Taylor Swift Seemingly Tells NFL Camera to ‘Go Away, Please’ Amid Claims She’s ‘Ruining Football’
It looks like Taylor Swift is tired of the bad blood with NFL fans. The pop star seemingly had a blunt message for the NFL as a camera panned over to her during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens game on Sunday, January 28.
Taylor, 34, appeared to be annoyed when a camera zeroed in on her in the VIP box at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during a promo for the upcoming Grammy Awards on CBS on February 4, as seen in a clip shared on X.
“There’s Taylor Swift, and she’s gonna be there at the Grammys. She could break the record for the most Album of the Year wins,” the announcer said.
After noticing the broadcast on a TV screen in the box and staring at it with a deadpan expression, the “Lover” hitmaker appeared to say, “Go away, please.” Close pal Keleigh Teller could be seen laughing beside Taylor.
Taylor’s reaction came amid backlash she has received for the NFL showing her on TV multiple times during Chiefs games, which she has been attending frequently since going public with boyfriend Travis Kelce in September 2023. Though she hasn’t had any control over the cameras panning over to her, some critics have accused Taylor of “ruining football.” The outrage led to her becoming the subject of a mostly ill-received joke by comedian Jo Koy at the Golden Globes on January 7.
“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Jo, 52, said in his hosting monologue.
Meanwhile, fans have defended the pop star by pointing out that she hasn’t appeared on camera during games as much as people think. A recent study by The New York Times revealed that she was shown at most for one minute and 16 seconds total during the Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins game on January 13.
Taylor herself has weighed in on the criticism, telling TIME during her Person of the Year interview in December 2023 that she’s only there to support Travis, 34, and usually has no idea when she’s on camera.
“I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in,” she said. “There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once. I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.”
Travis also recently spoke out about their ability to block out the public attention on their relationship.
“As long as we’re happy, we can’t listen to anything that’s outside noise,” the tight end said during a press conference on January 26. “That’s all that matters.”