Who Is Travis Kelce’s Ex-Girlfriend? All About Kayla Nicole

Get to know Kayla Nicole, the former girlfriend of NFL star Travis Kelce.

The on-air reporter and record-breaking tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs started dating in 2017 and were in an on-again, off-again relationship for five years.

Following rumors about their latest breakup, including that they parted ways for financial reasons, the Ohio native set the record straight during an interview with The Pivot Podcast.

Furthermore, he announced that he is not in a relationship at the moment and is content with being single. “I’m in the free market right now. I’m out there just enjoying life, focused on my profession,” Kelce said on-air.

Most recently, the Chiefs player took home another Super Bowl win as his team went head-to-head against the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 12. During the event, Kelce also made history as the first-ever athlete to play against their brother (in his case, Eagles center Jason) in the big game.

Following his big win, he’s set to take the Saturday Night Live stage for the first time as he hosts alongside musical guest Kelsea Ballerini.

Here’s everything to know about Nicole, from her journalism background to her career in fashion.

She graduated from Pepperdine University

Kayla Nicole/instagram

Nicole has had a passion for sports long before meeting Kelce and even went to school to pursue a career in the field. She posted a “friendly reminder” on her Instagram in 2018, letting her followers know that she graduated from Pepperdine University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism.

“Hosting is where my heart is,” she captioned a video of herself sporting a Laker’s jersey while reporting from outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

She’s an on-air sports journalist

Kayla Nicole/instagram

Upon graduating from Pepperdine, Nicole landed hosting gigs at sports media outlets including ESPN and Barstool Sports, among others. While she’s created a name for herself reporting courtside on the NBA and on the sidelines for NFL coverage, Nicole has also covered entertainment news as well.

She interviewed Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler for Global Grind during their 2017 press tour for The House and Sterling K. Brown during his 2019 press tour for Angry Bird 2.

She’s a fashion influencer

Jon Kopaloff/Getty

In addition to her work in media, Nicole has also pursued a career in modeling and is an ambassador for several fashion brands, including Revolve, Crocs and Savage X Fenty.

Nicole shares her work on her Instagram, where she also posts her love of fitness and working out. Additionally, the model runs a fitness brand Strong Is Sexy.

She met Travis Kelce on Instagram

Amy Sussman/Getty

While it remains unclear when Nicole and Kelce initially met, Nicole previously revealed that they first connected through Instagram. “He had been following me and insta-flirting for a few months,” she revealed in a since-deleted Instagram Story captured by TMZ.

“All double taps and no dm. Soooo after a little liquid courage and a pep talk from @iqueenb (something along the lines of ‘WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR’) I dm’d him on New Years.”

She had an on-again, off-again relationship with Travis Kelce

Allen Berezovsky/FilmMagic

After their initial Instagram DMs, Kelce and Nicole started dating in 2017. In the years that followed, they’ve broken up and gotten back together several times.

August 2020 marked the first time the couple split. Kelce confirmed the breakup news after fans speculated about their split when Nicole deleted pictures of the football player on her Instagram a week prior.

The confirmation came amid rumors that Kelce cheated on Nicole with a “Becky,” which he denied in a now-deleted tweet responding to the allegations. “This is fake news… a lie… and not why Kayla and I broke up,” Kelce wrote on Twitter, per a screenshot from TMZ. “Take all your hatred somewhere else please.”

A few months later, the pair got back together that November. Kelce confirmed their reconciliation when he referred to Nicole as “my girlfriend” during an Instagram Live with WNBA basketball player Chiney Ogwumike. “She’s the best,” Kelce said about Nicole. “She’s the absolute best.”

In May 2022, the couple broke up again. At the time, Barstool Sports alleged that the reason for their split was that Kelce forced Nicole to pay for “half of everything” while they were dating.

However, during an interview with The Pivot Podcast in January 2023, Kelce denied that he was “too cheap,” adding, “don’t buy into that s—.” He continued, “I would never say that I was supporting her. She had a very financially stable life and what she was doing in her career.”

He added, “But you’ve got to be crazy if you’d think I would never helped or gave her a couple thousand to grab some food or she gave me some money to go get some food…. we were in a relationship for five years. A hundred dollars here, a hundred dollars there wasn’t even thought about.”