Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce dropped news of their engagement on a Tuesday afternoon, interrupting work meetings, lighting up group chats and prompting ESPN to send a push notification about the announcement.
As with everything about Swift, who curates her image with such calculation that there are college courses and newspaper beats dedicated to her, this was more than just an Instagram post. Her good news prompted reactions from fans, brands and a few politicians looking to mine engagement off the superstar.
For one, there was the fashion. The $400 Ralph Lauren striped sundress Swift wore in her engagement photos promptly sold out just 20 minutes after the news hit. As reported by @whattaylorwears (a Twitter account that catalogues, well, you know), she also had on a nearly $30,000 Cartier watch. Most importantly, her ring – with an Old Mine cut diamond the size of a gigantic movie theater ice cube – came courtesy of Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry.
Brides magazine interviewed Benjamin Khordipour, a specialist in antique and vintage jewelry, who estimated the rock’s cost at around $550,000. “The ring was handcrafted in 18k yellow gold and the center diamond is set with needle point prongs that perfectly match the antique style. Smaller diamonds and hand-engravings adorn the shoulders of her setting,” Khordipour said.
In the engagement photos, Swift and Kelce embrace in front of a floral backdrop. An idyllic, private moment between two people in love – one ready to be milked for all its worth by brand marketers.
As with all news that dominates social media feeds, X accounts for mega-brands hitched their posts to the announcement. Swift, who is 35, captioned her announcement: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” The language learning app Duolingo asked “but when will it be your spanish teacher’s turn?” And nothing says romance like Little Caesar’s posting “pizza party for the english teacher and gym teacher.” Or Buffalo Wild Wings offering to cater the wedding. Or the official page for DreamWorks’s Shrek film using it as an opportunity to cheers: “Here’s to being accidentally in love.” The team behind Paddington Bear’s X account called it “the wedding of the century”.
Social media teams for Walmart, Olive Garden, Wingstop, Chili’s, DoorDash, Auntie Anne’s and the Empire State Building also joined in. Krispy Kreme gave out free donuts to fête the couple. But condolences are in order to anyone else who planned big announcements on this Tuesday – as the Cleveland Browns NFL team wrote on X: “Thanks a lot, Taylor Swift. Now no one knows that next year’s schedule is out.”
And then there was Donald Trump, who Swift campaigned against in the 2024 election. When asked by a reporter if he had any response, the president said: “I wish him a lot of luck. No, I think he’s a great player, I think he’s a great guy. I think that she’s a terrific person. So I wish them a lot of luck.”
Marcy Kaptur, an Ohio representative, also chimed in, using it as an opportunity to drag Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “My heartfelt congratulations to Ohio native Travis Kelce on his engagement to Pennsylvania native Taylor Swift,” she wrote on X. “ Now that I have your attention—we must do everything we can to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid before it is too late. People in both our states and nationwide depend on it.”
Swift’s Instagram post raked in over 1m likes in less than 10 minutes, with many predicting it will become one of the app’s most-liked posts (it’s currently over 18m, which tops her previous personal record). Since going public as a couple, the pair have used their combined star power to capture the public’s attention. It’s a bit of a retro move, a throwback to the super-couple era of the 90s and early aughts, when celebrity matches had their own portmanteaus (Bennifer, Brangelina, Posh and Becks). Now, it comes with a pop feminist spin: they are known online as Travis Swift, with him taking her last name.
The news comes during Swift’s rollout for The Life of a Showgirl, her 12th album that drops in October. Fans speculate that the singer, known for her confessional lyrics, has written the record about Kelce. Swift’s also a famous breadcrumber who loves to drop hints and Easter eggs before new releases. The fact that this engagement post comes seemingly out of nowhere, with little previous fanfare, comes off as relatively demure.
In the middle of all this, the Guinness Book of World Records published a new entry: Taylor Swift had just won the most concurrent views for a podcast. It was for her 13 August appearance on New Heights, which is hosted by Travis and his brother Jason Kelce. The second-best thing that’s happened to her this week.
