By Frank Yemi,Joe Scarnici

Copyright inquisitr

Kayla Nicole would very much like to be excluded from this storyline. The sports reporter and influencer, who dated Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on and off for five years before their 2022 breakup, hit the red carpet at New York Fashion Week and got the question everyone knew was coming: any comment on Kelce’s engagement to Taylor Swift? Her answer was four words that said plenty. “Oh, no, no, no.”

The exchange went down at the House of Champion event in Manhattan, where Nicole kept things poised when a reporter tried to rope her into the Swift–Kelce frenzy. Rather than dish, she steered the conversation back to the party and her own projects.

She did confirm she is single and, when pressed, rattled off what she is actually looking for in a partner. “I love a very honest man,” she said, adding that character, spontaneity, a strong family bond, and even having “really good girlfriends” are on the list. “The list is long!”

How Kayla Nicole awkwardly ducked Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift engagement question on red carpet https://t.co/sWUgkvkCQm pic.twitter.com/bzJPwWdFdn
— New York Post (@nypost) September 12, 2025

Nicole’s sidestep comes two weeks after Swift and Kelce announced their engagement on August 26, a reveal that detonated across the internet in record time. Hours after the news broke, Nicole posted a telling Instagram Story that focused on choosing joy. She reshared a clip of Tracee Ellis Ross talking about the difference between happiness and joy, and wrote that she first read about the concept in the book Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough. It was a subtle message that lined up neatly with her current vibe.

That theme continued when Nicole stepped out for Fashion Week. In an interview about her first major appearance since the engagement, she spoke about “controlling the narrative” and not letting online noise run her day-to-day. She has been candid that public breakups can be brutal, and she is trying to keep her peace intact while everyone else plays armchair quarterback with her love life.

Kayla Nicole Speaks Out About Online Hate and How She’s Taken ‘Control of the Narrative’ This Past Year (Exclusive) https://t.co/m7yNZbZZwk
— People (@people) September 12, 2025

If her four-word response sounded firm, there is history behind it. Earlier this year, Nicole revisited the emotional toll of the split and the constant comparisons to Swift during her stint on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. “Going through a public breakup, just to be frank, it’s been overwhelming,” she said on the series, describing social media as a “battlefield” where even a post about blue skies draws comments about her ex. She admitted she is still figuring out how to deal with the nonstop side-by-sides.

Travis Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole, shared on a podcast episode that she is “triggered” by her past and wants to “clear her name,” not re-hash things. https://t.co/earXu6dVHB pic.twitter.com/3Q0jo5wIga
— VIBE Magazine (@VibeMagazine) September 9, 2025

Translation, she is protecting her sanity. And on a night meant for fashion and fun, she was not about to become a soundbite in someone else’s engagement narrative. The House of Champion carpet might have supplied the question, but Nicole supplied the boundary. A polite no, repeated three times, and then a pivot back to her own lane.

For fans hoping for fireworks, the takeaway is simpler. Kayla Nicole is single by choice, focused on joy over drama, and not here to provide color commentary on Taylor and Travis. She is curating her circle, building her brand, and keeping the spotlight where she wants it. The Swifties and NFL faithful can celebrate their power couple. Nicole has already told you exactly where she stands.