Stephen A. Smith is leading the charge of “Tayvis” shippers. In a new interview with Howard Stern, the sports TV personality passionately raved about his admiration for both Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, pushing back against the radio personality’s insinuation that the Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman is depending on the pop star for a career boost.
In a clip posted to YouTube Wednesday (Jan. 24), Stern quipped to his guest that Kelce “has to marry Taylor Swift” in order to secure a “movie career” and become “bigger than The Rock.” Suffice to say, Smith emphatically disagreed.
“He is a two-time Super Bowl champion, he’s on the verge of potentially being a three-time Super Bowl champion,” the broadcaster pointed out. “Universally recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the history of football. Good looking dude, got style, got flair, got skills. He’s got a future in this business.”
“He’s the total package,” he added. “He’s a really, really good dude.”
Indeed, Kelce and the Chiefs are very much in the running to keep their Super Bowl winning streak going. After triumphing 27-24 over the Buffalo Bills Sunday (Jan. 21) — a game attended by Swift as well as the tight end’s family – Kansas City is set to move forward to the AFC Championship Game this weekend. Should they win against the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens, the Chiefs will then continue on to defend their Lombardi Trophy at the Super Bowl on Feb. 11.
That’s not to say that Smith underestimates the status of Kelce’s superstar girlfriend, however. “Don’t get me wrong, Taylor Swift is a good-looking woman,” he continued on The Howard Stern Show. “She’s an incredible artist – I went to her concert [at SoFi Stadium] with my daughter. Man, Howard, it was off the chain. I loved it. I couldn’t believe how much I loved it.”
“She was phenomenal,” Smith gushed. “I saw Taylor Swift receive a nine-minute standing ovation in between songs … I’m telling you right now, no one was sitting down. Howard, the concert was three and a half hours nonstop, there was no intermission. Are you ready for this? I’m 56 years old. I stood up for the three and a half hours. I never sat down.”
The sports analyst’s conversation with Stern isn’t the first time he’s come to Kelce and Swift’s defense this year. Amid complaints earlier this month from some NFL fans that the “Anti-Hero” singer’s presence at Chiefs games is too distracting, Smith posited on ESPN’s First Take that she’s actually having a “positive impact” on Kelce’s performance.
“She’s going to support her dude,” he said at the time. “To show up at a football game and the cameras are on her — that ain’t her fault! And excuse me, by the way, she went to the games after the concerts. It’s not like she used the games to bump up the concerts. Oh no! Those kids were going to her concerts whether the NFL was promoting her or not!”
Watch Smith on Howard Stern above.