Taylor, Travis, and the tabloids
It's Gossip Time!
Hello and welcome to Gossip Time, a weekly guide to the stars by Allie Jones. This week: a pop star and a tight end go public, a model and an actor go to Rhode Island, and Justin Timberlake goes to People with an update on his state of mind (it’s positive).
Paid subscribers got an in-depth look at the Sophia Bush-Ashlyn Harris affair this week — it’s so fun! Click here to catch up.
Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have been “dating” for approximately four weeks now. Swift, 33, has made highly choreographed appearances at no less than three Chiefs games in that time (coincidentally in the midst of promoting her Eras tour concert film, which premiered last Thursday). And this past weekend, she officially went public with Kelce, also 33, in a series of well-documented dates and appearances in New York. What are we supposed to make of all this? Have no fear: People and Us Weekly are going to tell us.
They are low-key, humble, and supportive friends
Swift and Kelce both showed up “unannounced” to Saturday Night Live this weekend, and the show quickly worked them in: Kelce briefly appeared in a sketch about their relationship, and Swift introduced a performance by her new industry friend Ice Spice.
“Taylor and Travis are both big Pete [Davidson] and Ice Spice fans, so they came last minute to show their support,” a source told People. “It was a surprise to the audience and the staff, no one knew they were there. Upon arrival, the show offered them cameos and they happily jumped in.”
How sweet!
They can each behave normally at a party
Of course, Swift and Kelce attended the SNL after party together, and according to the tabloids, they stayed out until 4 a.m. like the cool young couple they are. “Taylor and Travis were there all night and they were so smiley, they were so happy,” another source told People. “They were so talkative. They were really fun. They talked to every single person in the room that talked to them.”
Smiling? Check. Responding conversationally to other guests? Also check. And of course, they were k-i-s-s-i-n-g: A source told Page Six, “Taylor comes over to Travis and put her hands on his shoulders, and he put his hands on her waist, and they were kissing, then talking, then kissing again and then talking about what food they wanted to order.”
They are sooo busy of course
Despite the fact that Swift and Kelce stepped out for two public dates this weekend — they did a pap stroll into the Waverly Inn on Sunday — we can’t expect that from them all the time, because they are both very busy and successful. “They’re supportive of each other and they don’t have to be by each other’s side all the time and that feels comfortable,” a source told Us Weekly. “They plan to carve out moments to spend together to get to know each other better.”
Another source told People that Swift and Kelce are giving their relationship “a real try,” despite both of their schedules being “actually insane.”
“She’s the biggest star in the world and it's no secret dating an athlete is very tough, but they've been texting and talking on the phone between the pockets of time they get to spend with each other,” the source said. Sounds reasonable.
Also: Kelce reportedly just closed on a $6 million mansion in Kansas City that will provide more privacy for Swift’s visits. Remember when Swift bought a $5 million in Hyannis Port just weeks into her relationship with the then-high-schooler Conor Kennedy? Maybe Swift and Kelce are made for each other, after all.
Oh, and if you think Swift is so wrapped up in this new relationship that she’s forgotten about her legion of famous girlfriends, you’re wrong. We know from the tabloids that Sophie Turner is currently staying in Swift’s investment property in Tribeca while she hammers out a custody arrangement with her estranged husband Joe Jonas. And now, Swift has reportedly lent out another of her real estate holdings to a friend in the early stages of a promo romance not unlike her own.
Us Weekly reported this week that Swift lent her BFF Gigi Hadid her famed Rhode Island mansion for a “private” getaway with her new boyfriend Bradley Cooper. Hadid, 28, and Cooper, 48, were photographed returning from a weekend getaway last week and the implication is that’s where they were.
“Taylor is a total romantic and loves playing cupid for her friends,” a source told the British tabloid The Mirror. “Even though Gigi and Bradley have their own properties in New York, they wanted somewhere more private to spend time getting to know each other and Taylor was only too happy to help. She said the door to her home is always open for them to use.”
Sounds perfect for everyone. I think we’ll be hearing more about Hadid and Cooper’s developing relationship soon: He just did a pap stroll wearing a $645 shirt from her cashmere line.
And speaking of new relationships, the recently separated Joshua Jackson was photographed spending time with Lupita Nyong’o at the Janelle Monáe concert in L.A. on Wednesday. TMZ was quick to note that they were among a group of friends and not necessarily on a date, but hours after the photos surfaced, Nyongo took it upon herself to announce that she broke up with her most recent boyfriend, the TV host Selema Masekela. The statement is a lot, especially coming from someone like Nyong’o, who tends to be pretty private about her personal life. Looks like, at a minimum, Masekela cheated.
STUFF BY HILARY DUFF: It is so difficult for celebrities to know what to post on social media this week and Hilary Duff is no exception.
Finally, I’ll leave you with the news that Justin Timberlake is doing really well, courtesy of People:
I’m so relieved.
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Wish I could "anyway" life like Hil
"Anyway, this was the most relaxing facial of my life." Simply phenomenal! No notes. Thank you SO much for capturing this perfect (insane) celeb moment in time.