Travis Kelce Black Women: What Most People Get Wrong

Before the friendship bracelets, the record-breaking eras tour, and the world’s most famous "getaway car," there was a different narrative surrounding the NFL’s most charismatic tight end. If you’ve been following the Kansas City Chiefs for more than five minutes, you know that the conversation about Travis Kelce black women isn’t new. It’s a topic that has sparked thousands of TikTok threads, intense Twitter debates, and more than a few side-eyes from people who remember a very different Travis than the one currently starring in a Hallmark-worthy romance.

Honestly, the internet has a long memory. For years, the general public perception of Kelce was deeply tied to his public appreciation for Black culture, his personal style, and, most notably, his dating history.

The Reality TV Origins: Maya Benberry

It basically all started in 2016. Travis signed up for an E! reality dating show called Catching Kelce. Think The Bachelor, but with 50 women—one from every state—and a lot more football puns. At the end of the day, Kelce chose Maya Benberry, a Black woman from Kentucky.

💡 You might also like: Is Khadiyah From Love and Hip Hop Dead? What Really Happened to Yung Joc's Ex

The relationship didn't last more than a few months after the cameras stopped rolling.

But it wasn't just the breakup that made headlines. Benberry has been vocal over the years, often casting a shadow over Kelce’s "good guy" image. When news broke about his relationship with Taylor Swift, Maya didn't hold back, famously telling outlets, "Once a cheater, always a cheater." Whether those allegations are true or just post-breakup bitterness is something only the two of them really know. Still, for a lot of people, Maya was the blueprint for what they assumed was Travis’s "type."

The Five-Year Era: Kayla Nicole

If Maya was the introduction, Kayla Nicole was the main event.

Kayla, a high-profile sports journalist and influencer, was by Travis's side for nearly five years. They were the NFL's "it" couple. They were glitzy. They were everywhere. Kayla wasn't just a girlfriend; she was a fixture at Arrowhead Stadium, a close friend to Brittany Mahomes, and a woman who many fans—especially Black women—felt represented a genuine appreciation Travis had for the community.

📖 Related: Did Justin Bieber date Selena Gomez? What Really Happened

But the relationship was rocky. They broke up and reconciled several times between 2017 and 2022. When they finally called it quits for good, the rumor mill went into overdrive.

• The "Cheap" Allegations: A weird rumor circulated that Travis made Kayla pay "half of everything" despite his multi-million dollar contracts. Travis later went on The Pivot Podcast to shut that down, calling it "ridiculous" and noting that Kayla was a financially stable woman with her own career.
• The "Becky" Incident: Back in 2020, during one of their brief splits, Travis had to delete a tweet defending himself against claims he cheated on Kayla with a "Becky" (a slang term for a white woman).

When Travis eventually moved on to Taylor Swift, the shift felt jarring to a specific segment of his fanbase. To some, it felt like a total "rebrand." To others, it was just a guy falling in love with a different person. But you can't deny that the optics changed overnight—from the guy with "flavor" and a Black girlfriend to the All-American hero in a high-profile white-on-white romance.

Cultural Proximity vs. Performance

Why does this matter so much to people? It’s about more than just who a football player is dating. It’s about cultural proximity.

Travis grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He’s always described it as a "melting pot" of race and social class. He’s comfortable in Black spaces. He talks with a certain cadence, he dresses with a specific flair, and his foundation, 87 & Running, focuses heavily on helping underserved, predominantly Black communities.

Because of this, a lot of Black women felt a sense of "ownership" or at least a shared connection with him. When he transitioned into the "Swiftie" universe, there was a feeling of loss for some. On Reddit forums like r/blackladies, users have debated whether Travis was "code-switching" to land Taylor or if he’s just a guy who adapts to his surroundings.

Some fans feel he "used" the aesthetic and support of Black women to build his "cool" factor, only to pivot to the most "traditional" white celebrity relationship possible once he reached a certain level of fame. Others think that’s a reach. They’d argue that a man can find different types of women attractive at different stages of his life.

The Aftermath for the Women

The most exhausting part of the Travis Kelce black women discourse isn't actually Travis—it's what happens to the women after the breakup.

👉 See also: Tim Matheson New Wife: What Most People Get Wrong About His Marriage

Kayla Nicole, in particular, has dealt with an astronomical amount of online harassment. When the "Swifties" entered the chat, Kayla was often compared unfavorably to Taylor in ways that felt deeply rooted in misogynoir. She eventually had to protect her peace by unfollowing the Mahomes family and speaking out about the "backlash" she received just for existing as an ex.

Even Zuri Hall, an Access Hollywood correspondent who was briefly linked to Travis in late 2022, found herself caught in the crosshairs of fans trying to "verify" Travis’s preferences.

Actionable Insights: Moving Past the Narrative

If you're trying to make sense of the noise, here are a few ways to look at the situation without getting lost in the "stan" wars:

• Separate the Man from the Aesthetic: Travis Kelce can appreciate Black culture and have a history of dating Black women while still genuinely being in love with Taylor Swift. These things aren't mutually exclusive.
• Acknowledge the Pressure on the Exes: The women Travis dated before his current relationship deserve to move on without being used as pawns in a "who is better" debate. Comparing a sports journalist like Kayla Nicole to a pop star like Taylor Swift is apples to oranges—and usually just serves to tear women down.
• Look at the Work, Not Just the Wardrobe: If you want to know where Travis stands, look at his foundation. 87 & Running continues to fund the "Ignite Lab" at Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City, providing STEM resources to kids who actually need them. That impact is more permanent than a headline about his dating life.

The fascination with Travis Kelce’s past isn't going away, mostly because it represents a larger conversation about how we view interracial dating and celebrity "branding" in the 2020s. Whether you see him as a "Who, Me?" guy playing a part or a genuine dude who just likes who he likes, one thing is certain: his history with Black women is a permanent part of his story, not a footnote.