Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have added another milestone to their growing list of shared moments, winning an iHeartRadio Music Award for Favorite Surprise Guest on Monday.

The recognition stemmed from Kelce’s memorable cameo during Swift’s “Eras” Tour performance in London last June.

The iHeartRadio Music Awards, held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, featured this fan-voted category for the first time.

Among 12 nominees, Kelce and Swift emerged victorious for his appearance in “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”, beating out notable names such as Charli XCX and Lorde, Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B, and even Morgan Wallen, Kelce, and Patrick Mahomes—a nomination tied to Kelce’s previous surprise on-stage moment with Wallen.

Donna Kelce Celebrates Her Son’s Big Win

Although Kelce and Swift did not attend the awards show, Kelce’s mother, Donna Kelce, proudly acknowledged the achievement on Instagram, celebrating yet another reason to be a proud mom.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift secured several major wins at the ceremony, including Artist of the Year, Pop Album of the Year, and Tour of the Century.

In a heartfelt video message to the audience, Swift expressed gratitude for the recognition.

“I really can’t tell you how much this means to me,” she shared. “This tour was absolutely the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Here’s the article for you:

Donna Kelce is a name that might not ring a bell for most people outside of Philadelphia Eagles Nation, but ask anyone in the Kelce household, and they’ll tell you that she’s the glue that holds the family together. She’s the mom, the matriarch, the chauffeur, and most importantly, the biggest Swiftie you’ll ever meet. That’s right; Donna Kelce is a die-hard Taylor Swift fan, and if you thought being a fan of the multi-platinum singer-songwriter was just a casual hobby for her, you’d be sorely mistaken. For Donna, Taylor Swift isn’t just a musical icon – she’s family. And as fate would have it, Donna’s got the perfect vantage point to watch Taylor’s meteoric rise from a very special seat: the front row of her own living room, where her son Jason Kelce (yes, THAT Jason Kelce, the Philadelphia Eagles’ star center) has lovingly set up a Taylor Swift shrine of epic proportions. But what really gets Donna Kelce jumping for joy isn’t just Taylor’s chart-topping albums or her record-breaking tours – it’s her IHeartRadio award wins. And let me tell you, the woman has been beaming with pride for years now, every single time Taylor takes home yet another trophy.

You see, Donna Kelce’s love affair with Taylor Swift began way back in 2008, when “Fearless” dropped and suddenly the whole world was talking about this country-pop crossover sensation with a gift for storytelling like nobody’s business. Donna, being the mom that she is, was initially introduced to Taylor’s music through her kids – Jason, of course, but also his younger brother Travis, now a tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs. “The boys would be driving around with me in the car, and ‘Love Story’ would come on the radio,” Donna recalls with a chuckle. “At first, I was like, ‘What’s this racket?!’ I mean, I’m a classic rock kind of gal – Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, that sort of thing. But there was something about Taylor’s energy, her voice, and those lyrics… they just drew me in.” Before long, Donna was hooked. She started listening to every interview, every podcast, every behind-the-scenes video she could find. She bought every album, every single, and every merchandise item that Taylor released. She even went as far as making her own Swiftie sign to hold up at Taylor’s concerts (which, naturally, her sons would lovingly tease her about for years afterward). By the time “Speak Now” rolled around in 2010, Donna Kelce was ALL. IN. And as Taylor’s fanbase grew – exponentially – so did Donna’s enthusiasm.

Now, you might be wondering: what is it about Taylor Swift that resonates so deeply with Donna Kelce? Is it the catchy hooks? The confessional songwriting? The girl-next-door relatability? The answer, quite simply, is all of the above. “Taylor’s just so real, you know?” Donna says, her voice filled with genuine awe. “She’s got this gift for taking her life – the highs, the lows, the embarrassing moments, the triumphant ones – and turning them into songs that make you feel like she’s singing directly to you. Like, I remember listening to ‘All Too Well’ for the first time and just bawling my eyes out because I was going through a tough time with my own relationships, and there was Taylor, putting it all out there in a way that felt so honest and so brave.” For Donna, that authenticity is key. As a mom who’s raised two sons into professional athletes (not an easy feat, trust me), she’s seen her fair share of drama, stress, and public scrutiny. But through it all, Taylor Swift’s music has been the constant soundtrack – a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there’s always hope, always a way forward, and always a reason to dance it out (preferably to “Shake It Off”). And let’s not forget the values that Taylor promotes: female empowerment, kindness, and loyalty to your tribe. Those are values Donna instilled in her boys from day one, and to see Taylor living them out so fearlessly on the biggest stage in the world? That’s just the icing on the cake.

As Taylor’s superstardom continued to grow – we’re talking Grammy wins, sold-out tours, and breaking the internet with every new album release – so did Donna’s collection of Taylor Swift memorabilia. Her friends and family started calling her house the “Taylor Swift Museum” (again, lovingly, not always kindly). Jason and Travis would come home from away games and be like, “Mom, how many more Taylor posters do we need?! The garage is overflowing!” But Donna didn’t care – every new item was a treasure. There are signed CDs, vinyl records, concert tees, even a life-size cutout of Taylor from the “Reputation” era that stands guard in the living room (much to the chagrin of Jason’s Eagles teammates who come over for game days). But the pièce de résistance is the display case dedicated entirely to Taylor’s award wins – and yes, that includes every single IHeartRadio Music Award she’s ever taken home. Donna has them all meticulously arranged, with little notes scribbled on Post-Its about what she was doing the night she watched Taylor win each one (“March 2016 – Jason’s rookie season, Travis was on TV for the first time too!”), what outfit she wore (“Best ‘Out of the Woods’ inspired leggings ever!”), and even quotes from Taylor’s acceptance speeches highlighted in her own handwriting (“‘This is for the girls…’ YESSSS”). It’s a shrine, really – one that gets dusted and rearranged with every new win.

IHeartRadio, for those who might not know, is a huge deal in the music industry. The awards are voted on by actual fans (not just industry insiders), which makes them uniquely special in Donna’s book. “When Taylor won Song of the Year for ‘Bad Blood’ back in 2016, I literally screamed so loud the neighbors thought someone was breaking in,” she laughs. “I was crying, Jason was laughing at me, Travis was trying to video it for Instagram… it was chaos. But the best part was when Taylor said in her speech, ‘This is for anyone who’s felt belittled or marginalized…’ – I mean, that hit home. As a mom, you’re always worried about your kids being bullied or feeling like they don’t fit in. And here was Taylor, this global superstar, telling the world that she sees them, she hears them, and she’s fighting for them too.” Donna has since made it her annual tradition to host an IHeartRadio Awards watch party, complete with Taylor-themed snacks (blue-and-white striped cupcakes, anyone?), a countdown of Taylor’s predicted wins, and an after-party dance session to every single one of her albums (in chronological order, naturally). Her friends joke that they’re basically held hostage by Donna’s enthusiasm – “Three hours of Taylor, and we get it, Donna!” – but honestly, most of them are converts now. They’ve caught the Swift bug too.

The year 2020 was particularly monumental. Taylor released “Folklore” and “Evermore” back-to-back, and Donna was – and I quote – “OVER. IT.” She spent two weeks straight basically locked in her house, listening to both albums on repeat, analyzing every lyric, every production choice, every folklore Easter egg she could find. Jason would come home from Eagles games and be like, “Mom, did you leave the house this week?” And Donna’d be like, “What house? I’m living in Taylor’s mind now.” When the IHeartRadio Awards rolled around that September, Taylor ended up sweeping basically every category she was nominated for – including (you guessed it) Artist of the Year. Donna was bawling so hard she had to call her sister to come over and video-chat her through it because, as she puts it, “I didn’t want to miss one second of that speech.” And oh, that speech… Taylor talked about the power of community, of music as a lifeline during lockdown, and specifically thanked her fans – the Swifties – for holding her up when she felt like giving up. Donna was done. Finished. Kaput. She called Jason and Travis in tears, saying, “Girls, I don’t care if I ever get another award in my life, Taylor just gave me mine.” For her, that moment encapsulated everything she loves about Taylor: the artistry, the humility, and that never-ending well of empathy.

Now, you might wonder how Jason and Travis – two of the toughest guys in the NFL – feel about their mom’s, ahem, rather passionate fandom. The answer is simple: they adore it. In fact, they’ve made peace with being known as “Taylor’s biggest NFL enablers” among their teammates. Jason, the more serious of the two, just rolls his eyes good-naturedly and says, “Mom’s always been our biggest fan, whether it was my peewee football games or Travis’s high school plays. When Taylor came along, she just found a new team to cheer for.” Travis, on the other hand, is more candid: “Honestly, it’s kind of awesome. Mom’s the reason we grew up understanding what it means to be loyal to the people you love. If that means having a Taylor Swift altar in the living room, so be it. We get to reap the benefits – free concert tickets, Taylor merch for life, the best game-day playlists ever… it’s a win-win.” Both brothers have even started a fun tradition: whenever they’re playing a game near Philadelphia (and Taylor’s in town for a concert), they’ll secretly coordinate with their mom to get her the best possible seat – usually right behind the end zone, where she’ll proceed to wear her homemade “Taylor + Jason + Travis 4Ever” sign for the entire game. The other players just laugh and high-five Jason on the way off the field: “Dude, your mom is LIT.”

One might think that after all these years, Donna might’ve reached “peak Swiftie” – you know, where she’s got all the merch, all the awards, and all the inside jokes. But nope. If anything, her love has only deepened. When Taylor began re-releasing her old albums (the “Taylor’s Version” saga), Donna was over the moon – not just because she got to relive the classics, but because she saw it as a masterclass in ownership, in taking control of your own story. “That’s exactly what I’ve always tried to teach my boys,” she says. “Life will try to take things from you – your narrative, your voice, your confidence – but you can always reclaim it. Taylor’s doing that on the biggest stage possible, and I am HERE. FOR. IT.” When “Red (Taylor’s Version)” dropped in 2021, Donna spent an entire weekend driving Jason and Travis around to various Eagles practices and games with nothing but that album playing – again, on repeat. They just laughed and said, “Mom, you’re 60 years old; you don’t have to prove your Swiftie credentials anymore.” And Donna just smiled sweetly: “Oh, boys, this is for me. This is my joy.”

In a world that can sometimes feel overwhelmingly chaotic – pandemics, politics, social media outrage cycles – Donna Kelce has found her own little slice of sanity in Taylor Swift’s music. It’s more than just entertainment; it’s community, therapy, and inspiration all wrapped into 22 minutes and 45 seconds (the average length of a Taylor Swift song, naturally). And yes, there are plenty of people who might raise an eyebrow at a 60-year-old mom from Philly being the #1 fan of a global pop star half her age. But Donna doesn’t care. For her, Taylor Swift represents everything good and hopeful about this world – creativity unapologetically expressed, vulnerability as strength, and that never-fading spark of girl power that says, “You can be whoever you want to be.”

As I sat down with Donna in her living room recently – surrounded, of course, by Taylor Swift memorabilia – she pulled out her phone and showed me a video from the 2022 IHeartRadio Awards. Taylor had just won (you guessed it) Artist of the Year again, and was giving a speech about perseverance, about how her fans had shown her what it truly means to stand up, keep going, and believe in yourself even when the world tells you otherwise. Donna’s eyes welled up as she played it back for the fifth time that week alone. “This,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, “this is why I love her so much. She’s not just singing for herself; she’s singing for all of us – for the scared kids, the broken hearts, the moms like me trying to raise decent humans.” And in that moment, it wasn’t just about Taylor Swift anymore; it was about Donna Kelce herself – a woman who’s spent her whole life lifting up her family, her community, and now, her idol.

You see, to Donna, Taylor Swift isn’t just an award-winning musician; she’s a reflection of the best parts of all of us. And every time those IHeartRadio trophies pile up, Donna doesn’t just see Taylor’s name on the award – she sees her own family’s values, her own story, and her own unwavering hope for a better tomorrow. That’s why, when you ask anyone in the Kelce household who the biggest Swiftie is, they’ll all smile in perfect harmony: “Mom.” Always Mom.

And as for what’s next? Well, Donna’s already got her eyes on the 2024 IHeartRadio Awards. She’s got her outfit planned (Taylor-inspired sparkles, naturally), the playlist queued, and a fresh batch of Post-Its ready to annotate Taylor’s next winning speech. Her sons just chuckle and shake their heads: “Mom, you’re going to give Taylor a run for her money in the ‘most dedicated fan’ category.” Donna just beams with pride: “That’s the plan, boys. That’s the plan.”