Travis Kelce has a clear reason for missing the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.
The 36-year-old NFL star will be unable to cheer on his wife, Taylor Swift, because the Kansas City Chiefs are scheduled to face the Miami Dolphins at Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium.
Swift, also 36, is set to attend the ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater.
The “Bad Blood” singer leads the night with 11 nominations and is also slated to receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors.
According to a press release, the new honor recognizes “groundbreaking music artists whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling.”
Swift is also preparing for a major premiere: During the ceremony, she will debut the video for her new single, “Patient Zero.” The visual features her longtime friend Dakota Johnson and actor Colin Farrell.
Fans got an early glimpse of the project Thursday, when “CBS Mornings” aired a 13-second preview showing Swift alongside the two Hollywood stars.
The preview followed Swift’s surprise announcement Tuesday that the song was on the way. Sharing the news on Instagram, she wrote, “I’ve been impatiently waiting to tell you that my brand-new single ‘Patient Zero’ will be out on September 25 (!!!!!!!!!!!!).”
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Swift later confirmed that “Patient Zero” is one of four previously unreleased songs included on the deluxe edition of her 2025 album, “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore,” which arrived Friday.
The other bonus tracks are “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding” and “Babylon.”
“About a year ago, you guys did a truly unfathomable thing. Something that completely blew my mind … You gave ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ the biggest first week for an album in history,” the “Shake It Off” singer wrote on Instagram Wednesday.
She said the extra songs were “born out of pure gratitude for your exuberance for and celebration of the album we made.”
Kelce and Swift, who married at an extravagant, star-studded wedding in July, previously made their awards-show debut as an engaged couple at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards in March.
The couple did not pose together on the red carpet, but Kelce was photographed beside Swift in the audience throughout the ceremony.
Swift was the evening’s most-nominated artist and won Pop Album of the Year for “The Life of a Showgirl.” During her acceptance speech, she offered Kelce a heartfelt shout-out.
After her name was announced, Swift turned to Kelce for a kiss as he celebrated from the audience, cheering and urging the crowd to stand for her.
“I think that this album probably also feels very happy and confident and free because that’s the way I get to feel every single day of my life because of my fiancé, who’s here tonight,” she said.