Actress Rachel Zegler called out Dan Katz and the hosts of Barstool’s “Big Cat” podcast for comments they made about the alleged relationship between acclaimed singer songwriter Taylor Swift and NFL Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce.
Katz claimed that he “did not believe” the romance rumors, and would not unless Swift and Kelce released an explicit tape. The podcast hosts went on to have a conversation about the numerous explicit acts they would accept as confirmation of the relationship. Viewers are widely unsurprised regarding the misogynistic nature of the brand’s podcasts, especially founder and CEO Dave Portnoy’s previously inappropriate comments and sexual assault allegations.
However, Zegler raised the point that no male celebrity’s relationship status would be discussed in this manner. This double standard regarding the public eye and interpersonal relationships for celebrities has long cast a shadow over Swift’s career, and Zegler’s post continues the conversation on the phenomenon.
it’s not news that the media is particularly (and unwarrantedly) cruel to taylor swift but the way men feel entitled to speak about women, their bodies, and their sex lives needs to be seriously evaluated https://t.co/0KxXEfHIC0
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) October 3, 2023
After Zegler’s post received some negative commentary from avid fans of the Barstool podcast, the actress continued to defend the singer.
you will never see people speaking this way about a man. that goes for a lot of different scenarios. we do not pick apart men’s attitudes and relationships the way we do women’s. and it’s not always just men who speak this way about us. women can and do, too. it sucks.
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) October 3, 2023
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Social Media Reactions To Zegler’s Post
Women continued to criticize the ongoing overarching misogyny in the sports industry.
the obsession men have with sex and p0rn is so exhausting.
— kie (@criminalplaza) October 3, 2023
Elsewhere, men who are avid pro sports followers are also calling out Katz’ inappropriate comments, condemning the popular podcasting network as a whole for allowing this to air when they should have focused on sports, as their marketing suggests.
You don’t find this at all strange to say?
— Dictator Wygi (@WygiZilf) October 2, 2023
Others found that the comments were vulgar enough to be considered defamatory statements.
You should be in jail for this take. ????
— Alex Goldschmidt (@alexandergold) October 3, 2023
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A “1989” Romance
The podcast comes amid Swift attending Kelce’s games in support of him as their alleged relationship continues to progress. Swift first attended a home game and went out to dinner with Kelce in his home city of Kansas City, Missouri, and met up with the NFL star again when he played the New York Jets on Swift’s turf near New York City.
Kelce has rapidly found fame as an NFL star in his own right, gaining new fans for the “New Heights” podcast he shares with his brother. A few months ago, his home stadium of Arrowhead was converted to a concert venue in the city for Swift’s tour, and the singer left a lasting impression on the NFL tight end. The Kelce brothers recounted Travis becoming enchanted with Swift, and getting creative with trying to get her attention. The NFL star admitted that he attempted to hand Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it.
The friendship bracelets have become a big part of Swift’s tour experiences, and refer to a lyric from her song “You’re On Your Own Kid,” in which she sings “make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.” Kelce was following “Eras” etiquette and tried to get creative, but his message was at first lost in translation. The football star revealed his unique bracelet design on the “New Heights” podcast, to his brother’s amusement.
The mass media attention on the allegedly burgeoning relationship has drawn some to assume it must all be a PR stunt, but others point out that both parties have enough success to the point that they likely would not need one. Amid aggressive sports industry commentary against Swift, Kelce stated on his podcast this week that the NFL might be “overdoing it” by using them for marketing.
????New video of Travis talking about how his relationship went viral, he says he can’t be mad about it and he still has on that same smile he always does for Taylor pic.twitter.com/UFT3qyqPes
— Jane (@notItalianfood) October 3, 2023
Neither Swift nor Kelce have addressed the Barstool comments at this time.
