David Letterman has defended Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce from irked NFL fans, telling them to “shut up”.
Kelce, a player for the Kansas City Chiefs, helped his team secure a place in the Super Bowl after defeating the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday (January 28). Swift was in attendance at the match and later kissed Kelce on the pitch as they celebrated the victory.
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Hours before the win, Letterman posted a clip on social media where he praised the couple and criticised those tired of the coverage around them.
In the clip, where the chat show host jokingly mixes up Kelce’s name for Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, Letterman said: “Taylor Swift, I don’t think in the history of show business or the history of popular culture we’ve ever witnessed anything like this.
“Tremendous! She fills stadiums around the world and puts on a three-hour show. We live in a world now where all we hear is nonsense and ugliness. The nonsense can’t be more nonsensical and the ugliness, God hopes it can’t get any uglier. But that’s all we hear. So now here’s Taylor Swift, who is a glowing bright light of goodness in the world, and she starts dating [Travis Kelce].”
Outlining the differences in opinion, Letterman said: “The [Kelce] people say, ‘Oh, no, no, no, don’t bother us. We’re all caught up in football. We don’t want Taylor and football.’ And the Taylor Swift people, the Swifties, are saying, ‘Oh, we don’t want a footballer in here with [Kelce]’. And I say to both camps, ‘This is such a lovely thing, shut up!’
“It’s good for the footballers. It’s good for Taylor Swift and it’s something positive and happy for the world. And also politically, Taylor Swift is a huge force, and I think just wants to see people do the right thing. So God bless Taylor Swift and [Kelce].”
Travis and Taylor ❤️ pic.twitter.com/9FlGKczWd4
— NFL (@NFL) January 28, 2024
Following the Chiefs’ victory, a clip from The West Wing went viral as fans speculated whether Swift would be able to attend the Super Bowl in Las Vegas next month. The singer is performing an ‘Eras’ tour show in Tokyo the night before the match, which takes place on February 11.
Swift has attended several Chiefs games since September to support Kelce, leading to widespread media coverage and a spike in jersey sales.