“I Thought I Handled Things With Grace”: Kayla Nicole Tells “I Am Athlete” She Is Stunned and Devastated By Venomous Backlash To Her Comments About Travis Kelce and Online Hate
Sports broadcaster Kayla Nicole, who’s also the ex-girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, caught major backlash from everyone from Swifties to Cam’ron and Ma$e to the social media mosh pit for her comments on Angel Reese‘s popular “Unapologetically Angel” podcast.
Nicole mentioned that she wouldn’t go 50-50 with a man on bills and asked the audience “what do I look like?” doing such a thing.
Add in her recent squabble with beloved actor, singer and choreographer Teyana Taylor and the backlash from her Oct. 11 appearance on the podcast has been wide-ranging and largely negative. It’s been a rough week for Nicole.
During a recent appearance on “I Am Athlete” show, Nicole was visibly emotional and holding back tears as she admitted that she has to navigate the media attention she receives differently, especially as her profile rises.
Nicole joined Reese’s show to dish some tea on the hate she has received since Kelce started dating pop star Taylor Swift. Her comments went viral and incited much emotion in fans and followers.
Nicole told “I Am Athlete,” that she miscalculated how her responses would be received.
Nicole Thought She Answered Questions On Reese’s Podcast With Grace
“I thought that I handled things with grace,” she said looking back.
“I answered the questions to the best of my ability,” Nicole told hosts Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett in the episode titled “Mastering the Media” released on Oct. 15.
However, she continued, the public “had their interpretation of things”
The attacks she referenced when speaking with Reese surfaced again after her appearance on Reese’s show, and they were worse than ever.
Nicole said, “I would be lying if I said that that level of hate and just, like, online chaos didn’t impact me, it does. Even to this day.” She added, “You can go to my most recent post and it will be people debating each other why I am worthless and I’ll never be a talented person and I have no career.”
She says the online hate affects her mother as well, “Because she’s offended,” Nicole said. “She’s hurt by the way people are perceiving her daughter. She’s hurt at the negative headlines and the way that people are spinning it. Even my mom was like, ‘Well maybe next time, we just won’t answer those questions’.”
Nicole and Bennett Share A Touching Moment When Discussing “Lonely” Influencer Space
Throughout the conversation, Nicole’s eyes were welling up and she even asked for a tissue at one point. Her vulnerability affected Marshall and Bennett, who were clearly moved by her story. Bennett was fighting back tears of his own when he expressed to Nicole that he can relate to her emptiness when it comes to navigating social media. Marshall added, “You’re trying to figure it out in real-time. That’s hard, so I’m proud of you.”
Nicole has a level of fame that she didn’t enjoy prior to breaking up with Kelce. While she’s not going to return the new opportunities and the spotlight to show the world who she really is, it can be a treacherous road to the top, and she’s learning how to filter out unnecessary noise that can take her out of character.
Nicole says the concept is “simple,” acknowledging that she doesn’t “always have to respond,” she told the concerned co-hosts that she’s still trying to figure out how to navigate this newfound attention in the media. “I feel like I’m learning,” she said.
“I’m trying to continue to have the courage to stand in my power, to be myself, to answer questions honestly and transparently — but I also think that media training and a little bit of PR goes a long way because you don’t have to answer every question,” Nicole added. “Every comment or every DM doesn’t deserve a response. I’m learning that.”
Nicole places a large part of the blame for her taking things to heart that is said about her on her title as an “influencer” She says that she takes that role seriously and reiterated on the “I Am Athlete” show that “there is a part” of her that “cares” as “someone who wears the title ‘influencer’ and is “influencing other people.”
That leads to over analyzing things, Nicole said, which affected the way she expressed herself on “Unapologetically Angel.”
Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole at the 11th Annual NFL Honors presented by Invisalign held at YouTube Theater on Feb. 10, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Karl Walter/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
“I felt like there were moments that I articulate myself in a really good way. There were moments where if I could go back, I would maybe change the way I said things because it didn’t fully embody my character or my heart,” she admitted.
“But that’s something that I’m learning, right? As athletes, ya’ll have mastered that because you’ve done that your whole life,” she told the former NFL players, who are no strangers to the media, having dealt with press conferences and public appearances throughout their careers.
Nicole will continue dealing with some feedback from fans, especially as she elevates in her new profession as a sports personality. She will be in the same vicinity as her ex, and that will also lead to social media speculation and instigation. So far, it’s a win some, lose some scenario that has Nicole set up for the big bag if she can navigate this current storm.
