Travis Kelce’s PR Team: What is the Motive?
The news of a “breakup contract” between the Kansas City tight end and Taylor Swift has shocked and confused the internet. Many are wondering if the contract was curated by a user or a calculated move by Kelce’s team.
The “contract” surfaced on Reddit displaying printed documents with the company name and logo of Kelce’s PR agency, at the top. The document was titled “Comprehensive Media Plan for Travis Kelce’s Public Relations Following Breakup With Taylor Swift.”
The “breakup” is allegedly scheduled to be released on Sept. 28, 2024. The contract planned to, “Effectively manage and mitigate the fallout from the breakup between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, ensuring Travis Kelce retains a positive public image, minimizes negative media portrayal, and continues to build his personal and professional brand.”
Kelce’s PR team quickly disproved the situation in a statement, at The Daily Mail’s request.
“We have engaged our legal team to initiate proceedings against the individuals or entities responsible for the unlawful and injurious forgery of documents,” the firm says.
With questions of the document’s authenticity out of the way, a new speculation has formed: Was this a curated move from Kelce’s agency?
Some believe Kelce’s publicists, Jack Ketsoyan and Pia Malihi, are not above a PR stunt. When Ketsoyan appeared on The Quicky podcast in 2019, he said that he has staged relationships in the past to generate “hype.” Additionally, Malihi received a negative social media response in October of 2023 when Swift fans suspected the publicist of having a controversy with Swift because of an Instagram post from Malihi that covered Swift’s face with a clown emoji. (Forbes).
While not confirmed or denied, the speculation on social media seems to be that Kelce’s team may have created the documents themselves to generate hype around the couple and perhaps boost Kelce’s career. The timing of the Reddit post has led some fans to believe that it was meant to line up with the opening of the NFL season to maintain public interest as football has gained viewers since the couple’s debut. The statement of legal action from Kelce’s PR team has left some fans wondering if the action is to be a cover up for the “contract” being allegedly leaked.
Whether the document was forged by a user or a stunt, the surprising news has social media’s eyes peeled for the couple’s next moves. Amid the news, Kelce and Swift have been spotted in public at the US Open together, and an inside source stated to The Daily Mail that the couple was “rock solid” and that overall, Swift found the situation to be amusing.
This situation could affect the firm’s relationship with the public. In reference to the PRSA Code of Ethics, PR professionals should have the intention to “Build trust with the public by revealing all information needed for responsible decision making.” Parts of the code include: “Be honest and accurate in all communications,” and “Avoid deceptive practices.” Because Kelce’s team has admitted to a history of deceptive and inaccurate practices for public attention, this may have led fans and readers to question the team.
Jasira Jouett is a sophomore at Murray State University pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Arts Administration. She serves as her PRSSA Chapter’s 2024-2025 Officer of Recruitment and on the 2024-2025 Publications Subcommittee for PRSSA National. Outside of PR, Jasira loves to take time to indulge in reading and writing, music, cooking, and crafting. She loves to try new things and is a thrill-seeker. Her future career goals include working in event planning, social media marketing, and logo/webpage design. You can connect with Jasira on LinkedIn.
