This is the most dramatic podcast ever and iHeartRadio podcast. Chris Harrison and Lauren Zema coming to you from the home office in Austin, Texas. It is good to be back. We spent the weekend LZ up at Parents Weekend at TCU.
Yes, so much fun, except for all the sweating.
Is so hot. Why do they have Parents Weekend in Texas in the middle of September It is one of the hottest months. And not to get down this rabbit hole, but it should be illegal to have eleven am college football games. We're not playing ayso soccer. What like when you're a parent and you have its kids, ayso soccer, it's you soccer. When you are playing ayso soccer. Your kids have the like ungodly seven thirty eight am, nine am games. That's fine your kids are Yet these children
are in college. Stop with the eleven am games. It should be illegal. It's only about the TV money and it drives.
Me for but they have to write what other choice do they have because they got to broadcast all these games.
The schools have no say that's the problem. It's the it's the networks, and I like that we pretend whatsoever to care about children when it's one hundred and eight degrees outside. We have lights in the stadium. If you really cared about any of the kids, the game would be at night.
But truly, what choice do they have because don't. Isn't it like the networks have to brives all these games and a lot of games to fit in.
Well, they just have say and when you like you have no say, the week of or two weeks before they get to they dictate to you. Your game is at eleven am, your games at seven thirty at night. Your game is at two they tell you. Now again, if we cared it all about children, you would not play these games in the heat of the afternoon.
I don't understand. What do you have a solution to this?
Yeah, you're not allowed.
They don't the games need to be broadcast.
Yeah, they can still be broadcasts. You just have to pile them up at seven o'clock at night or it's all going to be on at the same it's not this hot across the country geographically space based thing.
That's interesting. Okay, So you're saying go buy temperature, yes, and broadcast those games based on temperature.
For human existency, I think there should be a temperature loophole. If it is over ninety degrees, that school is not allowed to play until nighttime.
Actually that's a good idea. Okay, I mean, listen, you know I'm not jones in to get up at nine am for a football game. Here's my issue. I know I've ent about sports too much, but already football is at least four hours. Already, football is a black hole of time. When you say there's a minute left in the game, it's really twenty. Then you add on top
of it the tailgating, that's like another two hours. Then when you put it early in the day, it's your entire day because by the afternoon you're out, you're dehydrated, You've probably had a couple drinks to get through the boringness that is sports, and so now it's like your whole day. If it's at night, at least I can get up, go work out, we can like have a brunch and then I can go to the football game. Thing.
But despite the fact that the network screwed us over and TCU beat the pants off of SMU and the final Iron Skillet matchup, we had a great time. We went into town, went into Fort Worth. It is my son's last parents weekend. He's a senior, Taylor, our daughter sophomore, so we got a couple more. But we went to second rodeo down in the stockyards, which was awesome Fort.
Worth, Texas. Yes, it's all so fun. I think what makes me so happy about it is that the kids want their parents to see the life they've built for themselves. They want us to meet their friends and see where they go out and see their dorm rooms. And I remember that feeling of wanting your parents to come seeking.
You're so proud.
Yeah, you want them to be proud of you. You want them to be impressed and know that you've got good people in your life. And the fact that it's flown by so quickly for Josh, because we kept saying, gosh, how is it already parents weekend of his senior year. I vividly remember the day we moved him in, but also a you know, time flies when you're having fun. The fact that it has been over in a half a second means it went well, So it's a good thing.
We had a great time with the kids, you know, met their friends and went out to great dinners and may have stopped by a couple of bars. So it was a great, very successful parents weekend.
It was well, that's another thing about the heat though. I mean, I get work because some people bring siblings, bring grandparents on these weekends. You got these grandparents out there tilgating in the heat.
Was everybody left.
I literally saw a grandfather. We were at the tailgate and a grandfather asked assuming his grandson if there was water, and he said, the kid goes no, but I can get you a white claw. I'm like, oh god, we're giving this elderman a law and he's just dehydrated.
Oh lord, Okay, we were at a tailgate at nine am. That's the other thing that absolutely sucks. Tailgating is not meant for breakfast tacos. But Parents' Weekend was great if you didn't get a chance. We did a what I thought was going to be actually more controversial. It did strike a nerve. Elsie and I did a podcast about taking your partner's last name once you get married. I really thought that people were going to come at us more than they did. There was a lot of agreement
in what you said. People really appreciated you taking that stand and talking about this subject that apparently we're not talking about enough because a lot of people agree with you and that it's kind of a passe tradition. It's kind of something that should be left up to you, and it's not that big of a deal if you don't want to take your partner's name.
Okay, good, I'm glad, because let's think about it. If trap this Kelsey Yes and Taylor Swift get married, would she Taylor.
Lse No, No, I don't want to. I am a Swiftie. I'm not a Kelsey. That just doesn't it doesn't even work. Uh, and Elz just opened up the playbook we wanted to talk about. I mean, what shut down the NFL overshadowed the NFL shut down, the Internet broke the world. This weekend was Taylor Swift in the box at the Kansas City Chiefs game with not just Travis Kelcey watching with Travis Kelcey's mom. Yeah, sitting there watching the game.
So what did that say to you? It says to me, I think we're opening up the playbook. I think we're just we're doing this podcast to talk about what is like the biggest headline of the week.
It says to me, Taylor Swift is beyond the biggest star in the world right now. Yeah, and I know we joke about sports and all that, but the NFL is a fifty million pound gorilla. It is a behemoth in ratings, in social media, in every aspect it dominates. Nobody will be anywhere near a Sunday or a Monday or Thursday night because it's owned by the NFL.
Right as much as we talk about the decline of broadcast TV, live football has survived.
That decline, Taylor Swift just kicked it right square in the you know what and dominated it well.
And what I loved is that they embraced it. The NFL. I think it was the NFL accounts changed to like the NFL Taylor's version, like she did with her music. They changed their profile to that. The Kansas City Chiefs were having fun with it on their official accounts.
Like Bill Belichick, the coach of the Patriots, who couldn't be more serious, like I mean, the most cerebral, serious, let's have no fun in our life kind of guy. He made a joke about Travis Kelcey's made some big catches in his life. This was easily the biggest catch. I mean it permeated everything.
Yes, and I'm so glad that that was your takeaway and it makes me happy and I think speaks to again, like the moment that Taylor's having, in the moment that women are having, like to be able to say, look, this woman is the biggest superstar in the world right now.
Everybody so. Patrick Mahomes is obviously the quarterback for the Chiefs. He's the biggest star in the NFL right now. They were all looking up into the box during the game, giggling like they were twelve year old boys and the cute girl was up there. I mean, it really took us back to high school, junior high days where we were crushing on the girl and your buddies are point and at her.
A lot of people on social media were sort of saying, this is like the romance that I've been waiting to watch. Like a rom com, it does, and you write it has that Americana kind of like Miss Americana and the hopefully not heartbreak prints, but it's the f fotball player and the cheerleader. It's that kind of lure, and I think that's why people really liked it.
I forget who said it. You know, it was on social media who had on their twenty twenty three Bingo card Taylor Swift jumping up and I'm going to keep his family friendly. But after a Kelsey touchdown was screaming LFG, whoever had that on their Bingo card, you win because nobody else had that. In twenty twenty three. Travis Kelsey did score a touchdown, and this hole started a couple
of weeks ago. Well, I'll beyond that. When he was talking about the friendship bracelet and kind of hitting and flirting with Taylor.
He had tried, he'd made gone, he'd gone to see Taylor Swift, put his phone.
Number on Ahead stadium.
Yes, at Arrowhead, put his phone number on a friendship bracelet and tried to be able to get it to or he couldn't. But then that's and this sort of him sort of publicly pursuing her started. He shared that story, I think, on his podcast and then he said, look, you know, Taylor, I went to see you at Arrowhead, how about you come see me at Arrowhead. Obviously, something went down in the DMS or something, and she wound up in his suite at this.
Game with mom.
Well, a lot of people have pointed out Taylor meets the moms. There's a lot of photos of her with her ex Tom Hollinds mom.
Interesting.
She's written about, you know, hearing about childhood stories, presumably Jake Jillenhall's parents telling her about him playing te ball, Like she's a parents meeter.
And by the way, they're the haters out there. Taylor Swift is an Eagles fan. She's a Philly girl. She talked about in her songs wearing a Philly T shirt. Stop stop with the hate. In this day and age, we can have our hometown teams, like for example, I love the Dallas Cowboys. I love the Texas Rangers. We get to know Justin Turner. We get to know certain people, and you follow these people in your fans. She's on
a date for crying out loud. What do you expect her to do root for the Eagles who weren't even playing that day?
Come on, isn't his brother on the Eagles? He is? Okay, so that's kind of funny.
The other Kelsey is on the Eagles. Yeah, that's true.
Kind of funny. Now I will admit I did not know. Look, there's also a funny aspect here of like now the Taylor Swift fans are trying to explain football to each other, yes, because like, look, I'm not a sports I don't understand football. But they're rallying behind her and saying, maybe we have to understand football now if she's going to date Travis. I didn't realize how big of a star he is.
Well, he is a huge star as far as he's one of the best tight ends, which is his position in the league.
I sort of when I started to know him was when it did go and kind of go everywhere, the story of him and his brother playing against each other. Ye, like I start to know about athletes when they transcend sports news and into sort of more celebrity or like lifestyle news. And I knew there was that cute story about him and his brother playing each other and the mom wearing the split jersey. So that was cute.
And so Travis Kelsey is a big star, but not like this he was. You know, the fact that he plays for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs is everything to him to be in that orbit because Mahomes is the star. He's the biggest star in the NFL. But Kelsey is really on the rise right now. He has like I want to say, six or seven endorsement deals going right now. Did you see the impact that Taylor Swift had on his merch.
It was like his jerseys were up four hundred percent.
Four one hundred percent. Travis Kelcey merch went through the roof this week. Everybody is buying his stuff. And when I say everybody, it's Swifties. All the Kansas City fans already had their Mahomes or Kelsey jerseys. Those people are set. It's not them at all. It's one hundred percent Swifties that move.
The power of the Swifties that.
Move the needle four hundred percent.
The power of Taylor.
And Kelsey is everywhere right now. He's you know, he is kind of like Peyton Manning. He's kind of like Mahomes. He's in all these commercials. And what's funny is he's still not that recognizable.
Well he is now He's getting there.
You know, he walked out. They they got caught on video walking out together after the game. This isn't crazy, by the way, that they shut down a restaurant in Kansas City so they could have a private dinner with teammates and with Taylor Swift. The only other thing that we have to discuss the dinner for Taylor Swift, the chicken nugget ketchup and seemingly Ranch.
That's gonna be the Halloween costume.
Seemingly Ranch was.
So so random. I mean, when Taylor goes somewhere, especially publicly, because she doesn't do many like official, you know public and this is official, this is on TV and everything. I mean, obviously she goes to awards shows when she's nominated, but everything she does is analyzed. So every facial expression she made in that suite, the fact that she was cleaning up her own trash in the suite, she threw her own stuff away, what she was eating, Every photo
and video that comes out, people were analyzing. Now I wanted to ask you. I saw a lot of people posting this video and saying he did his signature move that he did the archer.
Yeah, he'd like an arrow towards her, towards her up to the suite.
I couldn't tell from the video if it really was towards her. It was yeah, okay, cute, that's cute. That's cute.
Here's my question to you. I think he's all in is this is this real? Are they really dating?
That is a question. I was texting with some people about that, like, look, because people are saying, well, neither of them need the PR, so it's got to be real. I do think neither of them need the PR. But I think both of them seem smart about staying in the headlines. So I think that it's both. I think there's an element of realness, like obviously he was a fan, He's going to her concert. He you know, there's older video of him like singing her songs at clubs and stuff,
and who wouldn't have a crush on Taylor Swift? And I think he was actively pursuing her, and so I think there's potential for it to be real. And also both of them known't that it's a smart move to lean in to what was kind of becoming a story. He was talking about her publicly, he's very desired, she was single right now, she's going to have fun with it. So I think that it's real. That it's very new, so it could or could not become something like if
this is all we ever get from it. I think it was great for both of them and it's cute.
They're both thirty three years old, same yes, and so.
Well, and the fans are loving this because the you know, the kind of joke and the mentality is like, well, finally Taylor Swift is with a guy who's good looking, gainfully employed, in actively pursuing her like with Joe All and it was kind of like, well, what's his career? Really, he's not really on her level. And I think that the rumors were that he had an issue with that, that maybe there was like you know that that tour at the fabric of their relationship. And I agree with
the fans. I like the Travis has his own thing going on well.
And I like that. I think that Taylor Swift is so powerful, she is so famous. She needs somebody who is really separated from her world but incredibly successful what he does. And the best part is he's also incredibly successful at a part time job. I'm not saying the NFL isn't difficult, but in January or February, after the Super Bowl, I'm sure the Chiefs will win again. He's done so he can spend a ton of time with her. Oh and she can travel with her. He can go
see her. She can come to some of his games. You know, this is his busy time of year, September through February. He's busy. So this is a great match if it's real. I hope it is. I'm all in for it. But I think this is a perfect fit. An athlete who is great at what he does. She can't help him per se. She can't do anything for him, and vice versa, you know what I mean, Like their careers are so different. He can't help her career, she
can't really help his. She can help his clout, but he's a football player.
Yeah, you know.
She can't help him catch touchdowns. She can't.
He's well with Joe Alwhen he was in entertainment, it was a question of like right, you know, coattails And there are some people were saying, I feel like more of the sports fans is he going to get distracted? And I think, what do you think? He seems to me to be an established enough player to not like for.
That to not be an issue, or he's a big enough of him.
I mean, he's not a twenty three year old joining the NFL. He's been in the NFL probably ten years.
He's a big enough of a personality that this is. Actually it's kind of like Gronk, who's very famous, so you might known.
I have interviewed him before so nicely.
It's almost like the bigger the circus, the better for Gronk and the better for Kelsey. Oh, like he thrives on this.
Okay, Okay, I like that.
And you know the fact that all this was going on and he's going to touchdown, and you know, nothing is taking away from them winning a super Bowl. He's probably going to be a Hall of Famer. They're probably going to win another super Bowl. He's probably going to be in All Pro again. Like, nothing is slowing this guy down. Just like would this distract Taylor from selling out so Far Arena and putting on the show of her life tonight.
No, And I think they're both pass that in their careers. And I have to applaud Taylor on I mean the Joe Allwin breakup. They were together like six years. They didn't break up that long ago. That news is so forgotten at this point. Yeah, she's so brilliant at that. I mean, she dated that guy from the nineteen seventy five Matt Healey for a brief moment and a lot of the tweets were like, Wow, glad she moved on from him to Travis, but like the Joe Allwin news
is so a thing of the past. And that's brilliant of her to me, because you know, if she hadn't started like she's changed the news cycle, it could have been that at every concert people are analyzing everything she says. Is she over the breakup? Did she shed it here while singing that song because it's about Joe now Joe's over? You know, as much as there is I wanted to ask you something, as much as there is the support for Travis being handsome, And I saw one tweet that said,
finally a guy. She can climb like a tree.
He's a big dude.
He's a big deer and successful. Of course, this is how quickly the news cycle goes. Already there's some question marks coming out about him. Apparently an ex girlfriend has come out and said he's a cheater. But they had a very brief relationship, and I don't judge people on their past, you know, I don't know when that relationship
was whatever. And then there was this clip from the show Watch What Happens Live that came out that resurfaced where he gets asked about his dating life and one of the questions he gets asked, is is it a deal breaker if the girl doesn't sleep with you on the third date, like by the third date? And he said, it is a deal break. And I have to say that. I mean me, I was like, oh, Travis, I don't
know about that. Is that a deal breaker for most guys? No, if you don't have sex the third date, that feels a little early to me?
That is early. We old school, well, and it's incredibly early to put a d like a go no go date, Like if you have.
Here's my thing, Say you get a cup of coffee, you have one dinner, then by your second dinner you already have to have sex. That feels quick to.
Yeah, that feels quick? Yeah?
No, or we like old school prudes. I don't know.
Look, if you have sex before your third date, that's up to you. But to put that limitation on a relationship of a go no go, my guess is if you go back. He's changing his tune.
Okay, because Dave one's in the books. Well, I mean she's already met his mom. It could get serious fast.
I talked to Tony Romo about this years ago because he dated Jessica Simpson and that for the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and he was much younger at the time, was a distraction. They made it all about her and following them to Cabo, and he told me, he's like, I wasn't ready for that. And so I think the fact that Kelsey is thirty three, he's a veteran. They've had already a large amount of success there in Kansas City. His coach knows how to take it well. His quarterback
Mahomes is going to protect him. So everything is in line for this to work. It was not because Tony Romo had not had that success yet. He was the quarterback that was supposed to take us to the Promised Land and it wasn't getting done. They were blaming Jessica Simpson and he's like, they just they were relentless on them.
This is set up for success. Yes, we have two confident people in the prime of their careers. And I loved that he wore the you know, he wore a nineteen eighty nine suit like to the game.
Out of respect for After the game, when they walked out together, he was in a nineteen eighty nine suit obviously.
That No, it was before when he went in or both men.
I think it was when they were walking out. That's the video I saw. Anyway, Well, did you hear did you see the uh everyone that thought they were sneaking Taylor out of there in a popcorn? Yes, people are losing their minds.
I love it. Look, I saw something that said someone tweeted, this is the first guy Taylor Swift has dated who realizes he's dating Taylor Swift. Oh interesting, And I thought that was such a good take. Like he again, he's fangirled out. He is looking up at the stands, thinking, wow, she's right there. He is aware of what he's got here. So I think that means whatever he might have done in the past, he's realized now that this is an incredible woman he's got like he you know, I mean,
she's the biggest star in the world. And he did everything right. Run it out of restaurant, I got her in his suite, drove her himself and his a little convertible after the game. Being a gentleman, it was just sort of nice to see a lovely first date.
Shoot your shots. If this is ever a lesson of you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take. This is it right here? Take your shot. This guy took a swing at the biggest star in the world in Taylor Swift and for whatever it is right now, it's awesome. Where it goes from here, who knows, it's up to them. I am all for it. I love what it did to bring these worlds together. I really love how the Swifties have embraced this for Travis Kelcey
and football. I love how the Chiefs fans and everybody in the NFL has embraced this for the Swifties. I love that everybody's come together. I kind of expected one day of love and then all of a sudden the haters were going to take over. They have not. The love has persisted. The love has prevailed, and I love it.
Do you think that all of the sports fans are supporting it. I like the Swifties are.
The most part.
Yeah.
I know the Chiefs fans and everybody that I have seen on all the NFL shows. You know, all the pundits on all these talk shows that on ESPN and Fox and all that Colin Cowherd and all these people. I watch. I expected them to be kind of crappy this week, just you know, and they're not. It's it's it's cool to be the guy you know that kind of bags on this and rips on Taylor Swift.
They're not okay good, they're supporting this good because again, why wouldn't you big start in the world. An incredible talent, and I support it too. I love it. I And by the way, like I said, if it's only this date and it goes nowhere, this was a lot of fun. If it turns into something great because as he's swifty, a longtime swifty. I have thought this about Taylor for years. She needed to date someone in her own league, but in a different industry.
Someone in her own league in a different league.
Yeah sports truly, though I kind of thought she might go someone like in tech or someone like I don't know, like when Scarlett Johansson wound up with what's his name from SNL. It's like that was such a different world. Yes, Like, I just thought she needed someone who was confident on his own, confident on his own in his own industry, and like already successful on his own.
But what I love is no ripping on the nerds in the tech industry. What I love is there's not a place, a red carpet, a concert that Travis Kelsey will feel out of place. He's so big, and he's so bigger than life that he could walk into a Taylor Swift concert and be mobbed. And it's okay. He's not going to be swallowed up by the light that is Taylor Swift.
Right, And what's good about this is they're both entertainers, they're both performers. They relate on that, but in very different ways.
Yeah.
Wow, well we love this love Okay, I mean I'm already saying love. They might not have even had the third day yet.
And to bring this full circle, Taylor Swift will never change her name to Taylor Kelsey. No, she will not a Swifties.
She will always be How about Travis Swift. That doesn't sound bad at all. T Swift, T Swift, T Swift thinking of the same.
Same monogram makes it very easy. So we are all here for it. Obviously, we will stay on top of this one. It'll be interesting to see the as the weeks go on, if she pops up at another game, or if they pop up and continue to date. But regardless. Travis Kelsey, Taylor Swift broke the Internet, broke the NFL, broke the world, but did not break our hearts. Thanks for tuning in today, love chatting with you. Thank you so much, and we will do it again next time
because we have a lot more to talk about. Thanks for listening. Follow us on Instagram at the most dramatic pod ever and make sure to write us a review and leave us five stars. I'll talk to you next time.