Travis Kelce and ‘Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity’ Panel Subtly Reference Taylor Swift

Travis Kelce. Adam Rose/Prime Video

While Taylor Swift has not joined boyfriend Travis Kelce on Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, her presence was certainly felt in the TV studio.

During an episode that began streaming on Prime Video on October 15, Kelce, 35, asked a contestant for the stage name of singing sensation Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. (The correct answer, of course, is Lady Gaga.)

Gaga, 38, was also the clear answer to the entire room — but they made clear that she's not the No. 1 pop star in the industry.

"We love Lady Gaga, but we don't love her as much as any other blonde singers," comedian Natasha Leggero quipped. "There are some other blonde singers that we like more than Lady Gaga."

According to Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? guest stars Natasha Leggero and Ron Funches, Taylor Swift was not off limits when it came to joking with host Travis Kelce. "There are certainly some Taylor Swift fans [on the show]. There's some subtle jabs and jokes and references towards him, to see if we can […]

Nikki Glaser, a self-proclaimed Swiftie, chimed in, "Not even close!"

Kelce, who has been dating 34-year-old Swift since summer 2023, agreed with the panelists.

"I will have to agree with you on that," the Kansas City Chiefs tight end remarked with a laugh. "I do concur."

Kelce was a fan of Swift before they started dating. Back in July 2023, Travis told brother Jason Kelce on their joint "New Heights" podcast that Swift's Eras Tour show in Kansas City was incredible, but he felt "butthurt" that they couldn't meet backstage. (Travis wanted to give Swift a DIY friendship bracelet with his phone number on it.)

Taylor Swift. John Shearer/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

After hearing Travis profess his interest on the podcast, which Swift told TIME was "metal as hell," the Grammy winner got in touch. Swift and Travis privately dated for several months before making their public debut at one of his Chiefs games in September 2023.

Travis Kelce is trading his football for a microphone, and a source exclusively tells Us Weekly that the Super Bowl champion is already impressing people with his hosting skills as Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity starts filming. "He's funny and has the wits for it," the insider tells Us of Kelce, 34. "He's the […]

"When you say a relationship is public, that means 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," Swift gushed during a 2023 interview with TIME. "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."

Kelce filmed Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? this summer during his NFL offseason, during which the panelists couldn't resist teasing him about his mega-famous girlfriend.

"There are certainly some Taylor Swift fans [on the show]. There's some subtle jabs and jokes and references towards him, to see if we can get him to fully commit or not," Ron Funches exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month. "We certainly were jabbing him."

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According to Funches, 41, there were also rumors that Swift paid an extremely low-key visit.

"We may or may not have heard whispers that she came by," he told Us. "I did not see her, but I did hear whispers."

Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? is currently streaming on Prime Video. New episodes drop weekly.

Taylor Swift Travis Kelce