Was an on-air joke in 2023 enough to earn former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo an invite to the wedding of the year? Signs point to… maybe.
USA TODAY Sports has learned that Romo is in New York City this weekend ahead of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s rumored nuptials at Madison Square Garden. Romo, who has served as an NFL analyst on CBS since 2017, jokingly referred to Swift as Kelce’s “wife” two different times while on broadcast duty for two Kansas City Chiefs games in 2023.
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“As you see Kelce’s wife, Taylor Swift, in the audience,” Romo said after the cameras cut to Swift during a Chiefs game against the Buffalo Bills. “Or I’m sorry, girlfriend.”
He made the same quote-unquote “slip” two weeks later while broadcasting the Chiefs’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“His wife loves it,” Romo said when the broadcast cut to Swift after Kelce’s 900th career reception. “I mean, girlfriend.”
Jim Nantz, Romo’s CBS broadcast partner, joked after the second “wife” mention that Romo had made the same slip before.
A few weeks after the second reference to Swift as Kelce’s wife, Romo made a similar allusion, referring to Kelce’s brother, Jason, as Swift’s “brother-in-law” during the Chiefs’ playoff game against the Bills.
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Romo later said in an interview with SiriusXM’s “Morning Mash Up” that he called Swift Kelce’s wife to “kind of play with fans a little bit.”
This weekend, Romo is in New York City amid rumors that Swift and Kelce are having their wedding at Madison Square Garden on July 3. The former Cowboys quarterback made headlines early in his broadcast career for his apparent clairvoyance in predicting play calls from the booth. Could his success with predictions have translated to Kelce and Swift’s relationship? Was it enough earn him an invite to their wedding? Or is Romo’s appearance in New York a coincidence?
Time will tell.
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Three years before Taylor Swift headed down the aisle, Travis Kelce was just a fan in the stands at her concert. It only took a failed gift of a friendship bracelet and an intervention from mom Andrea Swift, and now Swift and Kelce are officially end game.
Scroll on to see a timeline of the Grammy winner and Super Bowl champ’s love story.
(Jamie Squire, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Three years before Taylor Swift headed down the aisle, Travis Kelce was just a fan in the stands at her concert. It only took a failed gift of a friendship bracelet and an intervention from mom Andrea Swift, and now Swift and Kelce are officially end game.
Scroll on to see a timeline of the Grammy winner and Super Bowl champ’s love story.
(Jamie Squire, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
On July 8, 2023, Kelce attended the second Kansas City show of Swift’s Eras Tour. The tight end hoped to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it, but was unsuccessful. On July 26, 2023, he opened up about the failed gift on his “New Heights” podcast – and Andrea Swift caught the call-out.
“And so you call me up with this tone of, ‘Hey, so I know you’re gonna not react well to this, but there’s a guy,'” Taylor recalled in her Eras Tour Disney+ docuseries. Andrea jumped in with: “He’s really cute.”
(Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” Taylor said in her Time magazine interview for 2023 Person of the Year. “We started hanging out right after that.”
(Jay Biggerstaff, Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
The 14-time Grammy Award winner took social media by storm when she “accepted” the invitation from Kelce to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs as they defeated the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sept. 24, 2023.
“I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game?” Swift said in her Time magazine interview. “We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.” After the game, the two took off in a Mustang convertible and rented out the rooftop cocktail lounge Prime Social.
(Jason Hanna, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Though they had been dating for weeks, Kelce made the first public comment about their relationship on the Pat McAfee Show in September 2023.
“I threw the ball in her court,” he said, “and you know, 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.'”
(David Eulitt, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Swift cheers prior to the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 1, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
(Elsa, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Swift and Blake Lively cheer during the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 1, 2023.
(Elsa, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
“Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me,” Swift sang to a sold-out crowd that included Kelce in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 11, 2023.
(Carlos Alvarez, Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Kelce and Swift celebrate his AFC Championship victory on Jan. 28, 2024.
(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Swift joined the Chiefs players’ loved ones on the field after their Super Bowl LVIII win against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, 2024.
(PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Kelce, Swift and Kelce’s family all celebrated the win.
(Tim Nwachukwu, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
The couple has also been known to appreciate other sports. They attended the men’s final match between Italy’s Jannik Sinner and USA’s Taylor Fritz on day 14 of the US Open tennis tournament in New York City on Sept. 8, 2024.
(Angela Weiss, AFP via Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Swift and Kelce watch game one of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 14, 2024 in Bronx, New York.
(Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Swift’s family, including dad Scott Swift, has also joined the popstar at Kelce’s games. The father-daughter duo watches the action during the first half between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 29, 2024.
(Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Swift and Donna Kelce arrive prior to a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 29, 2024.
(Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Swift and Kelce kiss after the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 26, 2025.
(Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Swift and Kelce got cozy on the field after the Chiefs’ win on Jan. 26, 2025.
(Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Unfortunately, the Chiefs fell 22-40 to the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
(Dylan Widger, Imagn Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
The couple was a bit more visible courtside in the lead-up to the NBA Finals. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend Game 3 between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 23, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
Swift and Kelce kiss during Game 3 between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
(Jason Miller, Getty Images)
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s timeline, from Chiefs games to wedding
(Jon Kopaloff, Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tony Romo may have manifested Swift-Kelce wedding invite with ‘wife’ slip years ago
