A viral clip circulating social media right now arguably says more about American marriage than most think pieces will this year. In it is Taylor Swift, beaming, pointing to her wedding ring mouthing “that’s my husband” as she cheers for Travis Kelce during the Chiefs vs. Colts game. 
The commentary poured in immediately. While some found the moment sweet and supportive, others called it “cringe,” “performative,” and “fake.” That split is a story worth talking about — because somewhere in the last 30 years, our culture trained women to believe that devotion and public admiration of a husband is naive. The smart move, the relatable move, is to joke about his incompetence and to position yourself as better than him. 
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Taylor Swift shows off her $1 million diamond ring while yelling “that’s my husband” at Travis Kelce during NFL game. <a href="https://t.co/QPVxhacEME">pic.twitter.com/QPVxhacEME</a>
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href="https://x.com/OliLondonTV/status/2101985794026287580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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This script shows up repeatedly in our everyday lives. Sit through the first PTA meeting of the school year and count how many introductions include some version of  &#8220;I have four kids, including my husband.&#8221; From Al Bundy&#8217;s lazy, defeated persona in the &#8217;90s to Phil Dunphy bumbling his way through &#8220;Modern Family,&#8221; dads in the media and pop culture have been rewritten again and again as dumb or embarrassing rather than honorable, wise, or courageous. It&#8217;s sold to women as bonding, a wink that says we&#8217;re all managing these lovable idiots together. But here’s the hard truth. This isn&#8217;t bonding; it’s training. It teaches wives to see their husbands as burdens instead of leaders and it teaches husbands that trying harder won’t change the punchline. 
Eventually, a lot of husbands stop trying altogether.
Contempt is not comedy, and the normalization of demeaning husbands should worry us a lot more than it does. John Gottman, a psychologist who has spent decades <a href="https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-four-horsemen-contempt/">studying</a> what predicts divorce, found that the single strongest predictor was contempt, the eye-roll, the mockery, the &#8220;you&#8217;re an idiot.&#8221;
So if contempt creates divorce, what does the research say will create happy wives and happy marriages? The Institute for Family Studies has asked, and the answer keeps landing in the same place: devotion. 
In a <a href="https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/for-better-four-proven-ways-to-a-strong-and-stable-marriage">2025 IFS/Wheatley survey</a>, wives who said their marriage was one of the most important things in their life were 399% more likely to report being very happy in it, compared to wives who didn&#8217;t feel that level of commitment. That is nearly five times the odds, and it had nothing to do with a bigger house or a better vacation. It came from how seriously a wife took her marriage.
Protection mattered too. Wives who said it was &#8220;definitely true&#8221; that their husbands were protective were 137% <a href="https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/for-better-four-proven-ways-to-a-strong-and-stable-marriage">more likely</a> to be very happy in their marriages than wives who didn&#8217;t. Brad Wilcox, one of the study&#8217;s authors, made an interesting observation. He interviewed wives across the political spectrum, left and right, and the ones who felt physically safe with their husbands were &#8220;markedly happier.” 
Here&#8217;s the part I think about most, though, especially as the mother of young boys: They&#8217;re watching how I talk about their father. If the culture&#8217;s default script is &#8220;Dad is a lovable moron,&#8221; my sons learn they&#8217;re punchlines waiting to happen, and any daughter watching learns that admiring a man is something to be embarrassed about. Marriage is catechesis, whether or not you mean to teach a class. I am raising four future husbands, and I will not teach them that the man of the house is a punchline. I will teach them that he is someone to be honored and adored. 
And before the criticism floods in, this isn&#8217;t tradwife cosplay. I work. I write. I also think being a wife and mother is my central vocation, and I don&#8217;t see any tensions between these roles. 
So here&#8217;s the assignment, and it’s a simple one: Say the uncool sentence out loud. Brag about your husband at the dinner table, point at the ring, tell him you’re proud of him. Because our children are listening. They are learning from us what marriage is supposed to look like, and they need to know that marriage is not a decades-long competition over who is smarter, more competent, or less annoying. It is two people who chose each other, who chose to honor, protect, forgive, and delight in one another.
That’s what made the Taylor Swift clip so striking. For a few seconds, there was no ironic detachment. There wasn’t an eye roll or a joke at her husband’s expense. Instead it was a woman, in front of a stadium and a national audience, absolutely delighted to say that’s my husband.
We could use a lot more of that.
***
Clare Ath is the co-founder and president of Vita et Terra, a conservative Catholic environmental nonprofit that champions care for creation.
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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Taylor Swift Apparently Committed The Ultimate Modern Marriage Sin

institute for family studies

marriage

modern family

opinion

taylor swift

travis kelce

The illegal immigrant convicted of defrauding Taylor Swift&#8217;s husband, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, in a $35 million Ponzi scheme overstayed his visa and had a conviction for another crime, The Daily Wire has learned.
Indian national Siddharth Jawahar, 38, was sentenced last week to 11 years in prison and ordered to pay $31.35 million in restitution to the victims, including Kelce and others. During a recent court hearing, Kelce was named as a victim in the case, <a href="https://www.firstalert4.com/2026/09/15/chiefs-tight-end-travis-kelce-named-victim-multi-million-dollar-fraud-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to KMOV.
Before his conviction, Jawahar entered the United States on multiple occasions between August 2005 and January 2010, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Daily Wire. He became an illegal immigrant after overstaying a visa.
At one point, Jawahar also had a prior conviction for driving while intoxicated in Texas, DHS said.
Jawahar ran the Texas-based investment firm Swiftarc Capital LLC, which he used to funnel his clients’ money into a single investment, Philip Morris Pakistan (PMP), in 2015, according to the Justice Department. Eventually, PMP held 99% of Jawahar&#8217;s clients’ funds.
When PMP&#8217;s value plunged, Jawahar failed to notify investors and falsely claimed they were making a profit, per the Justice Department. He also led his clients to believe he would invest their money in specific companies, but never actually did.
Jawahar received more than $35 million from Swiftarc investors between July 2016 and December 2023, according to the Justice Department. Only roughly $10 million of those funds were invested.
The Indian national used new investors’ money to repay the older investors. He also used the funds to pay for his personal travel on private jets, luxury hotel stays, a luxury apartment in Austin and New York City, memberships at multiple private clubs across the country, shopping sprees, and expensive meals at fancy restaurants.
After being indicted, Jawahar tried to &#8220;coach&#8221; one of his victims into providing a “favorable” statement to the FBI, the Justice Department said. He also lied about his status as an illegal immigrant and his finances, and tried to have his sister scrub evidence from his phone.
Jawahar pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud in January.
He managed more than a dozen other investment firms, according to the Justice Department.
A DHS spokesperson condemned Jawahar&#8217;s actions in a statement that appeared to reference Swift&#8217;s popular music lyrics.
&#8220;This criminal mastermind’s endgame was to steal their money so he could be popping champagne in the lap of luxury, but karma has finally tackled him. Once he completes his sentence, he will be swiftly deported from the United States and live the rest of his life in exile,&#8221; the spokesperson said.
&#8220;Illegal aliens exploiting Americans is nothing new after many years of open borders and sanctuary policies, but the men and women of DHS know all too well how to handle such cases,&#8221; the spokesperson said. &#8220;DHS remains chiefly committed to deporting illegal aliens so that we can prevent such injustices from ever happening again.&#8221;

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EXCLUSIVE: Background Of Illegal Immigrant Who Defrauded Travis Kelce Revealed

department of homeland security

fraud

illegal immigration

An illegal immigrant carried out a Ponzi scheme that defrauded Taylor Swift&#8217;s husband and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, among other wealthy figures, to the tune of $35 million, according to multiple reports.
U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone sentenced Siddharth Jawahar, 38, to 11 years behind bars and ordered him to pay $31.35 million in restitution to the victims, the Justice Department said in a Tuesday <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/illegal-immigrant-sentenced-11-years-prison-multimillion-dollar-ponzi-scheme">statement</a>.
Kelce was named as a victim in the case during a recent court hearing, <a href="https://www.firstalert4.com/2026/09/15/chiefs-tight-end-travis-kelce-named-victim-multi-million-dollar-fraud-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to KMOV. A 2021 Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/timcasey/2021/06/14/how-orlando-magic-guard-gary-harris-grew-to-enjoy-venture-capital-technology-real-estate-and-other-business-topics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> also identified Kelce as an investor in Swiftarc Ventures.
Jawahar ran Swiftarc Capital LLC, a Texas-based investment firm, which he used to funnel his clients&#8217; funds into a single investment, Philip Morris Pakistan (PMP), in 2015, according to the Justice Department. He eventually placed 99% of his clients&#8217; funds into PMP.
Jawahar did not notify investors when PMP&#8217;s value plunged and falsely claimed they were making a profit, according to the Justice Department. He also led investors to believe he&#8217;d invested their money into specific companies, but never actually did.
Between July 2016 and December 2023, Jawahar received more than $35 million from Swiftarc investors, but only roughly $10 million of those funds were invested, according to the Justice Department.
He used new investors&#8217; money to repay the older investors and fund his personal travel on private jets, luxury hotel stays, a luxury apartment in Austin and New York City, memberships at multiple private clubs across the country, clothing shopping sprees and expensive meals at fancy restaurants.
Following his indictment, Jawahar tried coaching one of his victims into giving a &#8220;favorable&#8221; statement to federal investigators, the Justice Department said. He also lied about his status as an illegal immigrant and his finances, and tried to have his sister wipe his phone of evidence.
Jawahar pleaded guilty in January to three counts of wire fraud.
The illegal immigrant also managed more than a dozen other investment firms, according to the Justice Department.

Denver Broncos v Kansas City Chiefs – NFL 2026

Taylor Swift’s Husband Travis Kelce Falls Victim To Illegal Immigrant Crime

crime

This year&#8217;s most talked-about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_of_Taylor_Swift_and_Travis_Kelce">wedding</a> featured a bride who earns far more than her husband. Pop superstar Taylor Swift <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinadilicosa/2025/12/30/the-highest-paid-musicians-of-2025/">earned at least four times</a> as much as NFL star <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2025/09/07/the-nfls-highest-paid-players-2025/">Travis Kelce</a> last year and her net worth is much higher than his. This reflects a broader social trend. Marriages in which the wife earns more than the husband have become increasingly common in the United States, rising from about <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/04/13/in-a-growing-share-of-u-s-marriages-husbands-and-wives-earn-about-the-same/">5% of married couples in 1972</a> to roughly 16% today. The trend is likely to continue as young women outnumber men in universities and increasingly dominate many professional occupations.
For decades, sociologists and other scholars predicted that this economic shift would gradually erode the traditional male-breadwinner norm. As women became more economically successful, they argued, people generally would become more accepting of role reversals within the household, and the greater instability historically observed among female-breadwinner couples would disappear. According to this view, those higher separation rates were largely the product of social disapproval and conflict arising from violations of traditional gender norms.
That prediction received support from a widely discussed <a href="https://www.rsfjournal.org/content/2/4/218.abstract">2016</a> study, which reported that although wives earning more than their husbands increased the risk of divorce among couples married in the 1960s and 1970s, this was no longer true for more recent marriage cohorts. The authors of that study argued that changing gender norms had weakened the influence of the traditional male breadwinner ideal. Other studies, however — including <a href="https://ifstudies.org/blog/husbands-with-much-higher-incomes-than-their-wives-have-a-lower-chance-of-divorce-">research previously discussed on this page</a> — found that female-breadwinner couples continued to face a higher risk of divorce, even among recent marriage cohorts.
The issue has now been revisited by one of the authors of the 2016 study, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jomf.70081">Pilar Gonalons-Pons, together with Allison Dunatchik</a>, using high-quality data on 544,911 married and cohabiting couples across 29 affluent countries between 2004 and 2020. Their findings strongly support the earlier findings: couples in which the woman is the primary breadwinner — defined as earning more than 60% of the couple&#8217;s total income — are more likely to separate in every country except Hungary and Cyprus (Figure 1).
The size of the effect varied across countries. In the Netherlands and Spain, female-breadwinner couples were about twice as likely to separate during the four-year study period as male-breadwinner couples. In Estonia and Bulgaria, there was little difference between couple types, while in Poland and Slovenia, the increase in risk for female-breadwinner couples was relatively small. The researchers also found that the relationship between female breadwinning and separation has diminished but not disappeared among younger cohorts.
Figure 1. Proportion of couples separating by women&#8217;s relative earnings category 
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1168321" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure1-129-.jpg" alt="" width="1876" height="1338" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure1-129-.jpg 1876w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure1-129--300x214.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure1-129--808x576.jpg 808w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure1-129--768x548.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure1-129--1536x1096.jpg 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1876px) 100vw, 1876px" /></div>
Data sources: SIPP (US), GSOEP (DE), BHPS and UKHLS (UK), and EU-SILC (all other countries). Country legend: AT = Austria, BE = Belgium, BG = Bulgaria, CY = Cyprus, CZ = Czech Republic, DE = Germany, DK = Denmark, EE = Estonia, EL = Greece, ES = Spain, FI = Finland, FR = France, HU = Hungary, IE = Ireland, IS = Iceland, IT = Italy, LT = Lithuania, LU = Luxembourg, LV = Latvia, NL = Netherlands, NO = Norway, PL = Poland, PT = Portugal, RO = Romania, SE = Sweden, SI = Slovenia, SK = Slovakia, UK = United Kingdom, US = United States
Multivariate analyses controlling for factors known to affect relationship stability — including the education of both partners, marital versus cohabiting status, parenthood, and homeownership — produced similar results. Female-breadwinner couples were 36% more likely to separate than male-breadwinner couples, all else equal. Equal-earner couples also faced a slightly higher risk, being about 6% more likely to separate than male-breadwinner couples. As expected, higher education, having children, and homeownership were all associated with greater relationship stability, but none of these factors explained the higher separation rates among female-breadwinner couples. As other studies have found, cohabiting couples were more likely to separate than married couples, but the increase in separation risk associated with having a female breadwinner was similar for both married and cohabiting couples.
<h3 class="p7">National Gender Norms or Other Factors?</h3>
The authors also examined whether this relationship was influenced by differences in national gender norms. It was not. Female-breadwinner couples were more likely to separate regardless of the proportion of people in the country who: endorsed traditional beliefs such as &#8220;a man&#8217;s primary role is to be the breadwinner,&#8221; supported dual-earner marriages, believed that children suffer when mothers work, or agreed that employed mothers can develop relationships with their children that are as warm and secure as those of stay-at-home mothers (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Average marginal effects of women&#8217;s relative earnings categories 
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1168323" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure2-116-.jpg" alt="" width="2054" height="1202" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure2-116-.jpg 2054w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure2-116--300x176.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure2-116--984x576.jpg 984w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure2-116--768x449.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure2-116--1536x899.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/figure2-116--2048x1198.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2054px) 100vw, 2054px" /></div>
Data sources: SIPP (US), GSOEP (DE), BHPS and UKHLS (UK), and EU-SILC (all other countries). 
Nor did the association vary systematically with broader measures of gender equality, such as the prevalence of female-breadwinning couples in the country, the country&#8217;s gender wage gap, or women&#8217;s educational advantage over men. The study likewise found little support for several other commonly proposed explanations. Female-breadwinner couples were not substantially less stable because women had greater financial independence, or because women increased their earnings in anticipation of divorce, or because husbands were unemployed, or because female breadwinning reflected financial hardship within the household.
So what factor did matter? The presence of children. Among couples with dependent children, female-breadwinner couples with children were 49% more likely to separate than male-breadwinner couples, a much higher rate than the 23% higher risk of separation faced by female breadwinner-couples without children. The authors suggest that this pattern is consistent with work-family conflict contributing to relationship instability, although it does not fully explain the association between female breadwinning and the risk of couple instability. Even female-breadwinner couples without dependent children faced a higher risk of dissolution.
Overall, the study provides strong evidence that female-breadwinner couples remain more likely to separate than other couples across a wide range of developed countries. Contrary to a common expectation, this pattern cannot be explained by the prevalence of traditional gender norms or by several other leading sociological explanations. Although work-family conflict appears to play some role, much of the association remains unexplained. The authors conclude that existing theories are insufficient and call for further research into why female-breadwinner couples continue to experience higher rates of relationship dissolution.
<h3 class="p7">Why These Findings Matter</h3>
These findings are unexpected. With the dramatic changes in women’s educational attainment, labor-force participation, and earnings over the past half century, gender norms have changed in many developed societies. Yet despite these changes, the relationship between female breadwinning and couple instability has proven remarkably persistent. Evolutionary psychologists suggest that this is because <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-02623-005">sex differences in mate preferences</a>, shaped over humanity&#8217;s long evolutionary history, continue to influence modern relationships. From this perspective, the association between female breadwinning and relationship instability reflects enduring psychological predispositions rather than simply social norms. Perhaps this is why there <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/travis-kelce-taylor-swift-net-worths-compared-engagement">has been discussion</a> in the media about the fact that Taylor Swift is a billionaire and Travis Kelce a mere millionaire, even though at those stratospheric levels of wealth, it might appear irrelevant. Whether this explanation is correct remains a matter of debate, but these new findings suggest that the phenomenon of the greater instability of female-breadwinner couples is unlikely to disappear simply because societies become more gender egalitarian.
***
This is republished with permission from the <a href="https://ifstudies.org/">Institute for Family Studies</a>. The original can be found <a href="https://ifstudies.org/blog/female-breadwinner-couples-are-still-more-likely-to-split-up">here</a>.
Rosemary L. Hopcroft is Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is the author of Evolution and Gender: Why it matters for contemporary life (Routledge 2016), editor of The Oxford Handbook of Evolution, Biology, &amp; Society (Oxford, 2018), and author (with Martin Fieder and Susanne Huber) of Not So Weird After All: The Changing Relationship Between Status and Fertility (Routledge, 2024).

Composite photo collage of happy businesswoman smile run promotion aim chance success hold briefcase path isolated on painted background

Why More Money For Wives Can Mean Less Marriage

divorce

family studies

gender norms

In case you missed it, pop icon Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce “<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/video/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-wedding-just-married-message-appears-on-madison-square-garden-video-screen-266153029920">JUST&amp;T</a>” got married at Madison Square Garden. As we anxiously await further details, let’s take a New York minute to credit the woman who made this whole thing happen: her mom.
“You said something to the effect of, like, ‘You’ve gotta start doing something different,’” <a href="https://youtu.be/nMbTZFAkG6U?t=74">Taylor says</a> her mom Andrea Swift suggested in her pre-bridal era. After at least <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/taylor-swifts-high-profile-flames-2011163/">15 high-profile breakups</a> (and the hit songs to take the edge off), mom was right to suggest a pivot. And it seems she was right about Travis, too.
In the “mom knows best” move of the century, it was Andrea who first picked up on a potential match when she discovered “this guy” Travis had gone to one of Taylor’s shows, later coming out as a Swiftie on his “New Heights” podcast in July 2023. Andrea knew nothing about the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, so she called up her cousin Robin who was a diehard fan.  
“I go, ‘Tell me about this guy named Travis Kelce,’” <a href="https://people.com/taylor-swift-reveals-who-set-her-up-travis-kelce-11872998">Andrea says</a>. “She goes, ‘Oh my God, he is the nicest guy! And he really loves his mom.’ And I went, ‘Ding, ding, ding, ding.’” 
Taylor had always been a hard pass on sports dudes because she wasn’t an athlete herself. But she soon found common ground with someone who could also hold the attention of a stadium crowd for hours at a time. Mom liked how the first move Travis made toward her daughter involved passing a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it backstage, a gesture Taylor could relate to.
“Then I became obsessed with him and therefore became obsessed with learning about football,” <a href="https://people.com/taylor-swift-reveals-who-set-her-up-travis-kelce-11872998">Taylor remembered</a>. “Greatest surprise of my life.”
Their first date was in <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/taylor-swift-travis-kelces-love-story-timeline/travis-friendship-bracelet-tktk/">late 2023</a>. Nearly three years later, <a href="https://ew.com/taylor-swift-songs-lyrics-about-marriage-weddings-12009859">It’s a love story, baby, just say ‘yes</a>.’
Where would we be if mom hadn’t interrupted Taylor’s dysfunctional relationship cycle using everything she knows about her 30-something daughter? Probably just living the single-ish life at the pop star’s Rhode Island estate with her <a href="https://people.com/taylor-swift-fourth-of-july-party-epic-photos-11988563">#squad</a> of the summer. <a href="https://youtu.be/b1kbLwvqugk?t=48">It’s me, Hi, I’m the problem, it’s me</a> for the millionth year in a row.
Maybe timing is everything, but I’d like to make the case for mom-influenced matchmaking. Yes, I personally know a bunch of happily married couples who laugh about meeting on Tinder. But the original algorithm — your mom — might be the most reliable gauge of character and compatibility we have. It appears that having spot-on maternal instinct and eyes on the back of your head could save modern society.
We used to engage in this style of conscious coupling back in <a href="https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/Holiday07/court.cfm">colonial America</a> when relationships weren’t about feelings and love. Instead, marriages were set up by families for the purpose of survival, whether it be for financial or lineage-based reasons. To be honest, eliminating “U up?” texts and unsolicited NSFW pics from dating sounds nice. Just give me a few sturdy logs, a couple sheep, and a sixpence and call me wifey. 
One of the most fascinating elements to contractual marriage is how these relationships can blossom into the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-of-love/201208/arranged-vs-love-based-marriages-in-the-us-how-different-are-they">love of someone’s life</a>, even in the mid-2020s. Converting total strangers to lovers, outsourced pairings can produce deep dedication, genuine contentment, and happiness. With all that community support, families pool resources to get out of poverty and preserve cultural traditions. The biggest perk is that it’s all <a href="https://worldmetrics.org/arranged-marriage-statistics/">less likely to end in divorce</a>. Isn’t this what we’ve been looking for?
Despite the fact that arranged marriage feels situationship-y for modern times, somewhere along the line, we left mom out of the equation and decided we’re better off infinitely swiping left and complaining to ChatGPT that all the good ones are taken. Let that sink in. Guys, I’m a woman, I do what I want, and I’ve seen enough rom-coms to know I deserve to be shot in the heart with true love and fall head over heels for an LA 10 who just sold his billion-dollar tech company, has shredded abs and charming wit, rescues dogs, loves his family, can fix anything, plays “Jolene” on guitar, and has a heart of gold. 
If my parents had set me up, I might be living down the street, married to “Steve” from that thing (names and careers have been changed to protect the innocent). But maybe then I wouldn’t have spent all those years trying to love future ex-boyfriends into loving me back (a story for another time, over drinks). 
The thought of having no say in choosing my forever person reminds me of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxO1zuoQtyA">Married At First Sight.</a>” On the reality show, sex therapists and psychologists rigorously match couples with partners they’ll meet for the first time at the altar. Terrifying. But <a href="https://www.mylifetime.com/shows/married-at-first-sight/pages/which-married-at-first-sight-couples-are-still-together">Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner</a> from season one in 2014 are still happily hitched. And that’s after Jamie cried at first sight because she was so unattracted to Doug. 
As “Millionaire Matchmaker” host Patti Stanger told generations of failed daters, our “<a href="https://1982.substack.com/p/how-the-broken-picker-hurt-single">picker</a>” is broken. If you go for unavailable bad boys or overscheduled Pilates Barbies, this may be true for you. So maybe it’s time to let mom do the choosing. Even if it all works out, you’re not obliged to tell her she was right. (She already knows she is.)
The average celebrity marriage lasts just over <a href="https://www.divorcesolicitors.com/celebrity-marriages-last-just-7-4-years-on-average/">seven years</a>, compared to a normie couple’s typical three decades of wedded bliss. Famous <a href="https://marriagefoundation.org.uk/research/celebrity-divorce-first-and-second-marriages/">musicians are most likely to call it quits</a>, with professional athletes faring a little better. Only time will tell if Travis and Taylor are in it for the long haul, but for the moment, the future looks glamorous (as long as no one trips over that reported <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/nfl/news/taylor-swift-forces-travis-to-sign-a-40-page-prenuptial-agreement-viral-prenup-claim-involving-a-20-million-infidelity-clause-sets-social-media-ablaze/articleshow/132208164.cms">$20 million infidelity clause</a>). Still reeling from the festivities, Travis’ mom <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1433566/taylor-swift-travis-kelces-wedding-donna-kelce-speaks-out">Donna Kelce</a> called the wedding “magical, man, magical.”
“I write songs about love constantly, so I love the idea of it,” <a href="https://youtu.be/nMbTZFAkG6U?t=105">Taylor</a> said of a real-life commitment. “We’ll see how I end up doing with the actual thing.” Whatever happens, we already preordered the album about it.
***
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards – Show

The Original Matchmaker Still Beats Tinder. Taylor Swift Just Proved It.

upstream

Wedding

Conservative NFL kicker Harrison Butker was reportedly the only Kansas City Chiefs teammate denied an invitation to Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift&#8217;s massive New York City wedding.
Despite being teammates with Kelce since 2017, Butker did not make the guest list of approximately 1,000 people, an NFL source told the Daily Mail. It&#8217;s believed that every other player on the team received an invite, the report noted.
Butker made journalists&#8217; heads spin two years ago when he praised stay-at-home mothers during a commencement speech at Kansas City&#8217;s Benedictine College, a Catholic school.
&#8220;How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career?&#8221; Butker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chiefs-star-chris-jones-defends-harrison-butker-amid-backlash-and-hes-not-alone">said</a> during the commencement speech. &#8220;Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world. But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
“It cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker,” he added.
It&#8217;s unclear, however, if Butker&#8217;s remarks had anything to do with the apparent wedding invitation snub. Following the controversy, Kelce actually spoke highly of his kicker, though he said he disagrees with Butker&#8217;s views.
&#8220;I cherish him as a teammate,&#8221; Kelce said. &#8220;He&#8217;s treated friends and family that I&#8217;ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness.&#8221;
&#8220;When it comes down to his views &#8230; those are his,&#8221; the three-time Super Bowl champ added. &#8220;I can&#8217;t say I agree with the majority of it, or just about any of it, outside of just him loving his family and his kids.&#8221;
Kelce and Swift tied the knot on Friday at Madison Square Garden. As noted by The Daily Wire, comedian Adam Sandler served as the officiant at the wedding. Kelce bonded with Sandler while filming “Happy Gilmore 2.”
“The bride and groom’s wedding ceremony looks have been created by Christian Dior Haute Couture,” Swift’s team said in a statement. “Their shoes were custom made by Christian Louboutin and the bride wore Cartier jewelry.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-renewal-starts-at-the-altar?author=Lois+McLatchie+Miller&amp;category=Upstream&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=8&amp;rowHeadline=New+on+Upstream&amp;rowType=Article+Carousel&amp;title=American+Renewal+Starts+At+The+Altar">American Renewal Starts At The Altar</a>

GettyImages-2277904608

Conservative Chiefs Kicker Reportedly Snubbed From Travis And Taylor’s Wedding

Celebrities

Harrison Butker

Kansas City Chiefs

sports

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wed Friday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, putting to bed weeks of rumors with star-studded nuptials in the heart of New York City.
The singer and Kansas City Chiefs star tied the knot in front of 1,000 guests, according to People Magazine. The &#8220;Blank Space&#8221; singer and three-time Super Bowl champion were married by comedian Adam Sandler, with whom Kelce bonded while filming the former&#8217;s movie &#8220;Happy Gilmore 2.&#8221; Following the ceremony, the jumbotrons outside the venue displayed the message: &#8220;JUST&amp;T MARRIED!&#8221;
For weeks leading up to the ceremony, rumors swirled about the lavish affair, pictures of which have yet to be released. Swift&#8217;s team <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/save-the-date-rumors-swirl-around-taylor-swifts-highly-anticipated-wedding">filed permits</a> to close the streets around the arena in the days prior to the ceremony, during which time photos showed truckloads of food and decorations being unloaded into the iconic arena.
&#8220;The bride and groom’s wedding ceremony looks have been created by Christian Dior Haute Couture,&#8221; Swift&#8217;s team said in a statement. &#8220;Their shoes were custom made by Christian Louboutin and the bride wore Cartier jewelry.&#8221;
The statement also confirmed that &#8220;Taylor &amp; Travis did not have bridesmaids or groomsmen.&#8221; Swift&#8217;s brother, Austin, served as the singer&#8217;s &#8220;Man of Honor,&#8221; while Jason Kelce — formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles — served as his brother&#8217;s best man.
Swift and Kelce announced their engagement last summer via a joint Instagram post captioned “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” The pair met after Kelce attended Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Kansas City in 2023 and tried to give her a personalized friendship bracelet — the singer&#8217;s hallmark — with his phone number, but wasn’t able to reach her. Kelce later recalled the story on a podcast, which led to the celebrities getting together.
Madison Square Garden was transformed for Friday&#8217;s ceremony, with sources close to the situation telling People they had &#8220;never seen&#8221; the venue &#8220;look so different.&#8221; The wedding decor reportedly included a castle, and Swift was reported to have performed at the ceremony. Swift and Kelce reportedly donated $26 million to charity to mark the occasion of their nuptials. Recipients included Feeding America, the ASPCA, and Dolly Parton&#8217;s Imagination Library.
Swift and Kelce hosted a welcome reception at the Garden on Thursday night for A-list guests, most of whom returned for the main event on Friday. Celebrities spotted entering the Garden or reported to attend included actors Bradley Cooper, Dakota Johnson, and Lena Dunham; late-night host Jimmy Fallon; model Karlie Kloss and her husband, Josh Kushner; and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger.
The crowd also included a host of country music stars, including Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, The Chicks, and Brad Paisley.
Notably absent from the ceremony were &#8220;Gossip Girl&#8221; star Blake Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. It&#8217;s unclear what caused a rift between Lively and Swift, longtime close friends, though it seems downstream of Lively&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hollywoods-biggest-legal-feud-collapses-after-millions-wasted-on-lawyers?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Hollywood%E2%80%99s+Biggest+Legal+Feud+Collapses+After+%E2%80%98Millions%E2%80%99+Wasted+On+Lawyers">contentious legal battle</a> with &#8220;It Ends With Us&#8221; co-star and director Justin Baldoni.
&#8220;It wasn’t one big thing, it was everything adding up,&#8221; a source close to Swift <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/07/03/entertainment/blake-lively-and-ryan-reynolds-shut-out-of-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-msg-wedding/">told Page Six</a> about the rift. &#8220;By the time Taylor was making decisions about the wedding and who she wanted there, she realized she just didn’t want that kind of energy around something so important and it really was a turning point for her.”

New York Knicks v Cleveland Cavaliers – Game Three

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Tie The Knot In Star-Studded NYC Ceremony

Blake Lively

country music

Jason Kelce

Madison Square Garden

new york city

It appears more likely by the day that pop singer Taylor Swift’s upcoming wedding to her NFL star beau, Travis Kelce, will take place this weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Just as many followers are convinced that the rumors are nothing more than an elaborate distraction, however, as they can’t imagine someone like Swift choosing such a commercial space in the middle of a major city to tie the knot.
Sources <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/01/business/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-wedding-madison-square-garden-cost">told</a> CNN earlier this week that MSG is set to host two events related to Swift’s wedding this week, including a rehearsal on Thursday and a big party for 1,000 people on Friday. There have also been reports that Swift’s camp filed a permit to close the streets in the immediate vicinity, which inspired backlash due to the timing. Some people argue it would be selfish of Swift to be hosting the event at MSG at the same time as America’s 250th birthday celebration. 
The permits were allegedly filed to close portions of West 31 St. and West 33 St. for the two days of events, ABC News <a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/2-day-taylor-swifttravis-kelce-wedding-planned-madison-square-garden-nyc-1000-guests-expected-abc-sources-say/19422243/">reported</a>. Those streets will reportedly be closed to both vehicles and pedestrians.
Fans are saying Swift chose Madison Square Garden over a more traditional venue because it was more protected from prying eyes. There have been rumors ever since the couple announced their engagement in August 2025, with the most likely option being a coastal wedding in Rhode Island. But that would add challenges about securing a perimeter, a feat which is possible at a venue like MSG.
A June 18 report from TMZ <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/06/18/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-scrapped-rhode-island-wedding-party/">said</a> that Swift and Kelce &#8220;bailed&#8221; on their Rhode Island ceremony &#8220;after word got out about the venue.&#8221;
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed rumors of the upcoming nuptials at a June 30 press conference. &#8220;My recommendation to all New Yorkers is to stay inside and stay cool,&#8221; Mamdani <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2026/06/30/taylor-swift-wedding-msg-zohran-mamdani-heat/90758958007/">said</a> when asked about the rumored wedding and street closures. &#8220;And if you happen to be getting married at Madison Square Garden, you will be staying inside and you will be staying cool.&#8221;
Neither Swift nor Kelce has confirmed their wedding date or venue, but there are signs of activity outside Madison Square Garden, including trucks arriving with deliveries that could point to a private event.
The famous couple announced their engagement last summer via a joint Instagram post, which included the caption, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
They met following a missed connection. Kelce attended Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Kansas City in 2023 and tried to give her a personalized friendship bracelet with his phone number, but he wasn&#8217;t able to reach her. He later told the story on “New Heights,” which led to the pair meeting and a romance developing.
Neither Swift nor Kelce has been married before. Previously, the pop star dated Joe Alwyn for six years, but kept their relationship mostly private.

Swift and Kelce

Save The Date? Rumors Swirl Around Taylor Swift’s Highly Anticipated Wedding

Taylor Swift is officially off the market, and it’s no coincidence that America’s most beloved pop star didn’t say yes to another brooding actor, a melodramatic musician, or even some tortured poet. She ended up engaged to 6-foot-5, 250-pound Travis Kelce, a Super Bowl champ with a well-groomed mustache and a macho swagger. 
In other words, after years of dating men typically referred to as artsy “soy boys,” Swift said yes to the quintessential jock.
Swift may be an unapologetic lib, and Kelce may have shilled for Pfizer during the COVID pandemic, but this celebrity pairing actually bodes well for conservatives. Someone with her massive cultural influence over women is bound to start trends, and thanks to this latest development, old-school proposals and traditional marriage might be officially back in style. It’s only a matter of time before wedding-themed earworms start taking over the airwaves. 
Photos of the staged proposal were straight out of Swift&#8217;s wildest dreams. Kelce got down on one knee in a sun-dappled garden. The pop star is wearing a sundress and a soft smile. Swift posted a photo of the ring alongside the caption, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” 
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For this particular Hollywood love story, there was no girl bossing, no modern twists, no glorification of living in sin forever. This viral moment had everyone swooning because it was – gasp! – traditional. That makes it a cultural win for conservatives, even if the main characters are leftists through and through.
And there’s something very significant about the man Swift chose to spend forever with. This wasn’t a petulant man-child or anti-hero with a guitar and endless pathos. This is a bruising, six-foot-five athlete who knows how to win and isn’t afraid to go after what he wants.
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Kelce took the lead from the very outset of their relationship. In 2023, during Swift’s Kansas City tour stop, he confessed on his “New Heights” podcast that he tried to give her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it. When she didn’t get it, he joked about being “butt-hurt.”
Swift later said she thought his attempt was “metal as hell.” The nation’s biggest pop star admitted that confidence and directness are attractive. In an age when men are told to be sensitive, to cry, to ask permission before winking at a woman or sending a DM, Kelce came in strong with a solid attempt without any creepy overture. That’s the difference between being a man who leads and a boy who cries about not getting his way.
In so many ways, this isn’t just another celebrity love story. It’s a reminder of something our culture has tried to forget: women are biologically wired to be drawn to strength, confidence, and dominance. For centuries, and across cultures, overtly masculine traits like physical strength and the ability to protect and provide have been considered signs of a good partnership for women. These days, it&#8217;s written off as dated, old-fashioned, or, worse, &#8220;toxic.&#8221; But Swift’s decision to commit to Kelce speaks to the truth of women’s attraction to certain types of men on a deeper level.
Women are naturally drawn to a strong jawline, a muscular build, and height as cues of sound genetic fitness. This hasn’t changed for much of human history, despite so many current attempts to downplay it. 
It’s easy to see the difference when comparing her romance with Kelce to Swift’s ex-lovers. The “Shake It Off” singer has famously dated a lineup of artsy men, including indie actors and sensitive musicians who made more appearances in her lyrics than they did in the spotlight. This may have been a boon for fans craving the next great breakup song, but it wasn’t ideal for Swift herself. 
Joe Jonas. Jake Gyllenhaal. Lucas Till. John Mayer. Harry Styles. Joe Alwyn. Swift’s list of exes sounds like a who’s who list in the tortured soul competition she knows all too well. 
Kelce also doesn&#8217;t appear threatened by Swift’s fame or popularity. As a professional athlete, he&#8217;s accustomed to playing for tens of thousands of fans on any given Sunday. And even if Swift is on a different level in terms of fame and notoriety, so far, he hasn’t appeared fazed by the newfound attention. The NFL star seems smitten, just like the rest of her fans. 
Underneath all the glitz and glamour, this story is simple. Taylor Swift, the most successful female artist of her generation, chose strength. She chose a man who could protect, provide, and lead. She chose someone who isn’t afraid of pressure. 
That’s not an accident. It’s not a coincidence. It’s biology at work. Real men, whether they’re referred to as jocks, providers, or alphas, are usually winners because they&#8217;re wired for it. Feminists can whine about &#8220;toxic masculinity,&#8221; but human nature is what it is. Women like Swift, at their core, seek strength that complements their own. As she sings in &#8220;So High School,&#8221; a song inspired by Kelce, &#8220;You know how to ball, I know Aristotle.&#8221; 
It&#8217;s poetic. After so many artsy flings with overly sensitive men, she&#8217;s going home with the jock. Ladies, take note: nature always wins.

Kelce and Swift

No More Tortured Poets: Taylor Swift Picked The Quintessential Jock

No More Tortured Poets: Taylor Swift Picked The Gym Teacher

entertainment

masculinity

romance

swifties

In our household, we lean more Carrie Underwood than Taylor Swift. It’s nothing personal — though, I’ll admit, it sometimes feels personal when celebrities use their platforms not only to sing but also to lecture half the country. Taylor Swift has been explicit in her support of President Biden and left-leaning causes. Travis Kelce, for his part, was the face of a national campaign telling Americans to roll up their sleeves and get the COVID shot. So, let’s be clear from the outset: their politics aren’t mine, and their cultural influence often points in the opposite direction of what I want for my family and this country.
And yet, here we are — celebrating their engagement. And celebrating is exactly the right word.
Because while my ideological Venn diagram doesn’t perfectly overlap with “Swiftie Nation” or its new hubby, there is one place where the circles meet in the middle: the enduring institution of marriage. Two people at the absolute height of their careers, perhaps the most famous singer and the greatest tight end to ever wear an NFL uniform, have chosen to stop, look each other in the eye, and say: “This is the person I want to commit my life to.” That is worth applauding.
Swift commands more than 280 million followers on Instagram alone. Kelce has over seven million. Combine their reach, and you have a cultural juggernaut — bigger than most cable networks.
Young people study their lives like Scripture. So, when two such figures choose marriage — not another “situationship,” not cohabitation without vows, not endless serial dating, but marriage — they are broadcasting a message stronger than any new single or touchdown dance: love is worth binding. Commitment is worth celebrating.
That matters in a culture where marriage is often delayed, derided, or dismissed altogether. Divorce rates may be down, but so too are marriage rates, with many young people opting out of family life altogether. Celebrities, more often than not, model instability rather than stability. Swift and Kelce choosing marriage provides an image of permanence at a time when our culture too often glorifies impermanence.
Make no mistake: this isn’t an argument that either of them has suddenly found their inner Ronald Reagan. I’m not suggesting Taylor Swift is about to record a country ballad praising the Second Amendment or that Travis Kelce will do the Trump dance after his next touchdown. Their politics are what they are. But we conservatives don’t need to agree with someone on everything to recognize when they’ve taken a step toward timeless truth.
Marriage is older than the United States. It predates kings, constitutions, and pop charts. It is the bedrock of civilization. Even when cultural elites mock or minimize it, they cannot erase the reality: when a man and woman bind themselves together in marriage, they are creating the most time-tested foundation for family and community that the world has ever known.
That’s why this engagement — between two people we wouldn’t consider political allies — is so instructive. It reminds us that truth has a stubborn way of showing up in places we least expect it. It reminds us that marriage is attractive even to those who don’t share our worldview. And it reminds us that conservatives should not be shy in celebrating when culture, however briefly, affirms what we’ve known all along.
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Taylor Swift has sung about breakups for nearly two decades. Now she’s signaling something far more meaningful than another heartbreak anthem. Travis Kelce has been praised for toughness on the field; now he’s showing a different kind of courage off of it — the courage to commit. For young people watching — and let’s be honest, tens of millions of them are — this story has the potential to shift the narrative. Instead of “just keep swiping,” the message becomes: “choose one, and choose forever.”
There’s a deeper point here for conservatives. Too often, we — myself included — reduce culture to a scoreboard of “us versus them.” Who endorsed Biden? Who took a knee? Who did the Bud Light ad? That matters, yes. Ideas have consequences, and politics shapes the future. But not everything has to be reduced to the partisan trenches. Sometimes, culture reminds us that God’s design still resonates even when people don’t recognize it as His design.
Marriage is one of those reminders.
So no, I don’t expect Taylor Swift to headline CPAC anytime soon. And no, I don’t expect Travis Kelce to start quoting C.S. Lewis in the locker room. But I do expect that their engagement will make some young people pause and reconsider the script they’ve been fed — that career comes first, that love is temporary, that vows are outdated. Seeing the most famous woman on the planet say yes to marriage — and seeing one of the NFL’s biggest stars embrace that same choice — undercuts the lie that commitment is uncool.
We don’t have to be Swifties to be happy for them. We don’t have to endorse their politics to endorse their vows. In fact, it is precisely because we disagree with them on so much that celebrating this moment becomes even more powerful. It shows that conservatives can recognize and affirm the good, even in those who don’t see the world as we do.
And maybe — just maybe — Swift and Kelce will discover that the overlap between their world and ours is bigger than they think.
For now, let’s give them this: congratulations. Marriage is still worth singing about.
* * *
Gates Garcia is the host of the YouTube show and podcast “We The People.” Follow him on Instagram and X @GatesGarciaFL.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

2025 Stanley Cup Final – Game Four

Love Wins: Even When We Don’t Vote The Same

Conservatives

dating

gen z

Liberals

It&#8217;s rare that we have news so big, so incredibly important, that it trumps not only all the other news of the day, but all the other news of the year, the decade, the century, nay, perhaps the millennium.
Yes, it&#8217;s finally happened. The most important event of our lifetime: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged.
I know. I, too, am flabbergasted. Shocked. I am also ecstatic.
Yesterday was a magical day in the history of the United States and perhaps all of Western civilization.
Listen, I will admit when I&#8217;m wrong. Two years ago, when these two lovebirds began their relationship, I thought this was just another one of Taylor Swift’s relationships that would end with a breakup album in which she sang like a 17-year-old about how sad she was that she&#8217;d been rejected, but don&#8217;t worry, she don&#8217;t need no man.
But she does need a man — and that man is Travis Kelce.
I have to say, unironically, I think it&#8217;s great. I hope they have a wonderful marriage. I hope they have lots of kids. I hope she sings lots of songs about being married and having kids, and all those songs are better than her normal songs.
That&#8217;s what I hope for her, because I think that would be a very good thing for the West, for America, for young women particularly — who have been taught for generations that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle, and that romance is somehow a giveaway to patriarchal institutions.
A core component of human happiness has always been finding a member of the opposite sex, marrying them, having babies with said member of the opposite sex, and enjoying a long-lasting relationship built on love and mutual commitment. That is a very good thing.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2268-bombshell-taylor-swift-engaged-plus-other-stuff-happens-but-nobody-cares?elementPosition=3&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
According to <a href="https://variety.com/2025/music/news/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engaged-1236135520/">Variety</a>, “The couple shared the big news on Instagram with a carousel of photos and the caption, ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.’” 
Forget the whole idea that Taylor Swift would be a great English teacher; the pictures are quite charming and quite normal, and I&#8217;m here for it. The normie revolution is happening.
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Sure, she&#8217;s a billionaire, and he is a multimillionaire athlete, and that is a very, very large ring. That is some serious jewelry. They can afford it.
But you know what? Good for them. It&#8217;s charming and it is good.
I hope that many other people take advantage of the situation to get married and follow in their footsteps, and then have long-lasting, decades-long marriages filled with children and grandchildren. 
This is culturally significant because over the course of the last few decades, there has been a rebellion against normality, against the very idea that men and women ought to get married to one another.
Instead, the idea that was purveyed was that any decisions that men and women made with regard to relationships were equally praiseworthy, and equally useful, and equally likely to lead to happiness.
It’s not true. Tacitly, the reason people are celebrating this marriage is that singledom is not ideal. It is not, in fact, a wonderful, happy existence.
That doesn&#8217;t mean you have to be miserable if you&#8217;re single. What it does mean is that aspiring to be married, to be part of a happy marriage, is a wonderful thing. It&#8217;s an aspiration that is natural to the human heart.
And that is why people are happy for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. The idea that a traditional romance between the high school cheerleader and the high school quarterback is a platonic ideal in America is because that is the basis of the forwarding of civilization.
Marriage is the fundamental, bedrock institution of all successful civilizations. That&#8217;s good.
This is tacitly a cultural rejection of the idea that the actual ideal is non-marriage, that the actual ideal is prancing around like Madonna in your 70s, being a faded pop star, and trying to convince everyone that you are super-duper happy waking up drunk in the mornings by yourself in a five-star hotel.
These images of Swift and Kelce are great. They&#8217;re wonderful. They&#8217;re good for the world.
Perhaps we’ll get a Taylor Swift baby boom. That would be an excellent development for Western Civilization.
What&#8217;s going to be fascinating is to see what comes next for Taylor Swift, aesthetically and musically. We made fun of her album cover a couple of weeks ago on the program, a very kind of over-sexualized album cover, and pointed out that she&#8217;s been getting more and more sexual on her album covers.
It&#8217;s going to be hard to do that when you&#8217;re married and you presumably go on to have kids; it won’t have quite the same sort of resonance.
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So what&#8217;s going to happen to Taylor Swift?
Taylor Swift is amazing at marketing herself. But pop music is a teenager’s medium. It is a medium made for teenage girls and people who have a prolonged adolescence in their mid-twenties.
Pop music is based on certain tropes; being brokenhearted about your latest breakup, being messed up about your latest breakup, or something else about your latest breakup. All pop music is basically rooted in sexual lust in terms of its lyrics and or emotional problems. That&#8217;s what pop music is about, which is why people age out of it. The minute that women stop being sexually alluring, it&#8217;s very difficult for them to be successful in the pop world.
Women age out of that in the pop world pretty quickly. Katy Perry, who is five years older than Swift, is the butt of enormous mockery online for her latest tour. She&#8217;s considered to be too old for the game.
I would not be shocked if Taylor Swift&#8217;s next album moves back toward country music. It&#8217;ll be fascinating to watch.
But again, my great hope here is that an entire generation of young people — particularly young women who have been told by the feminist movement and by pop stars like Taylor Swift that relationships are bound to fail and thus they should act with teenage angst — start to mature, along with Taylor Swift.
That would be amazing.

Instagram: Taylor Swift and Killatrav

Bombshell: Taylor Swift Engaged

Ben Shapiro

music

Pop star Taylor Swift and NFL player Travis Kelce have announced their engagement after two years of dating.
Swift, 35, confirmed the news via a joint Instagram post, which included the caption, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” She had comments turned off, but within 15 minutes, the post had racked up two million likes from Swift’s 280 million followers on the platform.
The photo carousel includes photos of Kelce down on one knee in front of Swift, plus a close-up of her engagement ring. There are more images of the couple posing together in a flower-filled garden.
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Fans have been speculating for months whether an engagement was imminent. Recently, the “Shake It Off” singer made a rare appearance on the “New Heights” sports podcast, which is hosted by Travis and his brother, Jason Kelce. Travis is currently the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Jason retired in 2024 after playing center for 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles.
During the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taylor-swift-pokes-fun-at-male-sports-fans-sick-of-seeing-her?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Taylor+Swift+Pokes+Fun+At+%E2%80%98Male+Sports+Fans%E2%80%99+Sick+Of+Seeing+Her">appearance</a>, Swift poked fun at herself and the backlash she’s gotten from sports fans sick of seeing her featured during football games.
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“You guys have a lot of male sports fans that listen to your podcast. And I think we all know that if there’s one thing that male sports fans want to see in their spaces and on their screens, it’s more of me,” Swift said during the episode.
Entertainment outlets such as Page Six have been reporting for weeks that the pair was about to get engaged as insiders confirmed Kelce was ring shopping and had asked Swift’s father for permission to propose.
The couple met following a missed connection. Kelce attended Swift&#8217;s Eras Tour concert in Kansas City in 2023 and tried to give her a personalized friendship bracelet with his phone number, but security denied him access. He later told the story on “New Heights,” which led to the pair meeting and a romance developing.
Neither Swift nor Kelce have been married before. Previously, the pop star dated Joe Alwyn for six years, but kept their relationship mostly private.

Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Announce Engagement After Two Years Of Dating

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