NEW YORK — Pop music megastar Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce are married, the New York Post's Page Six reported Thursday, citing unidentified sources as preparations for an expected celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York were underway.
The pair exchanged vows in front of a "tiny group of loved ones," the outlet said. It did not say when or where the nuptials took place, though it noted Swift's private jet recently spent time in Nashville.
Swift's publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As workers scrambled to prepare Madison Square Garden for what was expected to be a lavish celebration for the megastars, the pair gave their clearest hint yet of what their plans might be.
Workers install metal barricades Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York ahead of a reported wedding between singer Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce.
$26 million donations
While neither commented on media reports of a holiday weekend bash, the singer's publicity team said Thursday that Kelce and Swift donated $26 million to several charities in New York and elsewhere this week.
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Several media outlets reported that Swift and Kelce will hold a 100-person event at the sports arena Thursday followed by a larger celebration in front of 1,000 people Friday.
At Madison Square Garden, workers hauled in food and decor to make the whole place shimmer. News cameras captured foliage, a box marked "garden party" and another labeled lobster meat. The venue's public calendar showed no events scheduled until Tuesday — a rare six-day stretch in a summer otherwise packed with concerts, with just the occasional night unbooked.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend the iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 26 in Los Angeles.
Streets closed
Police set up barriers around the venue Thursday, closing streets and blocking pedestrian walkways.
New York City already was abuzz with major happenings over the U.S. Independence Day weekend. Tall ships will sail into New York Harbor to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, and a World Cup soccer match is set for Sunday in nearby New Jersey.
On Wednesday, onlookers stopped to watch a couple of Russian daredevils who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and unfurled a banner urging world peace.
The big events coincide with high temperatures that prompted city officials to declare a heat emergency. When asked about a potential Swift wedding, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani used the moment to urge people to stay indoors to protect themselves from the extreme weather.
“If you happen to be getting married at MSG, you will be staying inside and staying cool, and I think it’s a good example to set for the city at large,” he told reporters this week.
Members of the New York City Police are seen Thursday at an entrance to Madison Square Garden in New York ahead of a reported wedding between singer Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce.
Reuters confirmed an event planning company applied for a permit to close the streets around the arena from Thursday through midday Saturday. Fencing was erected around the venue's entrances this week.
The venue sits above a major commuter hub, and some commuters and tourists said the preparations and street closures were a hassle for people trying to get around New York.
That was not the case for Swift fan and Utah resident Tara Rosales, who said she felt "1,000% excitement" for the event.
"She's never an inconvenience. Taylor can do whatever she wants," Rosales said.
A woman walks through an entrance Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York ahead of a reported wedding between singer Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce.
'Royal wedding'
The union of the "Love Story" singer and a Kansas City Chiefs tight end, dubbed "America's royal wedding," is one of the most anticipated celebrity weddings of the century.
Speculation intensified since the couple announced their engagement in August following a public courtship that enchanted fans. Cameras caught Swift cheering on Kelce at Chiefs games and followed him as he jetted around the world to her concerts.
A star-studded crowd is expected, given Swift's roster of celebrity friends, including Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Emma Stone and Gigi Hadid. In one TV interview, Swift joked that she would invite "anyone that I've ever talked to."
Irish television host Graham Norton, who appeared in Swift's "Opalite" music video, was pictured arriving at New York's JFK airport.
Swift was a guest on Norton's BBC chat show last year, and when he asked her when the wedding would take place, the singer said: "Oh, you'll know … I was going to invite you to it."
