Viral photo of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is fake

The sports and entertainment worlds have been buzzing about rumors that pop superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce are dating.

Kelce and the Chiefs played against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 17. In the week leading up to the game, commentators on networks like ESPN and Fox Sports speculated about a possible relationship between the two.

Amid all those rumors, a photo went viral on Facebook appearing to show the two disembarking a plane together in Jacksonville, Florida.

Several people commented on the photo saying how much they love seeing the two together, but this TikToker claimed the photo is fake and “not even good Photoshop.” 

THE QUESTION

Is the photo of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce real?

THE SOURCES

• Original photo of Taylor Swift from Getty Images
• Original photo of Travis Kelce, taken by a Kansas City Chiefs photographer
• RevEye, a reverse image search tool

THE ANSWER

No, the photo is not real.  The image of Taylor Swift was edited in from a photo originally taken five years ago.

WHAT WE FOUND

The photo appearing to show Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce together ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars game was edited using two real photos of the stars.

VERIFY was able to confirm the photo was cobbled together using RevEye, a reverse image search tool.

The original photo of Kelce was published by the Kansas City Chiefs and shows Kelce arriving in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sept. 16. Kelce can be seen in the same pose and outfit, walking down the same set of stairs. Taylor Swift was not on the stairs with him in the real photo.

The original photo of Swift was taken on July 22, 2018, and was shared by Getty Images. It shows Swift walking in New York City. Swift has the same facial expression, off-the-shoulder blouse and denim shorts. Kelce is not in that photo, either.

Representatives from Swift and Kelce’s respective camps haven’t confirmed publicly if the two are in a relationship.

Following the Sept. 14 Philadelphia Eagles game, Kelce’s brother, Eagles offensive lineman Jason Kelce was asked about the rumored relationship. He said he’s seen the rumors but can’t comment. 

During coverage of the Sept. 17 pregame on The NFL Network, Rich Eisen was commentating as Travis Kelce was working out and dropped several Taylor Swift song puns. Eisen posted a clip of the coverage on Instagram and tagged Kelce. Kelce responded: “Well played Rich… Well played.”