Taylor Swift Turned Down The Super Bowl Halftime Show Because Of Travis Kelce—But Not For The Reason You Think

Taylor Swift is now more connected to the NFL than ever, thanks to fiancé Travis Kelce—but that doesn’t mean she’s going to perform at the Super Bowl anytime soon.

Recently, it was announced that Bad Bunny would be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, an honor last bestowed to Kendrick Lamar. But before the announcement, there was a lot of buzz about who could be taking the stage, and some people speculated that Swift might try to wield the gauntlet, especially since there’s a likely chance Kelce could be competing in the event with The Kansas City Chiefs.

But during her The Tonight Show appearance to discuss her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl, Swift made it clear that there was a big reason that she turned down the opportunity to perform—and yes, it is because of Travis. But the answer is more complicated than that. When asked about it by host Jimmy Fallon, Taylor spoke about how difficult it would be to take on the performance while also supporting Travis on the field:

“That is violent chess. That is gladiators without swords. That is dangerous. The whole season I am locked in on what that man is doing on the field. Can you imagine if he’s out there every single week putting his life on the line, doing this very dangerous, very high-pressure, high-intensity sport, and I’m like, ‘I wonder what my choreo should be. I think we should do two verses of ‘Shake it Off’ into ‘Blank Space’ into ‘Cruel Summer’ would be great.'”

It makes sense, given how plenty of footage has leaked online of Swift intently watching the Chiefs games, clearly keeping a close eye on her fiancé while he’s out on the field. That being said, Swift did make it clear that while she factored Travis into her decision, the decision wasn’t because of Travis:

“This is nothing to do with Travis. He would love for me to do it. I’m just too locked in.”

So don’t be expecting Taylor Swift to take the halftime stage anytime soon—she’s too busy keeping her eye on the real prize: her future husband’s health and safety.