Travis Kelce award alongside brother sees fans all make same Taylor Swift point
Travis and Jason Kelce have been on an incredible journey since they launched their ‘New Heights’ podcast last year, but the pair’s popularity has annoyed some fans
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NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce have scooped up a podcast award, but the win has sparked controversy among fans who suggest the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s link to Taylor Swift swayed the result.
The Kelce brothers, already boasting an impressive array of football accolades, are now making waves off the pitch as their ‘New Heights’ podcast propels them to new levels of fame. PEOPLE magazine announced on Tuesday that the duo had bagged the ‘Sexiest Podcast Host’ title in their annual Sexiest Man Alive reader poll.
Yet, some supporters are less than thrilled, taking to social media to claim Travis’ high-profile romance with the pop icon influenced the outcome. One user quipped: “‘They only got that name cuz of Taylor’s fame,” one user quipped.
Another added: “Everyone say THANK YOU TAYLOR SWIFT he’s now relevant,” while a third suggested, “It was only the Swifties that voted,” A fourth fan commented, “He’s handsome, but I think the sexiness comes from how he loves Taylor. The two of them radiate happiness when they’re together.”
Addressing the accolade on a recent episode of their podcast, Travis relayed the news: “We’re officially, in quotes, this is not me saying this, ‘Sexiest Podcast Hosts Alive’ according to PEOPLE Magazine, the readers’ poll,” to which Jason responded with a curious “Oh nice! ,” before probing, “Who are these other guys? “.
Travis and the ex-Philadelphia Eagles center outshone other podcasters such as Penn Badgley (Podcrushed), Josh Peck (Good Guys), and T. J Holmes (Amy and T.J.) to clinch the award.
“So we had a whole bunch of people vote on who the sexiest podcasters were, and sure enough sexy ass Jason Kelce wins it for everyone as always,” Travis said about his brother.
The duo has affectionately dubbed their listeners “92 percenters”, suggesting that while 92 percent tune in for the football chat, the rest are Swifties or fans not primarily interested in NFL. At a Sport Beach panel earlier this year, Jason expressed his delight at engaging a new audience.
“It’s been fun for me,” he shared. “I have three little girls, so in some ways, the show and everything that’s transpired over the past year, has given reasons for girls to get involved in a sport where previously there wasn’t that much interest,” he remarked at the June event.
“So all of a sudden, dads are hanging out with daughters and there’s worlds colliding, and our show gets to be another place where worlds collide, and it’s awesome,” he added.
