Travis Kelce’s ex Kayla Nicole asks trolls to ‘leave her alone’ as Taylor Swift releases new album

Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole dated off-and-on from 2017 to 2022

Travis Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole, is asking for some space online.

The influencer – who dated Kelce off-and-on from 2017 to 2022 – shared a post to X (formerly known as Twitter) on 18 April to address some of the criticism she’s seen about her on social media. Her message also came hours before the football star’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was releasing her new album, The Tortured Poets Department.

In her tweet, Nicole seemingly hinted at some of the backlash she’s received online, since the start of Kelce and Swift’s relationship, and how she’s avoided it.

“I’m unproblematic. Mind my business,” she wrote. “Never respond to the constant vitriol. Solid as they come & don’t expect a pat on the back for it either.”

However, she then hit back at the criticism, before asking her followers to put an end to it. “Just know everyone has a breaking point & would love for ‘yall’ (because you know exactly who you are) to leave me alone,” she concluded.

In replies, multiple people went on to show their support for Nicole, while also telling fans of Swift that they shouldn’t be directing any hatred towards the influencer.

“It’s exhausting & unfair to you. You are supported & have awesome friends! Focus & keep your head game on building your empire. Block them,” one wrote.

“Sorry lovely. You’re gorgeous and talented and should be recognized for that. I’m a Swiftie, but hate that you’re caught up in that. It’s not cool,” another added.

“Also to all swifties who come to Kayla’s page to hate – you embarrass your idol and also the few normal people that do like TSwift (me) by being the stereotype of jealous, insecure, juvenile mean girls who are also borderline racist any time they address a black person,” a third wrote.

In an earlier tweet on 18 April, Nicole appeared to refer to Swift’s new album that was coming out the next day. “There’s just no way I can fully digest all these new albums. I’m still on Cowboy Carter,” she said, referring to Beyoncé’s latest album.

This isn’t the first time that Nicole has seemingly addressed how she’s been trolled on social media, since Kelce and Swift’s relationship first made headlines in September 2023. In October, she appeared to comment on the “backlash and embarrassment” she has faced online in a nearly four-minute-long video addressed to Black women. Her post also came after her followers noted that Swift’s fans were allegedly pitting the women against each other, and leaving “immature and unnecessary comments” including Taylor Swift GIFs under her Instagram posts.

“Dear Black girl, they may call you a traitor for falling in love. You’ll hope the ones closest will protect you, but you will quickly find out that people don’t protect what they don’t value,” she said. “They’ll say you’re too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken – and, in the same breath, tell you you’re not enough. Not successful enough, not wholesome enough, maybe not even intelligent enough. They’ll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment... they’ll even try to tie your value to your net worth.”

She urged women not to participate in this “tumultuous, often one-sided journey”, asking them to “preserve your heart even when they try to quantify your character” because there is “power in your silence”.

Nicole’s latest tweet to online trolls came hours before Swift released 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, revealing just three hours after it dropped that it is a surprise double album.

Fans have been surprised that many songs on the album seem to take aim at Swift’s ex Matty Healy, whom she briefly dated last year, instead of her boyfriend of six years Joe Alwyn, whom she was reported to have parted ways with around April 2023.

Follow along here for live updates since the album’s release.