Travis Kelce’s Surprising Childhood Ties to a Famous Musician—And It’s Not Taylor Swift!

Thanks to his high-profile relationship with pop sensation Taylor Swift, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has garnered significant attention from Swifties around the world. But, as it turns out, Taylor Swift isn’t the only famous musician who has crossed paths with the NFL star. A keen-eyed glance at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas revealed another familiar face sitting in Travis’ suite: rapper and occasional pop-punk artist Colson Baker, better known as Machine Gun Kelly, or simply MGK. What’s even more surprising is that Travis and MGK were childhood neighbors.

Though Travis Kelce now stars for the Kansas City Chiefs, he and his older brother Jason were raised in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake, Ohio. While MGK, born in Houston, Texas, is often associated with Cleveland as his hometown—where he spent his teenage years and launched his music career—it turns out that Travis and the rapper’s paths first crossed long before either hit it big. “We actually grew up right down the street from each other,” Travis revealed in a 2023 interview with The Kansas City Star. “And I knew of Cols growing up. But for the most part, I’ve just been a big, big fan of his through high school, through college. Being able to see his success has been really cool knowing that we’re from the same area. He’s one of my favorite performers. He brings the juice every single time.”

This revelation wasn’t just a fun piece of trivia—it played a key role in Travis Kelce’s promotion of his inaugural Kelce Jam music festival in April 2023. The event saw MGK headline, and Travis joined him on stage for a duet, much to the delight of fans. This collaboration was a testament to their longstanding connection, proving that their friendship and mutual admiration go beyond just local roots.

In a further nod to their shared upbringing, MGK and his then-partner Megan Fox joined Travis and Taylor Swift for a celebratory moment at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, after the Chiefs triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers. The victory, however, wasn’t replicated in 2025, when the Chiefs suffered a defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.

MGK’s loyalty to Cleveland is unwavering, even in the face of his friend’s Kansas City success. During a December 2023 surprise appearance on the New Heights podcast hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce, the rapper jokingly—or perhaps not so jokingly—offered Travis $500,000 in cash to leave the Chiefs and play for the Cleveland Browns. He also pledged to donate that sum to their former high schools and provide them both with free breakfast for life. “You know that was the original dream, dog. You know that was the dream,” Travis playfully responded. But, in the end, he noted that his current situation in Kansas City was “pretty good,” despite the tempting offer.

As Travis Kelce and MGK continue to make waves in their respective industries, it’s clear that their bond, rooted in childhood memories, is one that will remain strong. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the lives of two childhood friends who took very different paths but continue to support one another as their success stories unfold.