Travis Kelce Defends Chugging Beer at Knicks Game ‘Date Night’ With Taylor Swift & Addresses Whether He Fell Asleep
"Didn't spill one drop," the tight end boasted.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift during the fourth quarter in Game Three between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 23, 2026, in Cleveland.
Jason Miller/Getty Images
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After some people grumbled about Travis Kelce‘s viral beer chug while sitting courtside with Taylor Swift at the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end proved that he’s shaking it off on the Wednesday (May 27) episode of New Heights.
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While recapping his time at the New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game over the weekend with Swift to cohost Jason Kelce — who poked fun at his little brother for being a bad “role model” by throwing back a brew on the jumbotron at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena — Travis argued, “It was a classy chug, Jason.”
“All right? Didn’t spill one drop,” the Grotesquerie star continued. “Didn’t crush the can. I’m on the hardwood floor at an NBA game, it could’ve got messy. It was a smooth, classy chug to get the people going. We’re down f–king 10 points, trying to get some type of energy going in the building.”
Clips of Travis standing up and downing a can of Garage Beer in one big gulp as his famous fiancée looked on and giggled were all over social media after the game. A lot of fans loved the high-energy moment, but a few haters online complained that it was immature or frat boyish.
Regardless, the younger Kelce brother said that he and Swift had a lot of fun at the game, despite his home team, the Cavs, losing 121-108 to the Knicks during the May 23 game. “Getting Tay back to Cleveland and showing her my roots is always something I love doing,” he told Jason.
“This wasn’t me trying to persuade Taylor into being a Cleveland sports fan with me,” Travis continued. “This was me just having a fun date night, knowing I love going to basketball games. We actually tried to go to a game in New York, but I was stuck in Kansas City. I love bringing her into the sports world that I appreciate.”
As for whether or not he fell asleep during fourth quarter of the game — as he appeared to have done in photos — Travis clarified that he’d actually just been closing his eyes and slumping in his chair in defeat. “The Knicks f–king couldn’t miss a goddamn shot in the fourth quarter,” he said, laughing. “I’m just sitting there like, ‘Come on.'”
Travis also responded to Knicks fans goading him with old photos of Swift wearing the New York team’s merch in years past. “Not a lot of teams have been able to get Taylor to wear a jersey, I’ll say that,” he said. “The Knicks did. It’s hilarious. Obviously, Tay’s got a lot of New York ties. When it came down to going to the Cav’s game, she was kind of like, ‘Nice, they’re playing the Knicks. Sweet, I’ve seen them play before.'”
Watch Travis recap his and Swift’s date night at the Knicks-Cavs game below.
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