Taylor Swift’s Gift to Teyana Taylor Sparks Kayla Nicole Shade Rumors
Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole shared a high-profile romance that spanned roughly five years. After Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift became the center of tabloid fascination, Nicole found herself caught in the crosshairs of comparison and speculation. With the release of Swift’s album The Life of a Showgirl and the track “Opalite,” fans have speculated that Swift made sly allusions to Nicole. This revived rumors of tension between the two women. Now, the rumors are alive and well after Swift sent Teyana Taylor a copy of her album. Here’s why some fans believe this move was a calculated slight against Nicole.
Taylor Swift gifted Teyana Taylor her album, and some fans think this was meant to throw shade toward Kayla Nicole
Upon the release of Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, fans zeroed in on specific lyrics in “Opalite.” The lines, “You were in it for real / She was in her phone and you were just a pose,” seemingly pointed toward Kayla Nicole, who had an on-and-off relationship with Travis Kelce from 2017 to 2022. The speculation ratcheted up when a video from Kelce and Nicole’s dating days resurfaced. In the clip, Kelce asks Nicole to put down her phone during a date. No party has confirmed the shade. However, the combination of lyrical content and matching personal history has made many Swifties interpret the track as such.
According to Page Six, Teyana Taylor posted a thank-you on her Instagram Stories after Swift sent her a copy of her album. Is Swift subtly throwing more shade at Nicole with her latest move?
“Well hi! If you’re reading this, you’re someone who has shown love, someone I admire and ultimately someone I’d want to celebrate with as we welcome The Life of a Showgirl into the world,” the handwritten note atop the album from Swift reads. “I hope you like the gifts and record! With love, a showgirl named Taylor Swift.”
Oddly enough, Taylor’s ex-husband, Iman Shumpert, once dated Nicole. Some fans believe that Swift sending Taylor a free copy of the album with a handwritten note was meant as a public diss. However, other fans aren’t so sure it’s that deep.
“This is such a reach and this is coming from someone who can’t stand TS’s public persona,” one Reddit user commented on the drama.
Either way, Nicole seems completely unbothered by the drama.
