Travis Kelce and Ex-Girlfriend Kayla Nicole: The Way They Were
Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole went through several relationship ups and downs before splitting for good in 2022.
The exes dated on and off for five years after Nicole kicked things off by sending him an Instagram DM in 2017. “He had been following me and insta-flirting for a few months,” she previously revealed via her Instagram Story in June 2022.
Despite Kelce “liking” several of her posts, he never sent her a DM, prompting Nicole to make the first move. “Soooo after a little liquid courage and a pep talk from @iqueenb (something along the lines of ‘WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR’) I dm’d him on New Years,” she added.
The two began dating five months after the Kansas City Chiefs player and his Catching Kelce dating show winner, Maya Benberry, called it quits.
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Scroll down to look back at Kelce and Nicole’s relationship ups and downs:
2017
The former couple went public with their relationship five months after Kelce’s split from Benberry.
May 2017
Kelce and Nicole attended the wedding of his then-teammate Jeremy Maclin. At the time, Kelce called the fitness guru the “peanut butter to my JELLYTIME” in a since-deleted Instagram post.
July 2018
The pair hit back-to-back awards show red carpets in 2018. Kelce and Nicole ditched the blue tux and silver dress they wore to the 2018 ESPYs for fun, complementary striped outfits at the Kids’ Choice Sports Awards one night later.
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February 2019
Nicole donned a hot pink mini dress while attending The Maxim Big Game Experience at The Fairmont with Kelce, who sported a light blue button-up over a graphic tee.
June 2019
The duo showed off their couple style at the Thom Browne Menswear Spring Summer 2020 show at Paris Fashion Week. Nicole paired a white bodice top with mint green plaid pants. Kelce, for his part, accessorized his white button-down and gray plaid pants with a large gold watch, sunglasses and brown loafers.
February 2020
Kelce and Nicole took a break from football to sit courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
August 2020
The exes broke up after three years of dating amid rumors of infidelity. “This is fake news … a lie … and not why Kayla and I broke up … take all your hatred somewhere else please,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet, according to a screenshot captured by TMZ. Both proceeded to wipe each other from their respective social media accounts.
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November 2020
Kelce confirmed he and Nicole were back together during a live video with WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike. “So obviously we’ve got the fam. Mom, dad, brother Jason — big grizzly guy. Then my girlfriend Kayla,” he said in a joint TMZ interview with the Los Angeles Sparks player. “Kayla is definitely on the list. Always got to do it big for Kayla.”
February 2022
The pair attended the 11th Annual NFL Honors together and stepped out for a hockey double date with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes.
May 2022
Kelce and Nicole split for good less than two years after their reconciliation. Barstool Sports reported at the time the relationship ended because Kelce forced Nicole to pay for half of everything they did together. Nicole denied the outlet’s claims, calling them garbage and incorrect via X (formerly Twitter). In a since-deleted TikTok video, Nicole said she felt stupid for thinking their longtime romance would end in marriage.
That September, Nicole poked fun at the media attention she received because of the breakup in a hilarious TikTok post. “When I do literally anything at all on this here internet,” she captioned a video of herself using a video filter to look like she was being chased by police.
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January 2023
Kelce addressed the “crazy” rumors that he and Nicole broke up because he was “too cheap” during an interview on “The Pivot Podcast.” He explained: “Don’t buy into that s—t. I would never say that I was supporting [her]. She had a very financially stable life and what she was doing in her career.”
Kelce noted that they each lent each other money once in a while to pay for things such as food. “I mean, we were in a relationship for five years,” he added. “A hundred dollars here and a hundred dollars there wasn’t even thought about.”
October 2023
Nicole seemingly shaded her ex and internet trolls in a lengthy Instagram video as Kelce continued to make headlines for his relationship with Taylor Swift.
“Dear Black girl, they may call you a traitor for falling in love. You’ll hope the ones closest will protect you, but you will quickly find out that people don’t protect what they don’t value,” she said into the camera. “They’ll say you’re too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken. And in the same breath tell you you’re not enough. Not successful enough, not wholesome enough, maybe not even intelligent enough. They’ll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment. Because of your blackness, you should have known better. They’ll even try to tie your value to your net worth.”
Nicole continued: “You don’t have to participate in this tumultuous, often one-sided journey. Preserve your heart even when they try to quantify your character and best your boundaries you do not have to engage. You do not have to respond. because there is power in your silence. and you can use that same power to silence the noise and the self-doubt.”
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October 2023
Nicole revealed to People that her mental and physical health suffered after going through a “major breakup and major life change” in 2022, the same year as her and Kelce’s split. Following the breakup, she decided to begin therapy to help improve her mental and physical wellbeing.
“Had I not [gone to therapy], I don’t know how I would be reacting in the moment right now,” she added, seemingly referring to Kelce and Swift’s romance. Nicole noted she wished she could tell her past self to “buckle the f—k up” for 2023, stating, “You thought the worst had already come, but buckle up and take all of the tools right now and put them in your bag because you’re going to need them.”
