“Cringeworthy and forced,” that’s how some netizens described Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s behavior at this Sunday’s US Open final.

The pair, who appear to have been dating since July 2023, attended the match where Italy’s Jannik Sinner faced off against American Taylor Fritz in the tournament’s last Grand Slam of the year.

At one point during the bout, cameras caught the singer and the footballer energetically singing along to The Darkness’ 2000 rock anthem I Believe in a Thing Called Love. While the clip quickly went viral, getting tens of thousands of comments on sites like Reddit and others, not everyone was amused.

Some netizens accused the pair of being overly performative, forced, and “cringe,” while others defended them for having a good time and being “goofy” without fear.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were slammed for “cringeworthy” behavior at the US Open finals, as they happily danced to The Darkness’ hit I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Image credits: Jean Catuffe/GC Images

Swift also came under fire for spending time with Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife due to their political views.

Brittany Mahomes was also recorded and appeared less than thrilled by the spectacle, at one point asking her husband if he “knew this song.”

While Swift fans unilaterally enjoyed the moment, others felt it was “staged,” theorizing that the couple knew they were being recorded and exaggerated their movements purposely to go viral.

Image credits: usopen

“Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are pure cringe at the US Open, this looks completely forced and unnatural,” wrote one user on X.

“In another group they were calling them cringe. Personally I don’t think it’s anyone’s business. I hope they’re happy,” replied one of her fans on Reddit.

Image credits: Gotham/GC Images

Her critics believe her behavior was out of place for the more subdued atmosphere of the event, with one fan writing, “It’s the US Open, not a honky-tonk football game. Have some class.” 

Another chimed in, “She won’t be invited to Wimbledon [after this].”

Swift and Kelce have supported each other by attending their respective performances, with the latest one coming just one week before Travis’ next game

Image credits: usopen

The clip comes as part of a weekend trip the couple took to New York, which included a stop at the popular Brooklyn pizzeria Lucali.

Swift and Kelce then made their, now infamous, appearance at the US Open before the latter headed back to Kansas City for the Chiefs’ upcoming game this Sunday (August 15) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium.

Image credits: Jean Catuffe/GC Images)

Taylor was present with Kelce’s family during the Chief’s previous bout against the Baltimore Ravens, which saw the former win with a score of 27 to 20, so fans are looking forward to spotting her again at the upcoming match.

The lead singer of The Darkness revealed on a TikTok clip that Swift had sent him a handwritten note thanking him, much to the delight of his 9-year-old Swiftie daughter

Image credits: mrjustinhawkins

The couple’s viral moment had an unexpected effect, as The Darkness’ song I Believe in a Thing Called Love climbed up to number 30 on the US iTunes charts. 

Justin Hawkins, lead singer of the band, took to TikTok to thank Taylor Swift personally and revealed that the singer had actually sent him a “lovely letter,” which was waiting for him in the VIP section.

Image credits: mrjustinhawkins

“Justin. What a thrill to have you at the show! I’m a massive fan of yours and think I Believe in a Thing Called Love is one of the greatest songs of all time,” the handwritten note read. “I hope you and your family have fun at the show! Thanks so much for coming! Love, Taylor.”

The singer went on to describe how happy he was to see Swift and her partner dancing along to the hit. “It was a really heartwarming moment to me, and now my little girl can’t wait to tell all of her friends at school.”

@mrjustinhawkins It was a lovely surprise waking up to a video of @Taylor Swift and @Travis Kelce ♬ original sound – Justin Hawkins

Hawkins ends his video by thanking Taylor, Travis, and “everyone who enjoys tennis.” He explained that he felt he was not only “dad of the year” but maybe even “dad of the century,” as his 9-year-old daughter, Sarah, is a big fan of Swift.

From people calling the moment “forced,” to others praising the couple for their lighthearted behavior. Comments remain mixed online

Taylor and Travis believe in a thing called love 🎵 pic.twitter.com/L1gjkO5MoI

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2024

Video credits: usopen

Reactions to the couple’s dancing were mixed. Some believed the “outrage” of some of Swift’s detractors to have been overblown, explaining that everyone at the stadium was dancing and singing.

“There were tons of people, celebrities included, getting into the songs during the breaks in the game. That is why they play loud music. To hype people up. If you watched live you’d see that. Not a Travis and Taylor fan but this is silly,” one reader explained.

Others remained firm in their initial assessment of the viral clip.

Image credits: usopen

“I have no idea if it’s a real or fake relationship but anyone who is in a normal relationship doesn’t act this way. Very odd behavior,” one stated.

Swifties were happy to see that the clip had generated a positive effect on The Darkness and congratulated Justin Hawkins for his interaction with their idol.

“His whole video is so wholesome and I love seeing that she wrote a handwritten nice note for him when he came to her show, how lovely,” one fan wrote.

“‘My little girl can’t wait to tell her friends at school.’ This is so precious!” another pointed out.

“Playing to the cameras,” wrote one viewer, doubting the moment’s authenticity, while others appreciated the couple for taking a moment to be “goofy” together.

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