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Taylor Swift And NFL Boyfriend Travis Kelce Filmed At US Open, Video Goes Viral And Sparks Anger
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Taylor Swift And NFL Boyfriend Travis Kelce Filmed At US Open, Video Goes Viral And Sparks Anger

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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.

Highlights
  • Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were described by some as 'cringe' and 'forced' at the US Open final.
  • Critics felt their behavior was out of place for the US Open, calling it overly performative and unnatural.
  • The Darkness' song 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' climbed to number 30 on the US iTunes charts after the viral clip.

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.

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    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.”

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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    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.”

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    @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

    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.

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    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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    Abel Musa Miño

    Abel Musa Miño

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Abel is a journalist at Bored Panda. Born in Santiago, Chile, he holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and a diploma in International Relations. In his spare time, you can find him tinkering with his motorbike, playing with his dog, or reading a good novel.

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    Abel Musa Miño

    Abel Musa Miño

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Abel is a journalist at Bored Panda. Born in Santiago, Chile, he holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and a diploma in International Relations. In his spare time, you can find him tinkering with his motorbike, playing with his dog, or reading a good novel.

    Karina Babenok

    Karina Babenok

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that).In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

    Read less »

    Karina Babenok

    Karina Babenok

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that).In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

    What do you think ?
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    POST
    Goose of the Ahonkalypse
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm so over the insane level of social media criticism for everyone and everything. I'm not even a fan but good lord people really do need to go outside and touch grass. Also everytime I hear this song I've done the same thing. It's a fun song.

    Skogsrået
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How dare they * checks notes* act like normal people with feelings and emotions that are having fun!? (Sarcasm btw if you didn't know)

    Load More Comments
    Goose of the Ahonkalypse
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm so over the insane level of social media criticism for everyone and everything. I'm not even a fan but good lord people really do need to go outside and touch grass. Also everytime I hear this song I've done the same thing. It's a fun song.

    Skogsrået
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How dare they * checks notes* act like normal people with feelings and emotions that are having fun!? (Sarcasm btw if you didn't know)

    Load More Comments
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