Fox News did not report Taylor Swift banned from Chiefs games

Days before the National Football League (NFL) kicks off its 2024 regular season, posts claim Fox News reported pop star Taylor Swift was banned from watching Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. This is false; while some gridiron fans have decried the attention drawn by the couple, the US news network confirmed it has not published such a report.

"Fox News has Just Reported that Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt has officially banned pop superstar Taylor Swift from attending any future Chiefs games, Calling her 'Chiefs' BIGGEST DISTRACTION,'" says an August 24, 2024 Facebook post.

Similar posts have appeared elsewhere on Facebook and Threads ahead of the NFL regular season, which begins September 5 with the Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens.

Swift attended her first Chiefs game in September 2023, sitting in a private box with Kelce's mother Donna.

At the February 2024 Super Bowl, Swift was the night's most-watched fan as she enjoyed the game surrounded by her famous friends after flying in following a performance in Tokyo. The attention on Swift caused a backlash, with even Kelce agreeing that the NFL could be "overdoing it."

But there is no indication Swift, who is on a break from her Eras Tour, is banned from attending the upcoming Chiefs game.

"This was not reported by Fox News and is fake," a network spokesperson said in a September 3, 2024 email.

Keyword searches found no credible reports indicating Hunt or any other Chiefs representative has made such a statement about Swift (archived here).

The team CEO has spoken highly of the couple and, in June 2024, welcomed the singer as part of the "Chiefs Kingdom" (archived here). He also told Bloomberg that Swift's presence has helped increase the team's fan base by 30 percent amid a parallel rise in sales of Kelce's jersey and other merchandise (archived here).

AFP contacted the Chiefs for comment, but a response was not forthcoming.

AFP has previously fact-checked multiple false claims about Swift and Kelce.