Kayla Nicole Seemingly Addressed Ex Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s in a Cryptic IG Post
The media personality and the NFL star dated for five years before he and Taylor started dating.
Published Aug. 29 2025, 10:51 a.m. ET
In case you were living under a rock during the final week of August 2025 (or were practicing some radical self-care), you know that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement. The couple, who started dating in 2023, took to Instagram to share the happy news in a joint post.
Since the A-list couple shared their happy news, many are wondering how their exes may be taking the news. Before they got together, both Taylor and Travis were in high-profile relationships. One of Travis's exes, Kayla Nicole, appeared to address his engagement news via social media.
Here's what to know.
Travis Kelce's ex, Kayla Nicole, said she's choosing "joy" following his and Taylor Swift's engagement.
On Aug. 26, 2025, Kayla seemingly responded to her ex, Travis's engagement to Taylor by making it clear that she's choosing "joy" above anything else. According to People, in her Instagram Stories, the media personality reposted a clip featuring Tracee Ellis Ross from her New York Times panel discussing her willingness to find joy in her life rather than simply aiming for happiness.
"I think joy is different from happiness," Tracee said. "Happiness is something you can get at 7-Eleven, and joy is something that you earn and work for and takes practice."
"I think joy is an attitude," she added. "I think joy is a perspective, and I think joy is a lens through which I live and look at my life.”
In addition to reposting the clip, Kayla wrote that Tracee's words resonated with her and said she had been on the same wavelength.
"Read about this very concept years ago in a book called Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough, Kayla shared. "I aspire! So so good."
While Kayla didn't mention Travis or Taylor in her story, the post came hours after the couple announced their engagement in a joint Instagram post. The post included a photo of the floral garden where Travis proposed, along with a snap of Taylor's decadent Old Mine Cut diamond ring, designed by jeweler Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry, with the NFL star also taking part in the design.
"Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨," the engagement post read.
Why did Kayla Nicole and Travis Kelce break up?
Kayla's suggestive post came three years after she and Travis parted ways. The pair were together from 2017 until 2022 and met via Instagram. According to HollywoodLife, Kayla and Travis had an on-again, off-again relationship before they officially ended their partnership.
One year after their breakup, Travis and Taylor confirmed they were an item when the "Trouble" singer attended one of his games. Amid the news of his engagement, some fans believe the Kansas City Chiefs' star player wasted Kayla's time during their five-year courtship by not putting a ring on it, though Kayla appears to be living her best life.