Cancelling Kelce: Ruptures and Fractures in Swiftie Fan & Anti-fan Subreddits

An exploration of the dynamics causing ruptures in Taylor Swift-related subreddits over one year, using mixed methods.

1. This research was funded through the Australian Laureate Fellowship project Determining the Drivers and Dynamics of Partisanship and Polarisation in Online Public Debate. Ruptures and Fractures in Swiftie Fan & Anti-fan Subreddits Cancelling Kelce

2. One year of data from 11 subreddits via Reddit API Fauxmoi Popculturechat Popheads TaylorSwift SwiftlyNeutral TrueSwifties TravisandTaylor TaylorandTravis Tayvissnark GaylorSwift Gaylor_Swift Sept. 1 2023 – Sept. 30 2024 Kelce relationship – Harris endorsement Additional manual data collected August 2025 Engagement & immediate aftermath

3. Complex dynamics at play with simultaneous large factors: Swift’s political “awakening” The “Eras Tour” - extreme fame Kelce’s appearance in Swift’s life Kelce appear to be divisive in different ways with these other factors – resulting in fandom fracturing in visible ways Travis Kelce as a Swiftie flashpoint

4. Purposeful mass appeal, clean image Prins (2020) shows Swift’s malleability as an icon – her meaning is fluid Blank space for parasocial relations and political meaning Allows for fragmentation and parallel meaning-making Taylor Swift as a blank space 2006 2024

5. Swift is not new to public and/or fandom controversies Kanye & Kim feud in 2009/2016 attacked authenticity and nearly succeeded (Joseph & Cook 2025) Jet use: anti-fan vs eco activism (ibid.) IP feud & bullying vs Scooter Braun “ CapiTaylorism ” Non-politics & politics (perceived & real) Meaning-making, cultural aggregation (Giolo, Trottier & Driessen (2025) Participatory Culture Wars (Driessen, Jones & Litherland, 2024) Not the first rodeo – but…

6. Subreddit activity responding to Kelce underlining the idea of him as a divisive factor in her life Subs respond directly and indirectly to each other – fan/anti-fan community is linked The centrality of ‘the boyfriend’ to Swift’s oeuvre likely reason why Kelce is such a factor He is unlike any other boyfriend! Reddit fandom ruptures

7. Grammys Album Tour restart Harris endorsement

8. Grammys Album Tour restart w. Kelce Harris endorsement

9. Not like the other girls guys Visibly (& she is also not his usual type) (Participatory) Culture wars Swift’s meaning is in flux (Prins 2020) and contrasts with the meaning of NFL

10. Additional qualitative data from the engagement announcement Manual scrolling through mega threads Screenshots Notes on trends, topics, fractions r/ popculturechat : mildly congratulatory, strictly moderated sub r/ fauxmoi : dunking, snarky (cringe, suspicious timing, politics) r/ popheads : relaxed, mostly congratulatory, bit of a variety, also moderated sub w. lots of community history etc Engaging examples Possibly the most common sentiment – varieties in almost all subs – here from r/ fauxmoi

11. Engaging examples

12. r/ swiftlyneutral Mod request to keep it nice; they did Awareness of high emotions, vulnerabilities Fans happy Not a fan but good for them r/ taylorswift – overall happy Parasocial feelings Sharing how they found out (esp. funny/embarrassing ways) Engaging examples

13. r/ travisandtaylor More active sub than the counterpart Expectedly very snarky and anti-fan Sees subreddit as a refuge from being inundated by positive news Disparaging comments directed at the couple’s personalities, looks, and capitalist strategies Example post jokes that there will be variants of wedding photos (Taylor’s version) for sale r/ gaylor_swift has been private lately r/ gaylorswift went private very quickly r/ taylorandtravis Flurry of activity – a slow sub immediately prior Massive happiness, fanart, reactions Cute “how I found out”-comments Mods requesting that any “ snarkers ” are reported to them right away for removal Example post of a fan who found out by chatting to a random person in an elevator, dancing and cheering with that person, and crediting Swift as the only person who can spark that kind of girlhood joy r/ trueswifties similar Engaging examples

14. Very aware of each other Including between different groups of similarly aligned subs; differences matter Ruptures exemplified in moderation rules as well as these flashpoint moments (perhaps what the rules are meant for) Some subs restrict posters Some restrict posts Some restrict membership Responsive to shifts in the Swiftie field All subs refer to each other at times, but not common More of that in the engagement posts The “other side” is seen as about to be insufferable Gaylors are snidely remarked on across the board The groups clearly understand themselves as fans and anti-fans Activity patterns bear this out Fan and anti-fan references

15. Cancellation is not a useful term here Swift is too big to cancel & intense fandom acts as insulation (chilling effect) Can Kelce be cancelled? As a white man & (presumed?) conservative The relationship might confer further protection to both Both would be more critiqued if they were leaning towards her “progressive” spaces than his Fans and anti-fans fracture around Swift/Kelce in concert with culture wars Fracturing rather than cancelling

16. Participatory culture wars in effect Swift’s blank space malleability in political terms is intensified through the engagement (Album lyrics further intensifies) Who is Swift the Footballer’s Wife? Can (superficially) progressive values and (white) feminism coexist with her shift towards traditionalism? Can her fandom hold? Who actually cancels who? Fracturing rather than cancelling 50% of The Life of a Showgirl (@smittermeier.bsky.social)

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