For the uninitiated, Nicole and Kelce dated on-and-off for five years before their split in May 2022—over a year before he began dating one of the most prolific pop stars in the world. Despite the gap in that timeline, Nicole is often the subject of negativity and backlash from Swifties for so-called “messy” behavior.
Nicole claims she and Kelce can’t even “acknowledge each other” in public, despite running in the same circles. “I think that we’re both aware of the nature of his new situation, that there’s just no room really for us to communicate or acknowledge each other publicly without it being spun into something crazy,” Nicole told WNBA star Angel Reese during an October appearance on the Unapologetically Angel podcast. “So we just keep it moving.”
Of the online negativity, she added, “I would be lying if I said that that level of hate and just like online chaos doesn’t impact me. It does. You could go to my most recent post, and there will be people debating each other why I am worthless, and I’ll never be a talented person, and I have no career.”
Nicole continued, “I think that there’s something about that level of fame that attracts crazy people, and it’s unfortunate, because I’ve never done anything to warrant that kind of backlash.”
Of course, this new trailer has only sparked another wave of criticism. Many social media users called on the model to “move on,” while others have accused the influencer of “clout chasing”—or both! “She might feel a way but she is also milking the attention his name gives her,” one user commented on a TikTok post about the new video. “Kayla move onnnnnn.”
It’s worth pointing out that Swift has received similar scrutiny for writing songs about her own famous exes, which is probably why some of her fans are coming to Nicole’s defense. “These comments are not it,” one self-proclaimed Swiftie wrote. “She was in a relationship w this man for years. Then AFTER they broke up, weirdos sent HER hate becuz the man is now [with] Taylor. As a Swiftie: her feelings are valid.”
