Fans are convinced that Travis Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole, may have taken a subtle swipe at her former partner and his fiancée Taylor Swift.
Taking to Instagram on Friday, October 31, Nicole, 33, shared a post showing off her Halloween outfit for 2025.
In the post, the influencer showed she had dressed up as Toni Braxton for the holiday, specifically recreating the singer’s look from her “He Wasn’t Man Enough” music video.
It was the song choice that sent her followers into a tail spin, with several interpreting it as a subtle dig at Kelce, 36. (Nicole and Kelce dated from 2017 to 2022.)
“The shade is real 😂” wrote one follower. Another added, “This is how you have the last laugh.. ☺️👏🏽👏🏽”
Another follower wrote, “Somebody gon check on TayTay? 🥴”
The song, which was released in 2000, was a hit for Braxton, who won a Grammy the following year for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the track.
“Listen, girl / Who do you think I am? / Don’t you know that he was my man? / But I chose to let him go / So why do you act like I still care about him?” part of the song’s lyrics read.
In other parts of the song, the lyrics continued, “What you thinkin’? / Stop blamin’ me / He wasn’t man enough for me / If you don’t know, now here’s the chance / I’ve already had your man.”
Kayla Nicole. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Swifties have previously theorized that The Life of a Show Girl’s new song “Opalite” is subtly shading Nicole with its lyrics.
“You couldn’t understand it / Why you felt alone / You were in it for real / She was in her phone / You were just a pose,” Swift, 35, sings on the track. “And don’t we try to love love / And give it all we got / You finally left the table / And what a simple thought / You’re starving ’til you’re not.”
Some fans believe Swift is subtly referencing Nicole, with many pointing to a resurfaced social media clip of Kelce and Nicole interacting at dinner during their relationship.
“Oh, my God. Get off your phone,” Kelce said in one resurfaced clip. “Get off your phone. … You’re not even drinking your wine anymore, can we go?”
Travis Kelce has game on and off the field — and his dating history proves it. The NFL star’s love connection with Taylor Swift isn’t actually the first time he’s made headlines for his love life. Kelce starred on a dating show titled Catching Kelce dating show in 2016, which featured 50 women (one from each […]
Nicole has also recently been accused of subtly taking a jab at Swift following the singer’s 12th studio album release, which featured “Opalite” among its track list.
The album dropped on October 3. Just one day later, the influencer shared a cryptic post via her Instagram Stories.
Nicole shared a throwback clip of Eva Marcille’s America’s Next Top Model audition from cycle 3 in 2004.
“How do you compare yourself to other girls out there?” host Tyra Banks asked Marcille, now 40, in the footage.
Marcille quickly responded, “I don’t compare myself to other girls. I’m Eva. I’m no comparison to anyone else.”
Although Nicole did not explain the post or offer up any additional context at the time, some Swifties believed it may have been her way of addressing the song.
Swift and Kelce have been dating since summer 2023 and announced their engagement in August.
