CBS News
Chiefs star Travis Kelce shares how he navigates Taylor Swift fanfare: “I have fun with it”
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce told “CBS Mornings” that he’s ready to return to “normal” as football season kicks off following a whirlwind summer touring the globe with girlfriend Taylor Swift.
The couple was thrust into the spotlight when they started dating during a high-profile season for the Chiefs, ending with the team’s historic back-to-back Super Bowl win. This summer, cameras panned on Kelce in the crowd singing along during Swift’s history-making Eras Tour.
Kelce said it’s difficult to name just one Swift hit as his favorite.
“They’re all my favorite—literally every single one. You’ll see me at a concert, you’ll see me singing them all,” he told CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas in an interview for “CBS Mornings.”
Embracing the spotlight with Taylor Swift
Kelce has embraced being one-half of what fans describe as the ultimate power couple.
“It’s the life I chose, I guess. I have fun with it,” said Kelce, adding that “it comes with the territory.”
His family has also had to adjust to the extra attention that comes with the celebrity romance.
“Everybody’s loving it. Mama Kelce…she’s having so much fun. My dad is slowly getting more comfortable with it. And Jason has always been a pro at it,” Kelce said.
Jason, a Philadelphia Eagles legend, announced his retirement from the NFL in a tear-filled press conference in March after 13 seasons, including a Super Bowl championship.
“It has always been a goal of mine to play my whole career in one city. And I couldn’t have dreamt a better one and a better fit if I tried,” Jason said at the time. “I don’t know what’s next, but I look forward to the new challenges and opportunities that await. And I know that I carry with me the lessons from my time here and that forever we can all share the bond of being Philadelphians.”
Kelce and his brother, co-hosts of “New Heights”, recently struck a reported $100 million deal with Amazon’s Wondery for their popular podcast.
“I’m forever grateful for who my brother is in my life. He’s always been the guy that I can kind of just lean on. And, uhm, yeah, so a moment like that, where he finally called it quits and hung it up. It was definitely one of the most emotional moments I’ve had with him,” Kelce said.
Exciting new cameo
Kelce’s ready to make a splash this season, starting with his latest project: a foot-stomping reboot of an iconic Pepsi commercial. In the ad, he’s among the “gladiators of the NFL.”
The new commercial, which debuted on “CBS Mornings” Thursday, is getting him pumped for another NFL season.
“I’m geared up for getting – the rookies involved, getting the off-season workouts and everything together, and sure enough when game day hits it’s just going to be a blast,” Kelce said.
The Chiefs are gearing up for Thursday night’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium – and fans are already wondering if Swift will be back in the stands.
“Why do you think people are rooting for you?” Yuccas asked Kelce.
“I would hope it’s because they see I’m just a genuinely good person and I love what I do and I love doing it with the people that I — that I do it with. I’d rather give everybody happiness and something to cheer about,” he said.
CBS News
9/15: CBS Weekend News – CBS News
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What’s known about Ryan Wesley Routh, suspect in possible Trump assassination attempt
A picture is emerging of the suspect who officials say pointed a high-powered rifle at former president Donald Trump on a Florida golf course Sunday afternoon.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was 300-500 yards away from Trump when members of the former president’s Secret Service detail spotted him, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. Routh was a few holes ahead of where the president was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, officials said.
Members of the Secret Service detail opened fire at Routh, according to law enforcement officials. It’s not clear if Routh fired any shots. Bradshaw said a witness saw a man jumping out of the bushes and fleeing in a black Nissan. The car was pulled over and the driver detained and identified as the suspect. Law enforcement found the rifle, a scope, two backpacks with ceramic tile and a GoPro camera in the bushes at the scene.
The FBI and U.S. Secret Service are investigating the incident, which the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.”
As the investigation continues, here’s what we know about Routh:
A decades-long criminal history
Routh’s most recent address is listed in Hawaii, but he spent most of his life in North Carolina, according to property records. Routh owned Camp Box Honolulu, a shed-building company, according to his LinkedIn profile. The account also says that he studied at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and graduated in 1998.
Records show his problems with the law go back to the 1990s and include less serious charges, like writing bad checks. But in 2002, he was charged with a felony — possession of a weapon of mass destruction — according to North Carolina Department of Corrections records.
Between 2002 and 2010, Routh was also charged with a number of misdemeanors, including a hit-and-run accident, resisting arrest and a concealed weapons violation, records show.
Suspect criticized Trump online
Routh voted Democratic in the 2024 primary election in North Carolina, and he voted in person, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. He appears to be registered as an unaffiliated voter.
His X account, which has now been suspended, included a number of posts about Trump.
“@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving,” he wrote in a June 2020 post. “I will be glad when you gone.”
He also referenced the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump in multiple posts, suggesting that President Biden and Vice President Harris should visit the injured and attend the funeral of the Pennsylvania rally-goer who was killed.
A Facebook account under Routh’s name was no longer online on Sunday evening.
Ukraine supporter
Routh was passionate about fighting for Ukraine, even traveling overseas to fight in the country’s war against Russia in 2022.
“I am coming to Ukraine from Hawaii to fight for your kids and families and democracy.. I will come and die for you,” he wrote on X.
In one post on LinkedIn, he shared a photo of himself in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
A CBS News review of Routh’s social media shows his pro-Ukraine views seeped into his public statements as well. He urged people, even those who didn’t have military skills, to take up arms for Ukraine. He was interviewed by several news organizations, including The New York Times and Semafor in 2023, and Newsweek Romania in 2022. He was quoted about his efforts to recruit volunteer fighters to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, though it wasn’t clear whether he had succeeded.
“This is about good versus evil,” he told Newsweek Romania.
contributed to this report.
CBS News
9/15/2024: The Prosecution of January 6th; Danger in the South China Sea; Dua Lipa
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