It was Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker who first revealed just how stark of a divide there is between the ideologies of his team’s WAGS. In May 2024, Butker delivered a controversial commencement speech in which he invoked Taylor Swift’s name. But he didn’t do it to praise her business acumen or point to her as an example of what the female students in the crowd could achieve. Instead, he plucked a line from her song “Bejeweled” to admonish Catholic priests. To him, Swift was just “my teammate’s girlfriend,” and it was his wife, Isabelle Butker, who deserved to be lauded for choosing to be a stay-at-home mom.
Butker’s reference to Swift felt shoehorned into his speech, but he just had to find some way to work her into it, as she was the talk of his team. There was rampant speculation that Kansas City’s queen bee, Brittany Mahomes, would be jealous of the attention lavished on Swift when the pop star began dating Travis Kelce. Instead, Swift and Mahomes became friends, and all’s well that ends well — but this wasn’t the end of their story.
If you look at the Instagram accounts of most Kansas City WAGS, including Leo Chenal’s wife Randi Chenal, Chris Jones’ girlfriend Sheawna Weathersby, Justin Watson’s wife Erica Watson, and Justin Reid’s girlfriend Marissa Rand, you’ll see a mixture of football, fashion, and family — there’s really nothing there to rev up the outrage machine. They were all safe in their insular WAG bubbles, but Mahomes went and gummed up the works.
Did Brittany Mahomes subtly challenge Taylor Swift for WAG supremacy?
Taylor Swift broadcasted her political beliefs for everyone to see when she blasted Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election. “I really think that he thinks this is an autocracy,” she told The Guardian, also expressing her dismay that he fought dirty and was rewarded for it. Trump, however, seems desperate for Swift’s approval, and Brittany Mahomes delivered him a small victory in the form of a Swift-adjacent endorsement. Mahomes liked a few pro-Trump posts and comments, which was enough to earn her a shout-out from the man himself on Truth Social. “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me,” it read in part. Now, whenever Swift appears in public with Mahomes, it’s going to feel like a mini-endorsement of MAGA politics in the eyes of many.
Surely Mahomes had to know how much trouble she’d cause by lobbing a political grenade in such a highly charged election atmosphere. But maybe she just had to let Swift know that she’s not the only WAG who is powerful enough to talk politics and maintain her position. Swift will now look weak in comparison if she doesn’t back a candidate for president. Some fans believe that Swift only got political in the first place because everyone else was, making her silence deafening. Mahomes’ actions drew attention to her political inaction again, and Swift will face a mess of bad press if more people start suggesting that her past behavior was performative.
WAG relations were frosty during the Chiefs’ first game of the season
The Kansas City Chiefs’ two biggest WAGS spent zero time hugging, chatting, or celebrating together (on camera, at least) during the team’s first game of the season. Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes have both been in the public eye long enough to be aware of how people would react to the optics of the two of them watching the game in separate suites. Some fans were happy to see Swift staying away from Brittany. “Taylor is a smart, loyal and ethical young woman who has very strong values and an unyielding belief system inequality and decency. Good for her. Brittany Mahomes has been trailer trash since day one,” one person tweeted. “Her being a Trumper does not surprise me for a second.” It seems that Mahomes’ Trump support possibly created a rift between Swifties — there are those who want the two WAGs to remain civil and those who want Swift to kick the controversial quarterback’s wife to the curb for good.
One source assured the Daily Mail that Mahomes and Swift weren’t letting Trump come between them. “They have made a pact to not discuss politics,” the insider explained. However, this was before Trump embraced Mahomes as a true MAGA believer in such a public manner, making Swift’s association with her super uncomfortable for some fans to think about. Another sign the two women might be on the outs is Swift’s absence from Mahomes’ birthday party in Chicago in August 2024.
The KC WAGS reportedly fear Brittany Mahomes
As the wife of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Brittany Mahomes could make the case that she’s the WAG MVP of the Kansas City Chiefs. According to the Daily Mail, the other women who are dating or married to members of the team certainly treat her this way. They’re reportedly afraid to even mention the whole Donald Trump ordeal around Brittany, lest it agitate her. “Nobody will ever bring it up during a hangout or at a game. It will not be a thing that is addressed,” a source said. Unfortunately, Brittany opened up a whole can of worms by publicly backing a presidential candidate — now the other WAGS have to worry about being asked who they’ll be voting for. If they really view Brittany as some sort of superior whose approval must be sought, they might be reluctant to voice any opinions that differ from hers. Her political debacle will also be the elephant in the room, creating an uncomfortable environment for the other WAGs when they’re forced to be around her.
While Brittany has been busy creating drama, Taylor Swift has been making her seem like she’s lagging in her WAGging. It had to irk Brittany just a bit to hear her husband praise Swift for being an all-around amazing human being. Patrick also told NBC reporter Chris Simms, “She’s really interested in football, she asks a lot of great questions. She’s already drawing up plays.” What other WAG can top that?
Has Taylor Swift found a new favorite?
During the season opener that saw Brittany Mahomes missing from Taylor Swift’s suite, the “So High School” singer was having a blast with a different WAG. Now, it’s probably not fair to say that she was rubbing her friendship with Chariah Gordon in Mahomes’ face, but the girlfriend of wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. was the one who Swift blessed with premium social media content, including a photo of the singer planting a wet one of Travis Kelce’s cheek. It also appears that Swift and Gordon coordinated their double-denim ensembles.
The two women even filmed a cute interview together in which they asked each other how they felt about the Chiefs’ victory. “I’m feeling fantastic,” said a smiling Swift. The video was posted on Gordon’s Instagram Story. Meanwhile, Mahomes said on the “WHOOP” podcast, “I don’t give a f*** about what people have to say about me anymore.” This comment alone should have given Swift cause for concern, as she is someone who is very image-oriented — her hesitancy to get political is proof of this.
If there is some sort of WAG divorce going on, it seems that Mahomes got custody of Lyndsay Bell, the wife of tight end Blake Bell. Lyndsay and Swift have hung out together several times, but Lyndsay was among the small group of friends Mahomes celebrated her 29th birthday with.
The maybe-WAG who angered Swifties
In June 2024, Life & Style reported that a new WAG had joined the KC club. According to the tabloid, Pia Malihi and wide receiver Skyy Moore were dating. The rumored relationship was eyebrow-raising for a few reasons. For one thing, Malihi was Travis Kelce’s publicist. She also angered a lot of Swifties in October 2023 when she shared a photo of the singer on her Instagram Story. In it, Swift’s face was covered up with a clown emoji. “Happy birthday to our Roman Empire!” the caption read. One of Malihi’s pals took responsibility for creating the image, but it already had Swifties convinced that there was bad blood between the publicist and her client’s girlfriend.
Malihi made headlines again in September 2024 when a document that was supposedly a breakup contract between Swift and Kelce began making the rounds online. Malihi had to deny that her PR firm, Full Scope, had drawn up the document. According to the Daily Mail reporter Katie Hind, she received a phone call from a furious Malihi about the Mail’s reporting on the fake document. Hind recalls Malihi telling her, “We have been trying to keep stories that the relationship is fake out of the media for a year now. And now this.” At least the KC WAGs will have a PR pro among them the next time they face rumors of dysfunction and discord.
