Sept. 20, 2026

Back in the Stands Next to Tom Cruise for a 31-10 Win, Travis Was 'a Puddle' at the Altar, and One Win From VMA History

Show Notes
Transcript

Football is back and Taylor Swift was at Arrowhead Monday night, watching the Chiefs open their season with a 31-10 win over Denver — sitting in a suite with Tom Cruise, who was a guest at the July wedding. Lyla gets into the return, plus Mariska Hargitay on Jimmy Kimmel saying she's "still floating" from that night, and a new detail from Joe Buck about how Travis reacted when he first saw Taylor coming down the aisle. And the countdown to September 27, when one VMA win makes her the most-awarded artist in the show's history. Below the fold: 🏈 Monday Night Football at GEHA Field at Arrowhead. Travis pulled in a 59-yard catch; Patrick Mahomes returned from last season's knee injury. Taylor watched with her parents and her mother-in-law.

🎬 Tom Cruise in the suite — the NFL posted the clip themselves.

💍 Mariska Hargitay to Kimmel: the vows were her favorite part of the whole wedding. She also hosted the Primetime Emmys, the first woman to do so in fifteen years, and won two of her own for her documentary about Jayne Mansfield.

😭 Joe Buck says Travis was "a puddle" when Taylor appeared in the Dior gown.

🏆 Nine VMA nominations. She's tied with Beyoncé at 30 career wins. One more breaks it. Voting is still open; the show airs September 27.

👗 Still no wedding dress photos.

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WEBVTT

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Kalaroga Shark Media. Hey everyone, I'm Lila, and welcome back

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to Taylor Swift Today. Football is officially back, which means

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Taylor is officially back in the stands, and she kicked

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off the season in the most Taylor way possible, sitting

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next to a Hollywood legend. We have also got a

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beloved wedding guest still gushing about the big day, a

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fun new detail about how emotional Travis got at the altar,

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and next weekend, our girl is facing a genuine history-making choice.

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Lots to get into, so let's go. Let's start with

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football because the Kansas City Chiefs opened their new season

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this week and it was a big one for the

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whole Swift Kelsey household. The Chiefs hosted the Denver Broncos

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at Arrowhead Stadium and they won and not by a little.

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The final score was 31 to 10. It was also

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a huge night for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was making

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his big comeback after the knee injury that ended his

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last season. And Travis, he had himself a moment hauling

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in a 59-yard catch. Not a bad way to start

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what could be his final season. And of course, up

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in the stands, there she was, Taylor Swift, back in

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her football wife era, cheering her husband on. If you remember,

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this game happened on the very same night as the

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Emmy Awards, and Taylor had a choice to make. Well,

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she chose the game. She flew to Kansas City to

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support Travis rather than walk the Emmy carpet in Los Angeles,

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which makes sense since her film's categories had already been

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decided the week before. Love over trophies once again. And

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she showed up in style. Taylor wore a cute red top,

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had her fresh new shorter haircut on full display, and

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proudly wore her wedding band. But the detail everyone was

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talking about was her seatmate. Taylor spent the game chatting

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away in a VIP suite with none other than Tom Cruise. Yes,

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that Tom Cruise. The same Tom Cruise who, you might remember,

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spent his birthday at Taylor and Travis's wedding back in July.

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So these two are clearly real friends now, and honestly,

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the image of Taylor Swift and Tom Cruise casually watching

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football together is exactly the kind of surreal celebrity crossover

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this year keeps giving us. Here is a fun little

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bonus for you. Taylor has become something of a good

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luck charm for this team. According to people which tallied

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up every single Chiefs game she has attended since she

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first showed up back in 2023, the Chiefs win more

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than half the games she is there for. So Chiefs fans,

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you may want to keep her coming. Whether it is

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science or just vibes, the woman brings the wins. Now,

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let's talk about someone who is still absolutely floating on

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cloud nine from the wedding. Because Taylor's dear friend Mariska

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Hargitay went on Jimmy Kimmel's show this week and could

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not stop gushing about it. If you do not know her,

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Mariska is the star of Law & Order SVU, and

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she is one of Taylor's close friends. She was a

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guest at the wedding with her husband and two months later,

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she is still glowing. She told Kimmel, quote, I'm still

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floating from that wedding and here is what struck her most.

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Just like every other guest we have heard from, she

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was amazed by how intimate it felt. She said that

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when you go to a wedding with that many guests,

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you expect a certain kind of impersonal giant event and

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it just was not that at all. She called it

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spectacular and intimate at the same time. And then she

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said the sweetest thing, that the vows were her single

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favorite part of the entire wedding. that it was, in

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her word, magical. Every guest who speaks about this wedding

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comes back to the same two things, how intimate it

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felt and how moving those vows were. Mariska also shared

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an adorable glimpse into their friendship, joking that at a

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recent NBA Finals game, Taylor was so excited and animated

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that she was, quote, throwing me around like a rag doll.

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I love that. The most famous woman in the world,

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absolutely losing at courtside like the rest of us, And

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this all comes during a huge moment for Mariska herself

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because she just hosted the Emmy Awards, becoming the first

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woman to host the show in 15 years. On top

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of that, she took home two Emmys of her own

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at the Creative Arts Ceremony for a heartfelt documentary she

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directed about her late mother, the actress Jane Mansfield. She

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did have one very relatable moment, though, suffering a little

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wardrobe malfunction on the carpet during rehearsals, which she laughed

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off saying it was better to get the mishap out

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of the way early. A very big couple of weeks

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for a very good friend of Taylor's. Oh, and one

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more wedding tidbit that surfaced because they just keep trickling out.

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The legendary sportscaster Joe Buck, who was there, revealed that Travis, big,

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tough Super Bowl champion Travis, was, in Joe's words... A

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puddle when he first saw Taylor walking down the aisle

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in her Dior gown. A puddle. I am not okay.

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These little details are going to keep undoing me until

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the day that dress is finally revealed. Speaking of things

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that are coming, let's take a quick break. And when

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we come back, the genuinely history-making decision Taylor is facing

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next weekend. Stay with me. Welcome back. Okay, so mark

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your calendars because next Sunday, September 27th, is shaping up

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to be one of the biggest nights of Taylor's year.

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It is the MTV Video Music Awards live from Los Angeles.

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And Taylor is walking in with nine nominations. Nine. But

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here is what makes this year so enormous. Taylor is

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currently tied with Beyonce for the most VMA wins of

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all time with 30 each. Which means if Taylor wins

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even one single award next Sunday, she becomes the most

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awarded artist in the entire history of the VMAs. One win.

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That is all that stands between her and the record books.

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But because this is Taylor's life and nothing is ever simple,

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there is a scheduling puzzle. That very same day, the

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Chiefs are playing on the road all the way across

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the country against the Miami Dolphins. The game is in

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the afternoon and the VMAs are that evening in Los Angeles.

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So the big question everyone is asking is, can she

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do both? Could she cheer Travis on in Miami and

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then make a mad cross-country dash to walk the VMA

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carpet and potentially make history that same night? If anyone

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has the private jet and the sheer determination to pull

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off a stunt like that, it is Taylor Swift. But

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it would be tight, even for her. So we do

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not yet know if she will be there in person.

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She might show up and bring the house down. She

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might skip it to stay by Travis's side the way

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she has been choosing love all season. or she could

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surprise us entirely. But whatever happens, the nominations alone, coming

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off the massive success of her album, prove she is

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still sitting right at the very top of the music world.

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And if she does walk in and take home even

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one of those nine, we will be talking about it

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for years. Which brings me to my ask of you

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this week. Voting for the VMAs is still open, and

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Taylor is one trophy away from history. So if you

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want to be part of that moment, go get your

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votes in before it closes. Every single one could help

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push her over that line. And of course, you know

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I cannot sign off without saying it, the dress. Still

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no photos. We are creeping up on three months now,

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and Taylor has still not shared a single official image

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from her wedding day. At this point, it has become

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a beautiful running joke between her and the entire internet.

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She knows we are waiting. We know she knows. And still, nothing.

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But you have to admire the restraint. When that photo

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finally lands, it is going to be the post of

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the year. So there is your week. Taylor kicked off

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football season with a win and a movie star by

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her side. A dear friend can't stop gushing about the

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magic of her wedding. We learn Travis melted into a

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puddle at the altar. And next Sunday could crown her

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the most awarded artist in VMA history. Not bad for

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a supposedly slow week. That is our show. I'm Lila.

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Leave me a comment on Spotify and tell me, do

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you think Taylor pulls off the Miami to LA double

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next weekend or does she stay home? Place your bets.

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And seriously, go vote for her at the VMAs. History

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is on the line. Turn your notifications on because between

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VMA night and that wedding dress, something big is coming

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very soon and we will be here for all of it.

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Find us on Facebook too. Just search Taylor Swift today

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and share this with the friend who is going to

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be watching the VMAs with you next Sunday. Thanks so

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much for hanging out with me today. I'm Lila and

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I will see you next time.