The claim: Fox News reported Chiefs CEO banned Taylor Swift from team’s games

An Aug. 23 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows side-by-side images of Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt and pop star Taylor Swift.

“JUST IN: Fox News has Just Reported that Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt has officially banned pop superstar Taylor Swift from attending any future Chiefs games, Calling her ‘Chiefs’ BIGGEST DISTRACTION,’” reads the post. “This decision came on the heels of the Chiefs’ disappointing defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars in their first preseason game.”

The post was shared more than 100 times in a week. Similar posts appeared on Facebook and Threads.

Fox News did not report Swift banned from Chiefs games

There is no such report on Fox News’ website, and a spokesperson for the news outlet said it did not report that Hunt banned Swift from Chiefs games.

“This was never reported on FOX News Channel,” Fox News spokesperson Sofie Watson told USA TODAY.

No credible reports from other news outlets support the post’s claim either, and nothing similar to the claim is mentioned in any recent statements from the Chiefs.

Fact check: Travis Kelce fined $10 million for anthem kneel? No, that started as satire

In late September 2023, Swift attended the Chiefs’ game against the Chicago Bears, the first of many she attended to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ nine-time Pro Bowl tight end.

Hunt, the Chiefs’ CEO since 2010, told Bloomberg in August that Swift’s involvement with the team has helped boost its fan base by 30%.

“I always want to point out how happy I am for Taylor and Travis in the relationship. I’ve seen them together and they make a fantastic couple,” Hunt said, adding that “The knock-on effect has been amazing, the growth in our female fan base has been amazing over the last year.”

Hunt has also said Swift is part of the “Chiefs Kingdom,” a phrase often used to describe the team’s fan base.

USA TODAY has previously debunked numerous false claims about Swift, including that the Country Music Hall of Fame disqualified her, that CMT banned her for life and that Jason Aldean threw her out of a Toby Keith tribute concert.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

No, Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt didn’t ban Taylor Swift from games

If Your Time is short

This claim is unfounded.

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has so far attended both of the Kansas City Chiefs’ games in the 2024 NFL season. But recent Facebook posts claim Swift won’t see her boyfriend and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce play the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 22.

“SHOCK: Kansas City Chiefs CEO bans Taylor Swift from attending games, calling her the team’s ‘biggest distraction’!” a Sept. 17 Facebook post said.

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

A Chiefs spokesperson didn’t respond to PolitiFact’s questions about the post but we found no evidence to support its claim.

For months, self-described satire sites and social media accounts have posted fake news about supposed Swift bans. We fact-checked one such story taken out of context in June.

And this particular new claim about Swift and Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt has appeared on at least one Facebook page that notes “nothing on this page is real.”

The Chiefs have issued no press releases about a Swift ban, and we found no public statements from Hunt saying as much.

In August, Bloomberg News reported that Hunt said Swift had helped to boost the Chiefs’ fan base by 30%.

“I always want to point out how happy I am for Taylor and Travis in the relationship. I’ve seen them together and they make a … fantastic couple,” Hunt said. At the same time, “the knock-on effect has been amazing, the growth in our female fan base has been amazing over the last year.”

Hunt recalled that when Swift attended her first game, she didn’t want special treatment and preferred walking through the stadium’s front gates.

“Our security people were like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Hunt told Bloomberg News. “She came to the game and completely lit up social media, every other kind (of) media.”

In a Sept. 5 appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, Hunt echoed his pleasure in Swift and Kelce’s relationship, saying,  “We have a whole lot more female fans now, specifically young female fans.” He also said that he attended two Swift concerts at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium before the 2023 season began.

“What an incredible performer she is,” Hunt said. “She’s absolutely amazing.”

We rate claims he banned her from Chiefs games False.