Listen to the article
NFL Commentator Romo Admits Taylor Swift “Wife” Remark Was Intentional
NFL on CBS commentator Tony Romo has revealed that his widely-discussed on-air reference to Taylor Swift as Travis Kelce’s “wife” in late 2023 was not a mistake but a deliberate comment meant to stir speculation among fans.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s “The Morning Mash Up,” the 45-year-old former quarterback addressed the incident that occurred nearly three years before the couple’s actual engagement in August 2025.
“I was like, ‘And there’s,’ I think I said, ‘His wife.’ I did that on purpose and people were like, ‘Do you know something?'” Romo explained during the interview. “I was like, ‘Nah, I just wanted to make you guys think for a second.’ Just mess with you a little bit.”
The initial comment came during a Kansas City Chiefs game against the Buffalo Bills on December 10, 2023, at the height of public fascination with the relationship between the pop superstar and the Chiefs tight end. Romo doubled down a week later during Kansas City’s matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, again referring to Swift as “Kelce’s wife” before quickly correcting himself with, “Er, I’m sorry. Girlfriend!”
The couple, who began dating in 2023, ultimately announced their engagement on August 26, 2025, with a playful Instagram post captioned, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” The announcement came more than a year and a half after Romo’s premature matrimonial references.
Romo’s comments about Swift and Kelce are part of a pattern of unusual broadcasting moments that have drawn criticism from viewers and media analysts. Throughout recent NFL playoff coverage, the commentator has faced backlash for various on-air missteps, including confusing quarterbacks Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, making strange vocal sounds during a Bills-Jaguars broadcast, and misidentifying game situations.
Despite growing criticism of Romo’s commentary style, CBS appears to be firmly supporting their lead analyst. According to a recent report from Front Office Sports, network executives view the criticism as part of “a slanted media narrative” and are “seething” at the backlash. The report indicates that Romo has received no negative feedback from CBS leadership, including network president David Berson, regarding his performance.
The Swift-Kelce relationship has become one of the most high-profile celebrity pairings in recent years, generating significant attention for NFL broadcasts. Swift’s regular appearances at Chiefs games throughout the 2023 and subsequent seasons helped the NFL reach new audiences, particularly among younger female viewers who might not otherwise watch football.
For Romo, who joined CBS in 2017 after retiring from a 14-season NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, the revelation about his intentional “wife” comment provides context to what many viewers initially perceived as an awkward slip of the tongue. His candid admission highlights the sometimes playful nature of sports broadcasting, where commentators occasionally attempt to engage viewers through speculation or humor.
As Swift and Kelce prepare for their upcoming nuptials, Romo’s early matrimonial reference now stands as an unusual footnote in the timeline of one of entertainment’s most-followed relationships—an intentional comment that unexpectedly foreshadowed the couple’s actual engagement nearly two years later.
Fact Checker
Verify the accuracy of this article using The Disinformation Commission analysis and real-time sources.
12 Comments
While Romo’s comments were likely just meant to be playful, I can understand why some might see them as irresponsible. Commentators do need to be careful about how they handle celebrity relationships, even in jest.
At the end of the day, Romo was probably just trying to keep things entertaining for the audience. As long as he didn’t have any inside information, his comments seem more like lighthearted teasing than anything malicious.
It’s understandable why Romo would want to create a bit of buzz around the high-profile relationship between Kelce and Swift. As a commentator, keeping people interested in the game is part of the job.
I imagine Romo got a kick out of seeing fans speculate about whether he knew something they didn’t. Harmless fun, in my view.
Romo’s comments about Kelce and Swift’s relationship seem like they were intended to be a bit of fun and games. As a commentator, he’s probably always looking for ways to keep the audience engaged and interested.
It will be interesting to see if Romo’s comments have any lasting impact on how the public views Kelce and Swift’s relationship. Hopefully it was just harmless speculation on Romo’s part.
It’s interesting to see a sports commentator trying to stir up interest and speculation around a high-profile celebrity relationship. Romo was probably just trying to keep things entertaining for the audience.
While Romo’s comments were likely just playful, I hope he didn’t cross any ethical lines as a professional commentator. Spreading unconfirmed relationship rumors, even in jest, could be seen as irresponsible.
While Romo’s comments were clearly meant to be playful, I hope he didn’t cross any ethical lines as a commentator. Spreading unconfirmed relationship rumors could be seen as irresponsible, even if it was in jest.
As long as Romo didn’t have any inside information, his comments seem more like lighthearted teasing than anything malicious. But commentators do need to be careful about how they handle celebrity relationships.
Romo’s comments about Kelce and Swift’s relationship seem to have been intentional, not a mistake. It’s interesting to see public figures playfully stir up speculation like that.
I wonder if Romo was just having a bit of fun with the viewers or if there was some deeper motive behind his comments.