Donna Kelce revealed some of the common elements that help make Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship so strong.
Their mothers brought them up loyal and kind.
In fact, it’s attributes like these that form the foundation for why Donna Kelce thinks her son Travis Kelce‘s relationship with Taylor Swift works so well.
“Time will tell,” the Kelce matriarch told Martha Stewart during the May 8 episode of iHeartPodcast’s The Martha Stewart Podcast, “but I know that they’re both friendly. They’re both generous. They’re both loving. They’re both caring individuals.”
And indeed, Donna seems to be a fan of her potential future daughter in law, in more ways than one. Not only did the two spend many a Kansas City Chiefs game together during the NFL season, but Donna has also been quick with her praise of Taylor’s musical career.
On the Grammy winner’s latest release—The Tortured Poet’s Department—Donna told People, “I listened to the whole album. And I listened to it all morning long when it was released.”
“I was just very impressed,” she continued. “She is a very talented woman, and I think it is probably her best work.”
Another who thought the work was a touchdown? Travis himself, whose relationship with Taylor features on the album in songs like “Alchemy” and “So High School.”
“Travis is so supportive of the entire album,” a source told E! News following the album’s release, “and loves that he is a part of Taylor’s story.”
The insider added, “He is very proud of her.”
And that pride for the other is something both he and Taylor are happy to show the world.
As the “Fortnight” singer told TIME for her Person of the Year feature in December, “I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care.The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”
Indeed, the pair have come a long way since Travis first fumbled his opportunity to give Taylor a friendship bracelet last summer.
To relive their relationship from the very beginning, keep reading.
Fernando Leon/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights ManagementJuly 2023: So, Make the Friendship Bracelets
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s love story began in July 2023, when the singer’s Eras Tour made a stop at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
As a huge Swiftie, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end caught the show with hopes of giving Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it. However, he failed to complete the pass due to her pre-show rituals.
“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,” Travis shared on the July 26 episode of his New Heights podcast. “So, I was a little butt-hurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.”
JC Olivera/Getty ImagesSummer 2023: This Is Him Trying
After publicly recounting his fumble—a move Taylor would later describe as “metal as hell”—Travis decided to shoot his shot and invite the Grammy winner to watch the Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court,” he shared on The Pat McAfee Show. “I told her, you know, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.’ So, we’ll see what happens in the near future.”
August 2023: Enchanted to Meet You
Travis was rocking a mustache—which he debuted in August during training camp—when he was first introduced to Taylor.
As he later noted of the era, “That ‘stache and the 87 jersey was pretty iconic there for a little bit, and I had it when I met Taylor for the first time.”
