We never would have expected Taylor Swift to be dating Travis Kelce in 2023, but we totally ship it.
Kelce made his move on the pop star in July, creating a handmade friendship bracelet with his phone number on it when he attended her Eras Tour concert in Kansas City. Although they didn't meet backstage, the football player discussed his rejection on his “New Heights” podcast, and Swift eventually learned about his gesture.
Travis very sweetly called me out on his podcast, which I thought was really cool," the 12-time Grammy winner told TIME in a December cover story. "We actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew about, which I'm grateful for, because we got to know each other."
Their relationship reached the next level in September when Swift attended Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs home game. "When you say a relationship is public, that means I'm going to see him do what he loves, we're supporting each other, other people are there and we don't mind," she told TIME. "We're just proud of each other."
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Keep scrolling to remember all the other surprising celebrity couples who got together this year:
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The Surprising Celebrity Couples of 2023 That Kept Us Believing Love’s Not Dead
We never expected to see Taylor Swift dating Travis Kelce in 2023, but we are totally shipping it.
Kelce made his move in July, creating a homemade friendship bracelet with his phone number on it for the pop star after seeing her Eras Tour concert in Kansas City. Although they didn't get to meet backstage, Kelce shared his rejection story on his "New Heights" podcast, and Swift eventually heard about it.
Travis very charmingly called me out on his podcast, which I thought was pretty cool. We had a lot of time together that no one knew about, and I'm grateful for that because it gave us the chance to really get to know each other.
Their relationship became more serious in September when Swift attended Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs home game. "When a relationship is public, it means I get to support him in doing what he loves, and we're proud of each other regardless of who else is around," she explained.
Keep scrolling to remember all the other surprising celebrity couples who got together this year:
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The Surprising Celebrity Couples of 2023 That Kept Us Believing Love’s Not Dead
We never expected to see Taylor Swift dating Travis Kelce in 2023— but we're totally on board with it.
Kelce made a move on the pop star in July, creating a handmade friendship bracelet with his phone number on it when he attended her Eras Tour performance in Kansas City. Although they didn't get to connect backstage, Kelce shared his attempt on his “New Heights” podcast, and Swift eventually heard about it.
Travis made me realize how much I liked his podcast, and I appreciate the private time we had to really connect before the public knew about us. Our relationship became even more serious when I attended Kelce's game - to me, going public means supporting each other no matter who's around.
Keep scrolling to remember all the other surprising celebrity couples who got together this year:
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
The star attended five games at Arrowhead Stadium in between her international Eras shows. Kelce, in return, attended one of her concerts. During the concert, she dedicated a song to Kelce. An insider later revealed that Swift and Kelce are in love and have expressed those feelings to each other.
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Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny
Jenner was seen kissing the rapper in February, and their casual relationship evolved into something more serious. They made their first public appearance as a couple during Paris Fashion Week in September, sitting in the front row of the Gucci show. Jenner and Bad Bunny then appeared together in a travel-themed ad campaign for the fashion house.
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Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet
Chalamet and Kendall’s younger sister, Kylie, began hanging out in April. However, it wasn’t until September that they decided to go public with their relationship, seen sharing kisses at Beyoncé’s L.A. concert and the US Open in New York.
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Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes
Ballerini and Stokes quietly revealed their relationship in January when they were spotted together at the College Football Playoff National Championship. In April, the couple made their first public appearance on the red carpet at the CMT Music Awards.
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Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater
In July, it was revealed that Grande and her husband Dalton Gomez had decided to separate while she was filming the Wicked movies in London. It was during this time that she formed a strong bond with her co-star Slater, who had also recently ended his marriage to Lilly Jay. Following Grande's divorce, reports from Us confirmed that she and Slater had made the decision to move in together in NYC.
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Nelly and Ashanti
After meeting at a Grammy event in 2003, the two musicians began a romantic relationship that lasted until they went their separate ways in 2013. After a decade apart, Nelly and Ashanti reconnected in September. Us broke the news in December that Ashanti is pregnant with their first baby together, his third.
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Joshua Jackson and Lupita Nyong'o
Jackson and Nyong’o both experienced breakups in October, just weeks before being seen together for the first time at a Janelle Monáe concert. Us Magazine confirmed in December that the two had begun dating.
“Joshua and Lupita have only been dating for a short time. They are committed to keeping their relationship as private as possible,” a source told Us, adding that they are spending "as much time together as they can."
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Pete Davidson and Madelyn Cline
In September, it was revealed that Davidson had begun dating the Outer Banks actress, but he was keeping the relationship low-key following his breakup with Chase Sui Wonders a month earlier. When the former Saturday Night Live star returned to host the show in October, Cline showed up to support him. That night, Davidson and Cline were photographed together for the first time while on their way to an SNL afterparty.
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Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper
After recently ending a flirty situationship with Leonardo DiCaprio, Hadid was initially connected to Cooper in October when they were spotted spending time together in NYC. Even the model’s friend Swift allowed them to use her Rhode Island mansion for a vacation.
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Matthew Lawrence and Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas
In January, it was revealed that Lawrence and the TLC singer had begun a relationship following their time together over the 2022 holidays. Chilli later expressed to Us in May that she believes Lawrence is her “forever partner,” commending the actor’s “most pure, genuine heart.”
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Meghann Fahy and Leo Woodhall
The White Lotus costars first sparked dating speculation in late 2022 before finally going public in November. They were spotting kissing in NYC during a rainy day stroll.
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Jeremy Allen White and Rosalia
In November, Us reported that The Bear actor and Rosalía had begun a romantic relationship following their sightings together in Los Angeles. A source later revealed that they initially started as friends before their bond evolved into a romantic one.
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Halsey and Avan Jogia
Halsey and Jogia made their relationship known in October, even showing off coordinated Halloween outfits for their first appearance on Instagram. A source revealed to Us that they had been "spending a lot of time together" and "getting more serious."
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Tayshia Adams and Luke Gulbranson
Adams and Gulbranson's relationship first came to public attention in April when his former Summer House costar Lindsay Hubbard revealed their romance over Easter weekend in an Instagram post. The photo shared by Hubbard showed Adams and Gulbranson holding hands during the festive occasion. Although Hubbard eventually took down her post, the former Bachelorette continued to see Gulbranson. They were later spotted attending NYC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November alongside Bravo exec Andy Cohen.
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Shakira and Jimmy Butler
Shakira and the Miami Heat basketball star were initially linked in July, according to a source who spoke to Us at the time, their romance was still very new. By September, another insider informed Us that the couple were "growing closer every day" but that Shakira was not in a hurry to settle down again. (She split from longtime partner Gerard Piqué, with whom she shares two sons, in 2022.)
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Lily-Rose Depp and 070 Shake
Depp hard-launched her romance with the rapper in May. “Four months [with] my crush,” the actress wrote via Instagram Story alongside a kissing pic.
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Alix Earle and Braxton Berrios
The TikTok star crossed paths with Berrios, a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, in February, just one month following his split from ex Sophia Culpo. (Culpo accused Berrios of cheating on her with Earle, which he denied.) Earle softly introduced their romance on social media during the same month, affectionately referring to him as “NFL Man.” After making their red carpet debut at the ESPYs in July, they officially became a couple four months later.
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Kevin McKidd and Danielle Savre
Grey’s Anatomy star McKidd and Station 19's Savre were seen showing affection during their vacation in June, the same month that McKidd's divorce from Arielle Goldrath was finalized. McKidd and Savre made their relationship public on Instagram later that month.
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Savannah Chrisley and Robert Shiver
The former Chrisley Knows Best star shared on Nick Viall’s “The Viall Files” podcast in September that she has begun a new relationship with Shiver, a divorcee who reportedly survived an alleged murder-for-hire plot by his ex-wife. During the podcast, Chrisley playfully commented that Shiver was “too hot to die,” while remaining secretive about their romance.
"I feel incredibly grateful to have such an amazing person in my life," she told Us magazine a month later. "I really want to cherish and care for this relationship, and who knows where it will lead. Even if it doesn't last forever, I'm just thankful to have met him."