Kayla Nicole Just Explained Why Her Relationship With Travis Kelce Ended
Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole’s past romance has earned more spotlight than ever due to Kelce’s engagement to pop queen Taylor Swift. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and the sports journalist dated on and off from 2017 to 2022 before calling it quits. More recently, fans have noticed how Nicole and Kelce have seemed to take subtle jabs at each other. And Nicole recently appeared to speak about her romance with the NFL player. Here’s what she said about why their relationship ended.
Kayla Nicole explained why her last romance ended, and everyone thinks she’s talking about Travis Kelce
Kayla Nicole and Travis Kelce were in an on-again, off-again relationship from 2017 until 2022 that played out in the public eye. Since their split, she’s occasionally addressed the breakup. After Kelce began dating Taylor Swift in 2023 and they became engaged in 2025, Nicole found herself repeatedly linked back to the former relationship. She had a viral moment where she dressed as Toni Braxton performing “He Wasn’t Man Enough for Me” around Halloween, which many interpreted as an indirect dig at Kelce’s new romance.
Most recently, Nicole appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for the Sleeper app that leaned into that history. She quipped about trying to “put an end to this whole ‘ex-girlfriend’ fiasco quickly,” prompting co-star Ben Simmons to joke, “I said swiftly,” a pointed play on Swift’s name. The ad’s tongue-in-cheek references sparked strong reactions online.
In February 2026, Nicole once again appeared to reference her past with Kelce. TMZ posted a clip of her TikTok live conversation with Love Island’s Ace Greene. Greene asked Nicole when her “last relationship” happened.
“Probably, like, three years ago now,” Nicole answered. “It’s been a long time.”
Greene then asked the journalist why the romance ended.
“Who knows,” she answered. “[It] could be compatibility issues,” Nicole said, adding that it could’ve also been the case of “right person, wrong time.”
The reality star then asked Nicole about her “type” of man she usually wants to date.
“I feel like the bar is in hell,” Nicole answered, noting how dating in 2026 is incredibly difficult. “My new list of requirements is having a job — that’s at the top of the list,” she stated.
