Nestled between the Rocky Mountains in Big Sky, Montana, sits the Lone Mountain Ranch, an exclusive destination for those looking to unwind and unplug. Among a handful of eateries and bars on the ranch’s 148 acres is the Auric Room, a cozy, members-only supper club and speakeasy. The Western-inspired restaurant is as private as it gets — it’s only accessible via a secret doorway, requires a confidential code for entry and cell phones are strictly prohibited. In late March, Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, NFL player Travis Kelce, were spotted enjoying dinner there with their mutual friend, sportscaster Erin Andrews.
Off-the-radar outings have become the new norm for Swift and Kelce, who haven’t made a major public appearance together since Super Bowl LIX in early February. They’ve spent the last six weeks keeping a notably low profile, quietly sneaking in and out of restaurants in NYC and blending in with the ski crowds while on vacation in Park City, Utah, and Montana. It’s a significant departure from the past nearly two years largely spent in the limelight, with Swift holding court at Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs games, Kelce hitting up multiple stops on Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour and their A-list date nights with fellow superstar couples like like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds and Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley.
One source tells Us Weekly that Swift and Kelce wanted to live a more “normal life” after the hoopla of the Eras Tour and the Super Bowl. A second agrees the couple “needed time for themselves,” adding, “Taylor and Travis are doing great, and they’re still very much together and in love. They’re just taking a break from the public eye.”
“It was a smart move,” David E. Johnson, CEO and founder of Strategic Vision PR Group, tells Us of Swift and Kelce stepping out of the spotlight. “They’d become overexposed to the point we were starting to see a slight backlash against their brand. No celebrity wants to be overexposed… Limiting their exposure lends more intrigue, and their appearances garner more coverage.”
In Control
Swift has seemingly figured out how to balance being “on” when the situation calls for it (what’s the point of trying to go undercover when you’re on stage night after night on a 149-date tour or attending football games on an NFL calendar?) and “off” when she doesn’t need to be as public-facing. The important thing is that she gets to choose how much of herself she gives away. (On March 23, Swift broke her 100-day Instagram hiatus to give her BFF Selena Gomez a shout-out for her new album, I Said I Love You First.)
Clinical psychologist Maria Fernandez tells Us that fame can be “an intense feeling” for individuals to sustain. “The constant scrutiny and need to portray an image can be very isolating for a celebrity,” she explains. “There can also be a difficulty creating genuine connections when the mind is so focused on public perception.”
Perhaps that’s why Swift has been relatively guarded about her love life. During her six-year romance with British actor Joe Alwyn, the pair were rarely photographed together before calling it quits in April 2023. Her relationship with Kelce has been much more on display — albeit in an organic, natural way. In her 2023 Time Person of the Year cover story, the “Fortnight” singer said she and Kelce have nothing to hide. “When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” she explained. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”
Reset Button
Swift and Kelce’s romance was ripe for public consumption from the start — famous supporters include Julia Roberts, Kelly Clarkson and Adam Sandler — but the fanfare has been overwhelming. “Taylor and Travis have learned that so much attention on their relationship is not the best thing,” says a third source, explaining that Kelce felt like he got caught up in his newfound fame.
In addition to his high-profile romance with Swift, the tight end starred in the Ryan Murphy series Grotesquerie and hosted Prime Video’s Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?, causing fans to wonder if the distractions affected his performance on the field. Days after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss, Kelce told his brother, Jason, “I wasn’t the best leader that I could be” on their “New Heights” podcast.
“Travis wants to take [a breather] from the public eye,” says the third source. “He was working too much last year, and he didn’t play as well as he wanted.” Kelce made it clear when he announced he’s not retiring that he plans to come back stronger than ever next season. Adds the source: “He wants to have a good season and not have the focus be on his relationship with Taylor.”
Another factor at play behind Swift and Kelce’s more low-key life is the drama surrounding Swift’s close friend Lively. (The actress and husband Reynolds have been locked in a bitter legal battle with her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni, since December 2024; Swift was pulled into it when Baldoni alleged in legal papers that Lively used Swift to pressure him into making script decisions.) “All the stuff going on with Blake is another reason Taylor and Travis want to keep to themselves,” says the second source. “The last thing Taylor wants is to be dragged into a controversy when she’s trying to destress.”
Quality Time
While things have calmed down considerably, Swift and Kelce are still keeping busy. They’ve been entertaining friends at Swift’s homes in NYC and Nashville and taking some mini trips. “Taylor and Travis have been between Kansas, Nashville, Rhode Island and New York,” says the first source, noting that they’ve hung out with each other’s families during their downtime as well. When they’re alone, they watch movies or work out. Says the first source, “Just doing nothing at all has been a dream of theirs for a while.”
They’re savoring this time while they can. “Obviously the [Eras Tour] threw them into the spotlight,” notes a fourth source. “[Now] they’re enjoying some R&R after working their butts off, making the most of their time off. They’re fully living their best lives.”
Kelce will likely start NFL training camp in July, while the anticipation keeps building around Swift’s re-recording of her 2017 album, Reputation. (Fans are convinced she’ll drop it soon, considering 2025 is the Year of the Snake, an icon associated with the album.) As for a proposal, a source told Us in February that Kelce and Swift are “on the same page about taking the next step.” But for now, they’re enjoying the quiet. “Without the outside noise,” says the first source, “they can focus on each other.”
For more on Taylor and Travis, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
With reporting by Travis Cronin, Christina Garibaldi & Andrea Simpson
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