Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce made their official awards show debut as a couple at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
The Grammy winner and NFL star were on hand for Thursday night’s show, which was held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. They didn’t make their highly anticipated red carpet debut, where Swift walked alone, though they were seated inside the stage together.
Swift took the stage to accept the award for best pop album of the year, and praised her fiancé in her speech.
“The album The life of a showgirl I was really inspired by the energy I felt looking out into the crowds and seeing you guys and connecting with you every night. “And so the album came out with this energy of feeling really happy and strong and confident and free, and so I want to say thank you to the fans for giving me that feeling. Maybe this album also feels happy and confident and free because that’s the way I feel every day of my life, because of my fiancé, who’s here tonight,” she said.
She also thanked iHeart and her fans who enjoyed her song “The Fate of Ophelia,” noting, “You guys made this the biggest hit of my career, which is crazy at this point.”
Swift’s attendance at the ceremony was confirmed ahead of the show, her only appearance at the awards show in 2026. She walked the carpet wearing a mint green miniskirt and a corset embellished with sparkly embellishments.
Swift and Kelce announced their engagement in August 2025, after first being romantically linked in late summer 2023. Although they may not have walked a red carpet as a couple yet, Swift regularly attends the Kansas City Chiefs player’s NFL games, attending several stops on Swift’s Eras Tour. During her 2024 show in London, Kelsey herself made a surprise on-stage performance of “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”
The “Opalite” singer was the most nominated artist at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, leading the nominees with a total of nine nods. Swift took home some of the night’s top awards, including song of the year (for “The Fate of Ophelia”), best music video (for the same song) and female artist of the year, all of which she won.
Elsewhere, Alex Warren, Sabrina Carpenter and Bad Bunny topped the list of nominees with eight nominations each. Carpenter and Bad Bunny were nominated for Artist of the Year alongside Swift, Benson Bone, Chris Brown, Jelly Roll, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae.
The awards ceremony was held live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, with Ludacris serving as the host. He received the iHeartRadio Landmark Award, while John Mellencamp received the iHeartRadio Icon Award. Miley Cyrus also received the iHeartRadio Innovator Award and Warren received the iHeartRadio Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award.
More to come.
