the role of a flirty nurse named Ed Laclan, playing opposite Niecy Nash-Betts’ character, Detective Lois Tryon. One scene in particular caught the attention of Swifties when Ed Laclan offered a quirky food preference that seemed to echo a personal moment with Swift.
“You know what I like? Pop-Tarts without the frosting,” Kelce’s character casually mentions in the scene, after Lois offers to bake him a cake as a token of appreciation.
This seemingly simple line quickly sparked excitement online, as fans speculated that it was a subtle nod to Swift. During the 2023 NFL season, Swift had reportedly baked homemade Pop-Tarts for Kelce and his teammates, which fueled the theory that the line was a personal inside joke.
Swift’s devoted fanbase, known for picking up on even the smallest clues, took to social media in a frenzy. “POP TART MENTION HELLO,” one enthusiastic fan tweeted, while another added, “Killatrav liking ‘pop tarts’ in #Grotesquerie sounds familiar lol.” One Swiftie even suggested that Swift might have been directly involved in the scene, joking, “She sent Pop-Tarts to the set with him so they had to change the script… I see what y’all did there #Grotesquerie.”
But the connection between Kelce’s Grotesquerie debut and Swift goes beyond a clever Pop-Tart reference. Last week, series creator Ryan Murphy revealed in an interview with E! News that Swift had encouraged Kelce to explore acting. “The only thing that [Kelce and I] talked about was that she’s very supportive of him, and if he has an interest, she wanted him to try it,” Murphy shared, adding that during Kelce’s time on set, he only heard “sweet, lovely things” about Swift from the NFL star.
It seems that Swift reciprocated Kelce’s on-screen nod with her own subtle tribute. On the same day that the Grotesquerie episode aired, Swift launched her “Greatest in the League” merchandise collection, which many fans believe was inspired by her relationship with Kelce.
The name of the collection is drawn from a line in her song “The Alchemy,” and Swifties were quick to point out the significance of the timing: the collection was released on National Boyfriend Day. It didn’t take long for fans to link the merch drop to Swift’s romance with Kelce, interpreting it as another way the couple has been publicly supporting each other’s careers.
Kelce and Swift, both 34, have been each other’s biggest cheerleaders since they were first romantically linked in the summer of 2023. Their relationship was confirmed in September when Swift was spotted attending one of Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs games, and the couple has since been seen together at several high-profile events, including the US Open, where they were photographed packing on the PDA with friends Patrick and Brittany Mahomes.
Their mutual support extends beyond personal appearances. Earlier this year, Kelce made a surprise appearance on stage during Swift’s Eras Tour in London, adding to the list of ways the couple has publicly celebrated each other’s achievements. Swift, who has been balancing her personal life with her preparations for the next leg of her tour, has had to skip a few of Kelce’s recent games. Nevertheless, the couple remains connected through playful nods like the Grotesquerie reference and Swift’s merch collection.
As Swift prepares to resume her tour and Kelce continues his NFL season, their relationship continues to capture the attention of fans, with every little hint and gesture adding to the growing fascination with this high-profile pair.
The Pop-Tart reference might be small, but for Swifties, it’s just another sign of the strong connection between the two stars.
