Pat McAfee dished on sharing a suite with Taylor Swift and Tom Cruise at Sunday’s Chiefs game.
The ESPN host, 39, spent the Kansas City matchup against the Denver Broncos alongside the Grammy-winning singer, 36, her mother Andrea Swift, and the “Top Gun” star, 64, and he broke it all down Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show.” McAfee described the atmosphere as electric from kickoff, noting that Swift was locked in on every play while watching her husband Travis Kelce take the field for his first game of the season.
“That was the most ‘into it’ suite we’ve ever been in,” McAfee recalled. He added that Swift followed “every snap” as the Chiefs battled the Broncos, calling her energy “all in” throughout the contest.
The former Indianapolis Colts punter also got personal time with the pop star, who he said was “kind” and “hospitable” enough to take a selfie with him. Their physical encounter came with complications though — McAfee hugged Swift after greeting Travis’ mother Donna Kelce, and he later expressed regret about the sticky situation he created.
“I sweated all over” her, McAfee admitted to listeners, acknowledging the brutal Missouri heat that left him drenched while Swift remained composed.
While McAfee was dealing with perspiration, Cruise appeared almost supernaturally unaffected by the temperature. The actor showed up in a leather jacket, a bold choice for a sweltering day that left McAfee stunned by what he witnessed — or rather, what he didn’t witness.
“He … didn’t have a single drop or bead of sweat anywhere,” McAfee marveled. “He’s the movie star. He doesn’t sweat.”
Andrea Swift contributed to the suite experience in her own way, bringing candied bacon for the group to enjoy during the game. McAfee’s account painted a picture of a surprisingly intimate gathering, with one of music’s biggest stars, one of Hollywood’s most enduring action heroes, and a sports media personality all packed together watching Kelce, 36, work.
Sunday marked Swift’s first appearance at a Chiefs game since she and Kelce married in New York City in July. She arrived in a checked polo dress with her signature red lip, a look that cameras caught repeatedly throughout the ESPN broadcast. The heavy coverage sparked its own side story when lip readers attempted to decode her conversation with Cruise.
According to one professional lip reader who spoke to the Irish Times, Swift allegedly told the actor, “It’s the structure of the entire infrastructure of the audience that’s what I love in a positive way.” Another viral moment that appeared to show Swift telling cameras to stop filming her was debunked by a separate lip reader, who told The Post she was actually yelling football instructions: “Oh he’s open, oh he’s open, get off of him.”
McAfee’s Monday broadcast offered a rare unfiltered glimpse into how celebrities experience NFL games when they’re not performing for the crowd themselves. His enthusiasm for the experience was palpable as he recounted the details, from Swift’s intense focus on the action to Cruise’s inexplicable cool under pressure.
“Watching them experience a game was fantastic,” he summed up.
The Chiefs secured the victory over the Broncos, giving Swift a winning start to her married life of NFL Sundays.