Get to know Kayla Nicole, the former girlfriend of NFL star Travis Kelce.The on-air reporter and record-breaking tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs started dating in 2017 and were in an on-again, off-again relationship for five years.Following rumors about their breakup, including that they parted ways for financial reasons, the Ohio native set the record straight during an interview with The Pivot Podcast in January 2023.
During a September 2023 episode of New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Kelce talked about rejoining Tinder, asking his sister-in-law, Kylie, for her advice on choosing a profile picture. Shortly after the episode aired, Kelce sparked dating rumors with Taylor Swift as she was spotted attending his Kansas City Chiefs game on Sept. 24 and again on Oct. 1.
In mid-October, Nicole wrote a powerful open letter to Black girls amid the “backlash” she’s gotten from online trolls as Kelce moves on to a new relationship. In a candid interview with PEOPLE later that month, Nicole opened up about how she has been focusing on her mental health, including publicly unfollowing Brittany and Patrick Mahomes.
“For me in my life, I have to move forward and everyone has to respect that,” she explained. “And hopefully when they respect that, that means that they’re no longer inserting me into things that do not involve me.”Here’s everything to know about Nicole, from her journalism background to her career in fashion.
Nicole has had a passion for sports long before meeting Kelce and even went to school to pursue a career in the field. She posted a “friendly reminder” on her Instagram in 2018, letting her followers know that she graduated from Pepperdine University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism.”Hosting is where my heart is,” she captioned a video of herself sporting a Laker’s jersey while reporting from outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Upon graduating from Pepperdine, Nicole landed hosting gigs at sports media outlets including ESPN and Barstool Sports, among others. While she’s created a name for herself reporting courtside on the NBA and on the sidelines for NFL coverage, Nicole has also covered entertainment news as well.
She interviewed Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler for Global Grind during their 2017 press tour for The House and Sterling K. Brown during his 2019 press tour for Angry Bird 2.