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Wait, Did Travis Kelce Really Pay Tribute to Taylor Swift in ‘Grotesquerie’?

I see what you did there, Travis

Travis Kelce in Grotesquerie
FX

Last week, NFL star Travis Kelce finally made his long-awaited cameo in Ryan Murphy's terrifying miniseries, Grotesquerie, and fans have some thoughts.

Before you ask, no, it's not criticism about his performance as the charming Ed Laclan (which, FYI, is quite impressive for a newbie). Rather, several fans suspect that he made a subtle reference to his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, while delivering one of his lines. In case you missed it, allow me to paint the picture.

When Kelce's character, Nurse Ed, is first introduced in episode three, he lights Detective Tryon's (Niecy Nash-Betts) cigarette and casually flirts with her before offering to drive her home, mainly because she's noticeably drunk—but their interactions don't end there. This too-good-to-be-true charmer continues to look out for the detective, going as far as to take her to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. So, to show her gratitude, Tryon offers to bake Ed a special treat.

She asks him, "What's your favorite cake?" And in response, Ed says, "You know what I like? Pop-Tarts without the frosting."

So now, countless fans are convinced that this is a nod to his pop star girlfriend because of her affinity for the pastry. In fact, during a Kansas City Chiefs press conference in June 2024, Kelce said that the "Shake It Off" singer “makes a great Pop-Tart and cinnamon roll,” adding that he "I thoroughly enjoy cooking with her."

Also, per CBS News, Chiefs coach Andy Reid revealed at the NFL Combine that Swift once baked homemade toaster pastries for Kelce and his teammates during the 2023 season.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift
Patrick Smith/Getty Images

He recalled, “Kind of behind the scenes, to fit in—she didn't even know she was doing this, I don't think—but she likes to cook, so she made the offensive lineman these homemade Pop-Tarts. She didn’t give me one, and the offensive linemen definitely didn’t give me one.”

Naturally, fans were quick to react to Kelce's clever reference in the series. One fan tweeted, "I screamed! Tay is such an intricate part of his life, she's showing up in his movie roles!" Another wrote, "Even during a flirty scene, during his role on Grotesquerie that he is performing like a smooth pro, Travis Kelce makes a direct reference to his lady Taylor Swift, his favorite is 'pop tarts.'"

Well played, Travis.

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Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

  • Writes celebrity news, TV/movie reviews and SEO-focused entertainment articles
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