A simple Instagram Story thanking Taylor Swift for a promotional box set has set off a flurry of speculation online about whether singer and actress Teyana Taylor was taking a not‑so‑subtle jab at Kayla Nicole, the former partner of NFL star Travis Kelce.

Taylor posted an image of the deluxe package for Swift's Oct. 3 album, "The Life of a Showgirl," that included a handwritten note from Swift. Swift's message, which appears to have been sent to multiple recipients, read in part: "Well hi! If you're someone who has shown love, someone I admire and ultimately someone I'd want to celebrate with as we welcome 'The Life of a Showgirl' into the world. I hope you like the gifts and record! With love, a showgirl named Taylor Swift." Taylor captioned the post, "Thank you Tay Tay!!" before deleting the Story.

That brief post prompted Swift's fans and tabloid social feeds to resurrect a years‑old controversy involving Taylor, Kayla Nicole and Iman Shumpert, Taylor's ex‑husband. Nicole previously said on a 2024 episode of the podcast "Unapologetically Angel" that she had been dating Shumpert and that he ended the relationship by text, later emerging publicly with Taylor. Nicole also said she once dressed as Taylor for Halloween — a confession that many fans interpreted as a deliberate provocation.

As per PageSix, some Swift fans and social media users argued the gift was a symbolic rebuke of Nicole, who has been the target of online criticism since her on‑and‑off relationship with NFL tight end Travis Kelce, who later began dating Swift. "She only sent it because Teyana talked mess about Kayla," one user wrote on X, while another tied the move to past comments Nicole made in interviews about Taylor's fame.


Taylor and Shumpert were together beginning in 2013, married in 2016 and divorced in 2023; their divorce was finalized in July 2024. The couple share two daughters. After her divorce, Taylor has been publicly dating actor Aaron Pierre.

Taylor responded to Nicole's Halloween remark in 2024 with a post set to Swift's "Shake It Off" and later criticized Nicole's recounting of the situation as "distasteful and uncalled for." In that exchange, Taylor accused Nicole of attaching herself to a personal episode and of being "ill and petty," according to past social posts.

Nicole's relationship timeline with Kelce spans roughly 2017 to 2022. Kelce began his relationship with Swift in 2023. Swift's latest album has also fueled fan interpretation. According to Money Control, listeners zeroed in on the track "Opalite," which some believe contains lines referencing Kelce's romantic history before Swift, with lyrics that prompted debate about whether they were directed at Nicole.

Social media users have amplified both the Swift song and Taylor's box‑set post into a broader decoding narrative, with commentators suggesting multiple celebrities might be coordinating a slight against Nicole. Others cautioned against reading too much into a promotional gift and noted that Swift's handwritten note appears to be a generic message circulated to several recipients.

Representatives for Taylor, Nicole and Swift did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday. Without direct confirmation from any of the parties involved, observers say interpretations will likely remain speculative and shaped by fan communities eager for dramatic connections.

Originally published on Music Times

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Taylor Swift, Teyana Taylor, Travis Kelce