Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson showered Taylor Swift with praise during a very special episode of the “New Heights” podcast.
While speaking with Jason and Travis Kelce on the Monday, November 24, episode of their podcast, Andrews, 47, and Thompson, 43, opened up about how they got involved in the sports world. Both women gave shout-outs to their dads for helping spark their love for football, so Jason, 38, asked how he can get his daughters to watch games with him.
“Erin and I have talked about it with women and young viewership, like, Taylor’s impact cannot be overlooked,” Thompson said. “Those little girls that maybe didn’t have an interest in football and then sit down because it’s her. The commercials and the different little videos that you see, now all of a sudden the dads have a bond with their daughter over her is so special.”
Thompson continued, “Again, as two women who have made a career out of this because of their dads to have those moments, like, who knows what kind of impact that will have later on in their lives in a myriad of different ways. But it was really special to see.”
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Andrews agreed, and Travis, 36, could be heard in the background telling Thompson he appreciated the kind words about his fiancée.
Jason — a father of four girls — added that “one of the coolest things” is “hearing from dads or hearing from daughters” about Swift’s involvement in the NFL.
Swift, 35, has become a fixture at Kansas City Chiefs games since her relationship with Travis began in 2023. She cheered him on at two Super Bowls and was most recently spotted at the team’s home game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, November 23, which the Chiefs won in overtime.
Since she was first spotted at Arrowhead Stadium, plenty has been said about Swift helping to drive a new audience to the NFL. Earlier this year, Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt voiced his support in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“The first thing to mention here is how happy we are for both Travis and Taylor in their relationship,” he said in August, the same month the couple announced their engagement. “That’s the most important thing.”
He continued, “It certainly has opened up an opportunity for us to connect with a new demographic from a fan standpoint. I’m pretty sure that the Chiefs ranked No. 1 among NFL teams in the female demographic. From the time that Taylor started dating Travis, we’ve seen a big shift from approximately 50 percent male and female to now our fanbase in North America is 57 percent female, which is very unique among NFL teams.”
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Hunt added that Swift has “clearly has had a big impact,” praising the “passion” she expressed for the Chiefs during her appearance on “New Heights” this summer.
“She’s clearly not a casual fan. She’s gone all in, which is really great,” he said. “Again, we couldn’t be more happy for their relationship and we’re happy to have Taylor as part of the Chiefs Kingdom.”
Hunt denied that Swift’s presence at Chiefs games causes any distractions. “When Taylor attends a game, there’s always a little bit of a spectacle going on in a suite somewhere in the building, which the networks have done a great job of capturing,” he said. “But I know our fans really enjoy it and love having her there knowing that she’s such a great Chiefs fan. It does create a different energy when she’s in attendance.”
While Hunt made it clear Swift has a home at Arrowhead Stadium, the pop star has also faced some criticism from outside of the Chiefs organization. She addressed the so-called spectacle of her attending NFL games in her 2023 Time Magazine Person of the Year profile.
“I’m just there to support Travis,” she said at the time. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”
