Walking confidently into stadiums with her famous entourage and soon-to-be mother-in-law, Donna Kelce, Taylor Swift once seemed to steal the spotlight at her boyfriend’s NFL games.

However, Sunday’s event was much more subdued, as the pop star was reportedly concealed behind what appeared to be a bulletproof screen. This discreet entrance allowed her to quietly watch Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs compete against the Philadelphia Eagles at Arrowhead Stadium.

Video showed security guards quickly unfolding the giant protective barrier to ensure that Swift, 35, could slip into Arrowhead unseen.

A video snippet and the lack of photos showing Swift celebrating in her usual private suite fueled widespread rumors. The buzz centered on a single question: Was she concealing a baby bump?

The Chiefs players were warned of extra security measures before the game, yet no specific reasons were disclosed to them.

Now, insiders have told the Daily Mail the full story.

One insider pointed to increased tensions in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, just days before the game.

An insider mentioned, “Considering a high-profile target, Taylor seems like a logical choice.” The screen was employed for her protection, even though it is typically reserved for figures like the President rather than celebrities. Nevertheless, this week was particularly unusual.

31-year-old conservative activist Kirk 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 fornight before his death, remarking on her recent engagement to tight end Kelce, 35. 

The individual further commented, “This situation might influence Taylor Swift to adopt more conservative views,” before suggesting that she should “submit” to her prospective husband.

Kirk also controversially said the burly sporstman could ‘de-radicalize’ Swift from being ‘a cat lady to a JD Vance supporter.’

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.’

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 Jason Brain Wagner, who sent hundreds of emails and showed up at Swift’s in Los Angeles multiple times.

Other stalkers have sickeningly threatened her with rape and murder over the years, with some even trying to break into her New York residence.

The incidents have understandably left Swift on high alert, with the singer previously revealing that she always carries QuikClot – army grade bandage dressing – ‘for gunshot or stab wounds.’

‘You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things,’ she said in 2019.

That fear of violence is shared by her 73-year-old father Scott Swift, who said he was so ‘terrified’ about his daughter’s safety after throw her support behind two Democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee in late 2018, that he ‘went out and bought armored cars.’

Swift endorsed Harris back in September last year, prompting Trump to hit back saying he ‘was not a Taylor fan’ and declaring ‘she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.’

The president later went so far as to say that he ‘hates’ her. 

With an increasingly divisive political landscape and with millions following her every move, Swift ‘just wants to be safe’, her friends say.

‘She took these precautions because the world right now is totally screwed up and she not only wants to protect herself but everyone that she surrounds herself with,’ another insider said of the bulletproof screen.

‘To take these precautions now is nothing new, she always has security by her side, and she isn’t going to start taking any chances now.’