Taylor Swift & Hailee Steinfeld Fans Are Caught In Brutal Internet War Over NFL WAGs
Contrary to what you may see on social media, there are celebrity couples at sporting events other than Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Many people were reminded of that after ESPN posted a TikTok earlier this month that showed Hailee Steinfeld cheering on her husband, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, during his comeback. The Oscar-nominated actress was seen celebrating her man's achievements with his family, and fans couldn't get enough of the sweet moment.
@espn (via @Juliana Riordan) #joshallen #nfl #bills #football #espnsocial
"That's her family now," one person commented. "Buffalos Queen Hailee," gushed another. A third wrote, "Hailee celebrating with Josh [Allen's] family after that MVP comeback is everything." However, numerous comments couldn't help but drag Swift, noting how Steinfeld was barely shown onscreen during the game, unlike Swift, who appears to be shown frequently. (To be fair, neither woman has control over the camera operations at games.)
In all caps, one person said about Steinfeld, "Notice she doesn't have to be on camera every 5 minutes." Another person bluntly wrote, "Love them better than Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift." Others called Steinfeld "classy," seemingly implying that Swift is not. Interestingly, while many fans were thrilled Steinfeld wasn't shown much during the game, one person was annoyed by that. "How come they're not showing Hailey like they show Taylor Swift! She's there to support her husband not to be [the] rotten center of all the attention! So over TS and TK!" But Swifties weren't going to take those remarks quietly and quickly clapped back.
Taylor Swift isn't shown during games as much as you think she is
Fans of Taylor Swift pushed back in the comment section of ESPN's TikTok, with one person sarcastically saying, "The horror that happens when Taylor [Swift] does the same thing." Presumably, this user is referring to the fact that when Hailee Steinfeld is seen cheering on her man with his family at a game, it's totally fine — but if Swift does the same thing with Travis Kelce's family, it's seen as annoying and self-centered. In fact, a fellow NFL WAG even said she's "tired" of all the coverage Swift gets. However, according to a 2024 report by The New York Times, Swift is barely even shown during games.
The outlet reported that Swift seems to be featured or mentioned for less than half a minute over the course of a three-hour broadcast. That means Swift is actually barely covered during a game — yet whenever she is shown, the media runs with it, making it seem like she's a bigger presence during games than she actually is.
"Taylor Swift better and Bills lose [to the] Chiefs every year too," wrote one Swiftie. It's interesting that people are even comparing the two celebrities. It could be because, while Steinfeld was part of Swift's 2015 squad, the duo don't seem to be as close anymore. This doesn't necessarily mean they had a falling out, of course; people can drift apart without there being a catalyst. Or, they just keep their friendship more lowkey. Either way, it's likely they're not focused on the latest internet war but are focusing on their own lives, instead.