While most people tuned into the Super Bowl for the football or the halftime show, some wanted to get a glimpse of Taylor Swift.
No matter how you feel about the 35-year-old, there’s no denying she’s one of the biggest names in the world.
So when she turns up at an event, people stop what they’re doing and acknowledge her.
It’s no surprise that she was at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, due to her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs suffered a 40-22 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving Kelce in disappointment rather than celebration by the end of the night.
Swift’s on-screen presence saw a significant decline compared to last year’s Super Bowl, where she appeared 12 times for a total of 54 seconds during CBS’ broadcast.
Despite the brevity of these appearances, some viewers previously complained about the frequent camera cuts to the singer.
This time around, the camera only cut to Swift once, drastically reducing her airtime. However, the singer has previously stated that she has no control over how often she appears on the broadcast.
According to The Mirror, broadcasters have been scaling back coverage of Swift at Chiefs games in general.
Swift’s frequent appearances at Chiefs games have been a hot topic among NFL fans, with some arguing that the league and broadcasters focus on her too much.
The debate got so intense that even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had to address it ahead of last year’s Super Bowl.
When asked whether Swift’s presence was part of a scripted NFL storyline, Goodell shut down the theory, joking: “I don’t think I’m that good a scripter, or anybody on our staff… Listen, there’s no way I could have scripted that one. Let’s just put it that way.”
He also praised the singer, adding: “She’s a remarkable performer. She knows great entertainment…She’s the best of the best, and so having her come to NFL games, to have her be a part of that is nothing but a positive.”
The lack of Swift was probably bad news for Swifties who tuned in specifically to see her.
The singer also presumably had a bad night, as she watched her boyfriend’s team lose and also got booed by those in the stadium.
Swift’s appearance on the stadium’s jumbotron was met with loud boos from Eagles fans, a moment that quickly went viral on social media.
The singer was seen exchanging glances with her companions – rapper Ice Spice and the Haim sisters – before offering the camera a subtle side-eye.
Prior to her relationship with Kelce, Swift had been seen wearing an Eagles jersey and had previously expressed support for the team, leading to frustration among some Eagles fans over her apparent shift in allegiance.
The negative reaction could also be due to her endorsing Kamala Harris over Donald Trump, who received loud cheers when he featured on the big screen.
Despite likely being unfazed by the reception, Swift received an outpouring of support from fellow celebrities, including Serena Williams.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her support, posting: “I love you @taylorswift13 don’t listen to those booo!!”
