Fans Defend Travis Kelce After Critics Call Him a 'Nepo Boyfriend'

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 05: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts prior to the NFL match between Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on November 05, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Travis Kelce is continuing his foray into Hollywood, as promised, diving in head first with a guest spot on Ryan Murphy's Grotesquerie.

We don't know much about the series yet, beyond its classification as a horror drama, but we do know that Kelce's time on set seems to have already come and gone, with costar Niecy Nash uploading several clips with him to her Instagram Stories after the news of his involvement broke on May 7.

In one clip, which she captioned "That's a wrap!" he expressed his relief over making it through, telling her, "I'm just glad I didn't hurt nobody!"

In another, he warned fans to "buckle up," but not everybody was sold on the casting choice.

Critics responded to Variety's announcement of the casting, with several calling him a "nepotism boyfriend" or similar variation, seemingly forgetting that, despite Swifties' senses of humor, Taylor Swift did not, in fact, put the Chiefs legend "on the map."

Kelce and his managers, whom he's known since college, have a long-standing and "carefully manicured" business plan that has always been pointing him toward the entertainment industry, with the crew ultimately accepting the offer for his dating series Catching Kelce with the ideation that it could open other doors.

Reality TV was no end game, and he spent several years campaigning for a slot on Saturday Night Live, eventually coming face-to-face with Lorne Michaels. Just after beating his brother Jason in the 2023 Super Bowl, he fulfilled his childhood dream of hosting and came back for a brief cameo with his girlfriend later that year.

One fan pointed this out to those accusing him of using her to land new gigs, writing, "He signed on to do a lot of this stuff before Taylor though especially the game show. He did a great job on SNL. What is the issue?"

"Was booked and busy before he even shot his shot with Taylor," someone else clapped back. "Extra spot light didn’t hurt, but he was already making serious moves."

"Of cause he's booked and busy," wrote another. "He has the face, the charisma, the personality, AND the talent. Trav is going to crush it."

Next: Why Travis Kelce's Managers Worry He's Getting Too Famous Amid Taylor Swift Romance