Travis Kelce’s Ex, Kayla Nicole, Shut Down A Rumor That They Broke Up Because He Was “Cheap” And Would Make Her Split Bills “50/50”
Before dating Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce was in a five-year relationship with sports broadcaster Kayla Nicole.
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In case you need context, Travis and Kayla started dating in 2017 and broke up numerous times — first in 2020 and again in 2022.
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Amid their 2022 breakup, Barstool Sports reported an unfounded rumor that the pair parted ways over financial disputes, alleging that Travis was “cheap” and made Kayla “split every bill” throughout their relationship.
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The rumor picked up traction online, and in January 2023, Travis addressed the chatter during an episode of The Pivot podcast, telling fans: “Don’t buy into that shit.”
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“She had a very financially stable life and what she was doing in her career,” he said at the time. “But you’ve got to be crazy if you’d think I 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,” he went on. “A hundred dollars here, a hundred dollars there wasn’t even thought about… Absolutely ridiculous.”
And now, Kayla has addressed the rumor about Travis’s alleged stinginess, clarifying that finances were never an issue between them.
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On the Oct. 10 episode of the Unapologetically Angel podcast, host Angel Reese brought up the rumor that Kayla broke up with Travis because he made her split bills “50/50.”
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“Remember they were saying that you said he was cheap?” the WNBA player asked. “What was the tea on that?”
In response, Kayla shut down the “ridiculous” claim: “Do I look like anybody that would split anything? This is the question. Do I look like I would go 50/50 on bills?”
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Reminding fans that Travis previously debunked the speculation himself, she continued: “I don’t even know why that even became a thing. That was never an issue in our relationship, but it was definitely a rumor on the internet.”
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Regardless of her views on splitting bills, Kayla acknowledged that finances in relationships differ, saying: “To each his own.”
“If people like to split their bills with their man, I think that’s what you should do. I don’t do that,” she said.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Kayla emphasized the importance of independence while giving advice about dating professional athletes.
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“Always have your own,” she began. “Not even just your own money, but like, your own career, your own goals, your own aspirations, because it’s really easy to get caught up in their dream and their vision for their life.”
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“Something that I had to learn early on was like, your relationship could be over tomorrow, and what do you have?” she added. “And when I had that ‘ah-ha’ moment, I got my shit together so quick.”
