Taylor Swift wasn’t at the Kansas City Chiefs game this week — but that didn’t stop NFL broadcasters from making a joke about her love of cats on national television.
During an NFL on Fox promo for the Sunday, October 20, Chiefs matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, actors portraying Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce channeled their inner superheroes and poked fun at Swift’s feline obsession.
The narrator in the promo started off by teasing that Kelce, 35, is “in his new girlfriend era,” according to a clip posted via X. “You’re late, Boy Wonder!” the Mahomes character said in the video — wearing his No. 15 jersey, a red cape and a matching red hero mask.
The Kelce character didn’t appear to like being Mahomes’ sidekick, replying, “Don’t call me that, I’m older than you!”
“Let me guess, you were hanging out with your girlfriend the Catwoman again,” super Mahomes joked, seemingly referring to Swift, 34, whom Kelce’s been dating since summer 2023.
Hero Kelce, who wore a yellow cape with the tight end’s No. 87 jersey and a yellow mask, was quick to correct the quarterback. “I told you, she’s more of a cat lady,” he teased.
The clip played prior to the Chiefs’ victory over the 49ers, while Swift was in Miami performing a show on the final U.S. leg of her Eras Tour.
Fans of Swift, however, are well aware of her connection to cats. The “Fortnight” singer has been vocal about her furry friends since adopting Scottish Fold kitten Meredith Grey in 2011. The musician named her first cat after the titular character of Grey’s Anatomy.
Swift expanded her pet brood in 2014 with the addition of Scottish Fold Olivia Benson, named after the main character of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The following year, Swift joked that she polled her friends to see whether she should get a third cat, but they advised against it. “They’re like, ‘No. Three cats is a cat lady, two cats is a party,’” she recalled during an April 2015 appearance on Live With Kelly and Michael.
Swift, however, didn’t listen to her friends’ advice, adding Ragdoll cat Benjamin Button — named after Brad Pitt’s character in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — to her feline family in 2019.
The Grammy winner revealed that April that she had fully accepted the title of “cat lady,” telling TIME that her animals were the “most influential factor” in her life.
Last month, Swift doubled down on her choice to be a cat mom while endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
She signed her endorsement statement via social media, “With love and hope, Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady.” The remark was in response to former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate Senator JD Vance, who previously claimed “childless cat ladies” were anti-family.
Earlier this NFL season, Swift was spotted in the stands supporting Kelce at a Chiefs game when she saw a sign that read, “We love our childless cat lady and No. 87.” Swift appeared to laugh when she saw the poster, according to a TikTok video.
