No, Butker didn't call Taylor Swift a 'spoiled girl' or Travis Kelce a 'poodle' | Fact check
The claim: Harrison Butker said Taylor Swift leads Travis Kelce around 'like a spoiled girl walking her prized poodle'
A May 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a photo of Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker next to another image of his teammate Travis Kelce walking hand-in-hand with his girlfriend, singer Taylor Swift.
“Harrison Butker SAYS Taylor Swift LEADS Travis Kelce AROUND: Like a Spoiled GIRL Walking Her Prized POODLE,’” reads on-screen text included in the post.
Similar posts were also shared on Facebook, including one that was shared 2,000 times before being deleted.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Our rating: False
There is no evidence Butker made such a statement. The claim originated as satire.
Statement wrongly attributed following controversial commencement speech
Butker has faced a wave of criticism since his May 11 commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas, during which he attacked Pride Month and transgender people and said women should aspire to be "homemakers," as USA TODAY previously reported. But there is no evidence he has said anything resembling the statement featured in the Facebook post.
An article shared in the post's comments claims that Butker made the statement during an interview when he was asked about Kelce and Swift’s relationship. But there are no credible news reports about such a remark from Butker.
The claim was previously shared on May 22 in a post by the Facebook page USA Patriotism, which linked to an article with identical wording. USA Patriotism identifies itself as satire in its bio.
The May 27 post is an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where posts or stories written as satire and presented that way originally are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.
Fact check: Newspaper headline calling 'genocide' protests antisemitic isn't real
While Butker did not refer to Swift as a "spoiled girl" or Kelce as a "poodle," he did reference Swift in the commencement speech while giving his thoughts about Catholic priests becoming "overly familiar" with parishioners.
“As my teammate’s girlfriend says, 'Familiarity breeds contempt,'” he said, a reference to a lyric in Swift's song "Bejeweled."
USA TODAY previously debunked a false claim that Butker said his speech had been taken out of context and that things were better in the 1950s and 60s “when women had more babies than thoughts.”
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook page that shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
Benedictine College (YouTube), May 11, Harrison Butker | Commencement Address 2024 | Benedictine College
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Butker did not call Swift 'spoiled girl,' Kelce 'poodle' | Fact check