"It’s not about what Taylor does in a suite" - Ice Cube defends NFL’s use of Travis Kelce's GF Taylor Swift during Chiefs games to attract female fans

Ice Cube spoke on the "Outta Pocket" podcast during a live event at the 2025 Fanatics Fest. He shared his honest thoughts about Travis Kelce's girlfriend, Taylor Swift, getting attention at Kansas City Chiefs games in Tuesday's episode of the podcast.

Cube said it doesn’t bother him. The rapper and songwriter explained that the NFL wants to bring in more viewers, especially women, and using Taylor Swift helps with that.

"Well, that adds to the game because the NFL is interested in new eyeballs, more viewership," Ice Cube said. "They’re trying to bring women into the sport. And if they gotta use Taylor Swift—so be it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it."

He also pointed out that what really matters is how Travis Kelce plays on the field and not who’s watching from the stands.

Ice Cube added:

"You know, at the end of the day, it’s really about what Travis does on the field. It’s not about what Taylor does in a suite, you know what I mean? So, no matter who's at the game, whether she comes or not, Travis Kelce still has to perform—and he is performing at a high level. So I don’t understand what the big deal is about."

Travis Kelce's GF, Taylor Swift’s appearances at Kansas City Chiefs games have been a cultural phenomenon. According to Marissa Solis, the league’s senior VP of global brand and consumer marketing, 47% of the NFL’s audience is now women, a historic high that’s been fueled in part by Swift’s appearances.

Erin Andrews, longtime FOX sideline reporter, echoed that sentiment at the Cannes Lions Festival, saying:

“Women aren’t as afraid… the casual fan doesn’t feel as afraid to watch professional sports right now, watch the NFL because, well, our girl Taylor helped out with that.”

It all began in September 2023, when Swift made her surprise debut at Arrowhead Stadium to support Travis Kelce during a game against the Chicago Bears. Sitting next to Kelce’s mom, Donna, and decked out in Chiefs red, Swift instantly became the NFL’s most talked-about fan.

From there, she became a regular fixture at Chiefs games throughout the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons, attending over a dozen matchups, including the 2025 Super Bowl.

Travis Kelce's GF Taylor Swift turned Tight End University 2025 a viral event

TEU is Kelce’s annual summit for NFL tight ends, co-founded with George Kittle and Greg Olsen.

But this year, apart from drills and film study making headlines, it was Chiefs TE's girlfriend, Taylor Swift. The couple made their red carpet debut at the welcome party.

During the “Tight Ends & Friends” concert at Brooklyn Bowl, Swift surprised the crowd by jumping on stage with Kane Brown and performing “Shake It Off," her first live performance since wrapping the Eras Tour.

She borrowed a guitar and delivered a spontaneous set that had the 1,200-person venue erupting. Travis Kelce was spotted dancing backstage, cheering her on, and later commented, “Turn me up Tay Tay!!!” on the NFL’s Instagram post.

George Kittle called it “the loudest 1,000 people I’ve ever heard."