Add Stephen A. Smith’s name to the list of Swifties! The television personality, 56, defended Taylor Swift while addressing the criticism she has faced for attending Kansas Chiefs tight end and boyfriend Travis Kelce’s games during a segment on ESPN’s First Take.
“I have to take a moment to come to the defense of Taylor Swift,” said Smith. “Everybody’s sitting up there and acting like she’s some kind of impediment, and, excuse me, she did her job. That Eras Tour? Off the chain, [it] generated billions.” Smith continued by praising her talent and sharing his experience at one of her concerts.
“Now, there is only one Beyoncé to me. Beyoncé all day, every day, but Taylor Swift was phenomenal. I went to the concert. I see these kids; they absolutely love her. The concert was absolutely positively phenomenal, off the chain. She did her job. She’s going to support her dude,” he said. The sports journalist expressed that the attention Swift, 34, gets from the NFL and fans while attending Kelce’s games “ain’t her fault.”
“It’s not like she used the games to bump up the concerts. Oh no! Those kids were going to her concerts whether the NFL was promoting her or not,” said Smith. “Taylor Swift is that girl. Let’s show some respect. She probably is gonna have a positive impact on Travis Kelce’s performance, okay? I’m not trying to disrespect Taylor Swift.
” Swift has regularly attended the athlete’s games after he revealed during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show that he invited her to see him play at Arrowhead Stadium. She made a surprise appearance at his Sept. 24 game and enjoyed the view from Kelce’s suite alongside his mother, Donna.
For his Oct. 1 game (her second game in attendance), she bought a handful of her celebrity friends, including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Sabrina Carpenter, and Sophie Turner. She also bought her family for his games in December, including her dad, Scott, and brother, Austin. Kelce, 34, addressed the attention to her presence at his games during an episode of New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce.
“I think it’s fun when they show who was at the game. I think it brings a little bit more to the atmosphere, brings a little bit more to what you’re watching,” he told his brother Jason before agreeing that the NFL was “overdoing it.” “They’re overdoing it a little bit for sure, especially my situation. [But] I think they’re just trying to have fun with it,” he suggested.
