Taylor Swift opted to skip Travis Kelce’s must-win game on Sunday night amid growing safety concerns surrounding the global superstar.
Kelce and the Chiefs went up against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium as they sought their first victory of the season after dropping their initial two games, marking the first time quarterback Patrick Mahomes experienced a 0-2 start.
Tight end Kelce was ready for action, captured arriving at the stadium in a stylish purple suit on Sunday, although Swift was notably absent that evening.
During the first quarter, the Giants playfully hinted at her presence by showcasing a ‘Taylor Cam’ on the jumbotron, initially displaying the back of a woman with blonde hair, only to then reveal NFL icon Lawrence Taylor instead.
The other Swift—world-renowned singer Taylor—was spotted at the Chiefs game against the Eagles the previous weekend. She made her entrance behind what appeared to be a bulletproof screen.
Insiders recently revealed to the Daily Mail that Chiefs players were warned in advance that there would be heightened security at the game.
The source cited escalating tensions following the murder of Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah, which occurred just a few days before the Chiefs faced off against the Eagles.
Taylor Swift opted to skip Travis Kelce’s game against the New York Giants on Sunday night
A week prior, the popstar was shielded by what is believed to have been a bullet-resistant screen as she made her way inside Arrowhead Stadium
‘The screen was used as a precaution for her safety,’ the insider explained. ‘Typically, such screens are employed for the President or similar figures, not typically for a celebrity. However, this week was unusual.’
Conservative activist Kirk, 31, was assassinated by a gunman last Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Meanwhile, Swift is a known liberal who has backed the last two Democratic Party candidates, in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
Kirk even spoke about Swift a fortnight before his death, remarking on her recent engagement to tight end Kelce, 35.
‘This is something that I hope will make Taylor Swift more conservative,’ he said, before adding that the singer should ‘submit’ to her future husband.
Kirk also controversially said the burly sportsman could ‘de-radicalize’ Swift from being ‘a cat lady to a JD Vance supporter.’
The Giants teased Swift’s attendance at the Sunday Night Football showdown at MetLife
Instead they went on to show Lawrence Taylor, the Giants’ Hall of Fame linebacker
Swift is usually pictured cheering on from her suite, seen here with Brittany Mahomes
For her part, Swift is said to have been left in shock at Kirk’s very public assassination. And it is that trauma, coupled with her ongoing issues of stalking, that has meant those around her are not ‘taking any chances’ when it comes to safety.
‘Taylor had concerns because she has received hate mail from the same kinds of extreme groups,’ said another insider. ‘Charlie’s murder, and the weirdness with her stalkers, is why she will take serious measures to increase her security and only a core group of people know what her schedule is.
‘She was targeted by far-right extremist groups after going against Trump [by endorsing Kamala Harris] and there are legitimate concerns about some of the threats that have been made. They aren’t taking any chances.’
In August last year, Swift found herself the target of a foiled terror attack in Vienna, Austria, and was forced to cancel three of her ‘Eras’ world tour dates in the capital. She later said the incident filled her with a ‘new sense of fear.’
Swift broke from tradition to sneak into the Arrowhead Stadium undetected last Sunday (pictured in September 2024)
Sources have claimed her mysterious entrance was a security measure after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk (pictured) in Utah last week
It came days after three young girls were tragically knifed to death while at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England.
Swift has also found herself the target of multiple male stalkers.
Most recently, she was granted a restraining order against Colorado man Brian Jason Wagner, who sent hundreds of emails and showed up at Swift’s in Los Angeles multiple times.
In the wake of Kirk’s death, there were a number of heightened security measures put in place at different sports events that high-profile figures attended.
For example, Trump visited the New York Yankees just 24 hours after Kirk’s death to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Images released before the game showed a row of three glass panels lined up next to each other in the stand. There were also snipers pictured overlooking the field.
