Taylor Swift Is Praised by NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez for Bringing a New Audience to Football

NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is praising Taylor Swift for the new audience she is bringing to football. 

During a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the retired tight-end, 47, spoke about Travis Kelce breaking his Kansas City Chiefs record for all-time receiving yards and the impact that Swift, 32, has had on the NFL’s viewership. 

“I think it’s great that Taylor’s done this for the NFL,” he said after joking about a recent unexpected fan interaction in which a 10-year-old girl approached him in an airport.

“I was like, ‘Oh, how cool, I’m getting so popular that a 10-year-old girl [wants to talk to me],'” Gonzalez shared. “She goes, ‘Hi, Is your name Tony? Do you know Travis Kelce?'”

“She [Swift] brought a whole new audience, it’s been great,” Gonzalez continued. 

“There’s a lot of Swifties out there watching now,” Clarkson, 41, agreed. 

The conversation, which Gonzalez posted on Instagram Thursday morning, started when Jennifer Garner — also appearing as a guest on the show — asked the former football player about his experience playing for the Chiefs.

“So you were in Kansas City, pre-Taylor,” Garner, 51, joked. 

“Same team,” Gonzalez replied. 

“Did he just break your record? Kelce?” Clarkson asked, prompting Garner to interject: “What? Do you have to be bringing that up?”

The show’s host went on to clarify that she only mentioned it because she had seen Gonzalez post about Kelce breaking the Chiefs receiving yards record. 

In a message posted to X on Nov. 6, the former NFL player congratulated Kelce for his accomplishment on the field, writing: “Congrats and well earned my friend! Keep it going @tkelce.”

“He’s such a good dude,” Gonzalez told Clarkson and Garner before the conversation turned to the “Cruel Summer” singer and her army of fans becoming football viewers.

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