Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are facing criticism after their opulent wedding celebration at Madison Square Garden drew attention for its extravagant party favors.

The couple, both aged 36, spared no expense for their grand ceremony, which welcomed a staggering 1,000 guests.

Reports have emerged about guests leaving the event with lavish prizes, such as Cartier watches, Chanel handbags, and even a car, which has sparked outrage on social media. Many users expressed disapproval over what they see as a showy display of wealth.

“A Cartier watch raffle at a wedding is peak excess,” remarked one individual on a Polymarket X thread, suggesting that “guests probably left with better loot than from the registry.”

Another commenter admitted to feeling “embarrassed for all of them.”

Another critic implied that the cops and sanitation workers should have been the ones to receive the valuable gifts. 

‘So not the cops and sanitation workers busting ass in the insane heat on a holiday weekend? Nah, because lib friends wouldn’t like that look,’ the person speculated.

Someone else weighed in, ‘They could’ve fed a lot of homeless around the world instead.’ 

Yet another critic accused Swift of being ‘stuck in high school,’ calling the raffle ‘after-prom-coded.’ 

‘Raffle prizes at your wedding is a new one. Rich people wedding culture is just straight up performance art,’ huffed one fan.

‘That’s fun [as f***] for those involved but all of them are already filthy rich,’ highlighted one X user.

The person also questioned, ‘Why aren’t they just donating or something?’ 

Jackie Tranquill, the wife of Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs teammate Drue Tranquill, was among the lucky winners of the raffle.

Jackie shared a snap of her winning ticket and the lavish gift she won from the pair in an Instagram post on Monday.

The photo showed a black Chanel 25 Handbag made from grained calfskin which retails for $6,700. In the caption she wrote, ‘Congrats to the newly weds.’

Her photo carousel also appeared to show the dress she wore to the wedding.

Despite the vitriol, the bride and groom notably shelled out $26 million in donations to at least 20 charities during their wedding week. 

Among the charities benefiting were nine food banks – including one in Swift’s hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania – three children’s hospitals, and seven educational programs.

An announcement from the pair’s representatives to the Daily Mail read, ‘This week, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift donated $26 million to charities across the United States.

After Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s charity The Store received its donation, the Instagram page shared a thank-you post reading, ‘We’re incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for their transformative gift to The Store.

‘Their kindness will help more families across Middle Tennessee access fresh, healthy food with dignity and choice, and we’re honored to have their support.

‘Congratulations to Taylor and Travis on your upcoming wedding! Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness as you begin this next chapter together. Thank you for helping make a difference in the lives of our neighbors.’

Swift and Kelce’s wedding was full of actors, movie moguls, sports stars and supermodels. 

Musicians including Jack Antonoff, Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello and the Haim sisters were also in attendance. 

As Kelce kept his now-wife busy in August 2025, a team descended on his home garden to stage the setting for his proposal.

The songstress and athlete later used Instagram to announce their engagement, with a caption reading: ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.’

Swift first publicly spoke about her romance with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end in her 2023 Time Person of the Year interview.

At the time, she described herself and her then-boyfriend as ‘just two people supporting each other doing what we love.’

SEATTLE — As the final whistle echoed through the stadium, marking the United States men’s national team’s exit from the tournament, the somber mood on the field was in stark contrast to the fervor in the stands. This vibrant energy vividly illustrated the growing significance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, thanks in part to the electrifying mix of fans and celebrities who gathered to witness the action.

Although the night ended with Belgium extinguishing the American squad’s aspirations with a 4-1 victory in the Round of 16, Seattle had already shined as a showcase of illustrious guests. The city’s version of a celebrity row buzzed with the presence of soccer legends, sports figures, Hollywood celebrities, and hometown heroes, all coming together under the floodlights.

Among the early arrivals were former USWNT World Cup champions Alex Morgan and Kelley O’Hara, whose presence underscored the star-studded nature of the event.

Joining them was the former U.S. captain, Clint Dempsey, whose past battles with Belgium in World Cup settings infused this latest encounter with layers of nostalgia and emotion.

Adding to the star wattage was FOX’s illustrious studio team, featuring soccer luminaries Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who basked in the thrilling ambiance of the stadium before taking their place in front of the cameras.

Nearby sat another World Cup-winning goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, watching the tournament he once conquered from the stands instead of between the posts.

No one, however, drew louder cheers than Seattle’s own Eddie Vedder. The Pearl Jam frontman embraced the moment by chugging a beer during a break in play before balancing the empty can on his head, sending the home crowd into laughter despite the mounting tension on the field.

The NFL was well represented, too. Giants quarterback Jameis Winston made the trip west.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald watched alongside star defensive lineman Leonard Williams and Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze, the former Washington Huskies standout receiving one of the night’s biggest ovations.

Elsewhere, billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez watched from a luxury suite.

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Even with the United States seeing its World Cup journey come to a painful end, the celebrity turnout reinforced what this tournament has become.

Famous faces have followed the World Cup from city to city. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Shakira, Patrick Mahomes, Ryan Reynolds, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson and dozens more have turned FIFA’s month-long spectacle into the hottest ticket on the continent.

A chaotic scene unfolded on the West Coast over the Fourth of July weekend when a large group of teenagers congregated in Newport Beach, California. Authorities detained more than 400 young participants during this widespread takeover incident.

Law enforcement officials reported that the crowd surged into the Balboa Peninsula neighborhood on Independence Day. Social media footage captured the tumult, with individuals igniting fireworks on the streets, obstructing traffic, and vandalizing local establishments.

Over the extended weekend from July 3 to July 5, authorities made 402 arrests. Meanwhile, the local fire department attended to 102 emergencies, which included 10 fire-related incidents. It remains uncertain whether these incidents were directly linked to the unauthorized gathering.

The City of Newport Beach addressed the situation in part through a social media announcement:

“Social media posts drew a large influx of juveniles and young adults to the Newport Pier area within a matter of minutes. As the crowd quickly grew into the thousands, dangerous and unlawful behavior escalated, blocking roadways, preventing emergency access and putting families, visitors and first responders at risk.”

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More videos shared online appear to show possible damage at a Pavilions grocery store in the area. Smashed produce and trash were seen strewn around the parking lot over the weekend.

“The safety and well-being of our customers and associates is our top priority,” Albertsons, the company that owns the Pavilions grocery store, told News Media. “During the incident in the parking lot at our Newport Beach Pavilions, we secured the interior of the store, and all associates remained safe. While some exterior product displays were damaged, the store itself did not sustain any physical damage. The store reopened yesterday morning and is operating as normal.”

The president of the Newport Beach Police Association, Joe DeJulio, posted a statement to social media that said, “a large group of agitators invaded Newport Beach spurred by an alleged ‘TikTok Takeover.’ These persons came to our city with the intent on causing harm, injury, and destruction, bringing harassment, disturbances, and mayhem.”

A spokesperson for TikTok confirmed to News Media any content posted on the platform that promotes theft, property damage, criminal activity, or dangerous behaviors that could cause serious harm, violates the app’s Community Guidelines.

On Monday night, frustration swiftly morphed into anger among U.S. supporters as they directed their ire at the players, criticizing their ‘pathetic’ performance that led to a World Cup exit against Belgium.

In a sold-out stadium in Seattle, the struggling American team gave up four goals, marking an underwhelming conclusion to their campaign and falling short of the expectations set for their Round of 16 match.

As soon as the game concluded, fans swiftly took to social media to voice their displeasure with the team’s lackluster showing. One fan wrote: ‘Embarrassing result. The optimist in me hopes there are enough positives from this World Cup to boost the sport here in the U.S. Nevertheless, this was a terrible way to bow out.’

Another fan commented: ‘It’s as if the team never left their bus tonight. Out of 11 players, maybe three showed glimpses of readiness for the occasion. Overall, a pathetic effort.’

Predictably, Barstool Sports chief Dave Portnoy inserted himself into the conversation, expressing his discontent through a flurry of posts on X.

‘I don’t want to hear that the future is bright for American soccer,’ he wrote in one. ‘That they should be proud. That was a disgusting effort. We’re far closer to the bottom than the top. Just not a soccer country.’

In another post, he added: ‘Embarrassing effort from the United States. Lights were way too bright for US soccer team. Stage way too big. If we’re gonna keep creating international incidents over soccer it may be time to institute a soccer draft.’

In a third post, amid a stream of consciousness on the social media app, he referred to the team as a ‘clown show’, and also posted a video of himself ripping his shirt off to throw it in the trash.

Elsewhere, another fan claimed: ‘Just honestly an embarrassing performance from USMNT in Round of 16. They didn’t look right from the start, & just completely off. 

‘I honestly don’t think Belgium played that great, it was USA hurting themselves with terrible mistakes that you don’t expect from a team playing at this level. At least 2 Belgium goals were easily preventable. Disappointing, I understand they’re not on Belgium’s level but they had a chance to do something special & at least be more competitive on home soil.’ 

In the game in Seattle, Charles De Ketelaere scored twice for the European giants, before a woeful goalkeeping error from Matt Freese allowed Hans Vanaken to add a third. 

In injury time, Romelu Lukaku compounded the Americans’ misery with a fourth goal, ending America’s chances of a quarterfinal match-up with Spain back in LA on Friday afternoon.

The humbling loss marked the end of the road for Mauricio Pochettino and his US team at the Round of 16 stage, with question marks now surrounding whether the $6 million-a-year coach will continue in his role.

He is approaching the end of his contract, but revealed on Monday night that he has not yet decided what comes next.

‘I think now, because we were talking with the Federation, it is [time] to rest a little bit, to have conversations and see what the decision is from the Federation and from us,’ he said after watching his team crash out of the World Cup. 

‘But I’m so happy, we built a very good relationship. Now is not the moment to talk about that.’ 

On the FOX broadcast, meanwhile, the likes of Alexi Lalas and Carli Lloyd were also tasked with picking through the bones of the defeat, and the latter in particular made sure to not pull any punches.

The US soccer legend, who is a two-time World Cup winner herself, said of the men’s team: ‘I just felt like they lost the game before they even stepped out onto the pitch.

‘I’m not sure why, and I don’t know the reasons, but from the beginning, just chasing, tentative. Scared, just not confident on the ball and I think big-time players – you wanted some of those big-time players to step up in big moments.’

She went on to pick out Christian Pulisic, saying of the AC Milan superstar: ‘I think, whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game. And really the whole World Cup. Little glimpses here and there.’ 

Lalas, meanwhile, said he will look back on the tournament believing that the United States ‘left something on the table’.

‘There’s a part of me that says the time for moral victories is over,’ Lalas said on FOX’s postgame show. ‘We’ve left something on the table here, and that to me is disappointing. 

‘I also know that it’s going to be disappointing to the players and to Mauricio Pochettino when they look at this game. 

‘The goals that they gave up at times were self-inflicted against a better team, but this US team has beaten better teams in the past.’

On social media, it was Pulisic taking the brunt of the abuse from devastated fans, with one claiming: ‘It’s time for Pulisic to give up the Captain America moniker.’

The team’s star man came off late in the game against Belgium with an apparent injury and he looked to be in tears as he sat on the bench alongside his teammates.

‘I like Pulisic, but for two cycles in a row he has been anointed as the star and leader… the output has yet to match the hype,’ one fan commented of the AC Milan man. 

‘The most important ability is availability, and we haven’t seen him show on the biggest stage. I’m not sure Berhalter and Tillman aren’t the midfield pieces of the future.’