ITNTW: Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce – PR Stunt or True Love?
Hollywood relationships being labelled as PR stunts is hardly a new phenomenon, for decades fans have been speculating whether their favourite celebrities are really in love, or just posing as a couple to reap in mutual benefits.
The latest buzz surrounds global pop icon Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce, who began dating earlier this year. Their relationship started as an adorable love story that had fans cheering for them at every turn. From Travis attending Taylor’s concerts globally, to voyaging back to the US to attend his NFL games. Together, they seemed like the perfect couple, always showing up for each other.
However, it wasn’t longer before rumours of their relationship being a PR setup began spreading. This speculation reached its peak earlier this week when an alleged leak of Travis Kelce’s management contract surfaced online. The documents first appeared on the r/TravisKelceSnark Reddit page, where the original poster claimed to have seen them on a friend’s roommate’s Snapchat. According to the document, the couple was supposedly set to break up on September 28th 2024.
Travis’s team were quick to deny the rumours, bringing in a legal team to track down the sources behind the claims. The Reddit post has since been deleted, but the controversy has only fuelled more speculation about the authenticity of their relationship. Fans and sceptics alike are left questioning: Is this a genuine romance, or another orchestrated PR move?
One thing is certain, if Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship were to turn out to be a PR stunt, it wouldn’t exactly shock the world. Hollywood has long been known for orchestrating high-profile relationships for the sake of publicity, movie promotion and status elevation.
For instance, Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield. The pair met on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man where they portrayed on-screen lovers, and they dated for four years before calling it quits. Their off-screen romance seemed almost too perfect, seamlessly blending with the on-screen chemistry that captivated audiences. Another iconic example is Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, who played romantic leads in the Twilight series and dated in real life for the exact duration of the films, four years. Their relationship fed into the fan frenzy, giving audiences exactly what they craved: the illusion of their on-screen love spilling into reality.
And it’s not just actors, in 2018 the relationship between singer Noah Cyrus and rapper Lil Xan, was purely PR, as revealed by Lil Xan himself. Columbia Records, however, denied the accusation, which quickly spiralled into online drama and public backlash. Even the beloved stars of High School Musical, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, who were rumoured to have dated for four years during the filming and press of the trilogy, couldn’t hide from PR accusations. Speculation grew as to whether their real-life romance was genuine or just another calculated publicity move.
Whether Taylor and Travis will follow this well-worn path remains to be seen, but history suggests it wouldn’t be surprising if they did.
We have asked the IOPR team to get their insights on which couples they believe were/are a part of a PR strategy.
Michelle: Tana Mongeau & Jake Paul
Clare: Harry Styles & Olivia Wilde
Victoria: Tate McRae & The Kid Laroi
Chel: Tom Holland & Zendaya
Hamed: Timothee Chalamet & Kylie Jenner
Audrey: Central Cee & Ice Spice
Written by Michelle Yeow – PR & Influencer Coordinator @ InsideOut PR & AsSeenOn
