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Stephen A. Smith is leading the charge of “Tayvis” shippers. In a new interview with Howard Stern, the sports TV personality passionately raved about his admiration for both Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, pushing back against the radio personality’s insinuation that the Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman is depending on the pop star for a career boost.
In a clip posted to YouTube Wednesday (Jan. 24), Stern quipped to his guest that Kelce “has to marry Taylor Swift” in order to secure a “movie career” and become “bigger than The Rock.” Suffice to say, Smith emphatically disagreed.
“He is a two-time Super Bowl champion, he’s on the verge of potentially being a three-time Super Bowl champion,” the broadcaster pointed out. “Universally recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the history of . Good looking dude, got style, got flair, got skills. He’s got a future in this business.”
“He’s the total package,” he added. “He’s a really, really good dude.”
Indeed, Kelce and the Chiefs are very much in the running to keep their Super Bowl winning streak going. After triumphing 27-24 over the Buffalo Bills Sunday (Jan. 21) — a game attended by Swift as well as the tight end’s family – Kansas City is set to move forward to the AFC Championship Game this weekend. Should they win against the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens, the Chiefs will then continue on to defend their Lombardi Trophy at the Super Bowl on Feb. 11.
That’s not to say that Smith underestimates the status of Kelce’s superstar girlfriend, however. “Don’t get me wrong, Taylor Swift is a good-looking woman,” he continued on The Howard Stern Show. “She’s an incredible artist – I went to her concert [at SoFi Stadium] with my daughter. Man, Howard, it was off the chain. I loved it. I couldn’t believe how much I loved it.”
“She was phenomenal,” Smith gushed. “I saw Taylor Swift receive a nine-minute standing ovation in between songs … I’m telling you right now, no one was sitting down. Howard, the concert was three and a half hours nonstop, there was no intermission. Are you ready for this? I’m 56 years old. I stood up for the three and a half hours. I never sat down.”
The sports analyst’s conversation with Stern isn’t the first time he’s come to Kelce and Swift’s defense this year. Amid complaints earlier this month from some NFL fans that the “Anti-Hero” singer’s presence at Chiefs games is too distracting, Smith posited on ESPN’s First Take that she’s actually having a “positive impact” on Kelce’s performance.
“She’s going to support her dude,” he said at the time. “To show up at a football game and the cameras are on her — that ain’t her fault! And excuse me, by the way, she went to the games after the concerts. It’s not like she used the games to bump up the concerts. Oh no! Those kids were going to her concerts whether the NFL was promoting her or not!”
Watch Smith on Howard Stern above.
Tate McRae is honoring her Canadian roots, as it was announced on Wednesday (Jan. 24) that she’ll be headlining the second intermission performance at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 3. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The event, which will take over Scotiabank Arena in […]
01/24/2024
From Em hyping the crowd during a “Lose Yourself” Ford Field moment to Taylor’s swag surfin’ with Brittany Mahomes, here’s why a Lions vs. Chiefs Super Bowl would be fun on and off the field.
01/24/2024
Whether it’s NBA stars or A-list rappers, celebrity trainer Chris Brickley has worked with some of the best talents the world has to offer on and off the basketball court.
Over the weekend, Brickley compiled a list championing 10 musicians he’s trained with and watched play pick-up on New York City’s West Side as part of his Black Ops Basketball sessions.
“This is a heavily talked about debate!! But let’s get into it,” he wrote on Instagram. “What artist has the best game? I could have done 15 of these slides. But I picked 10. Talk to me, who looks the best??? Also, what other artists can really hoop⁉️”
Brickley’s list — which doesn’t appear to be ranked in order — includes highlights from Drake, J. Cole, Justin Bieber, Lil Durk, Travis Scott, Quavo, Dave East, Chris Brown, Rowdy Rebel and H.E.R.
Plenty of debate broke out in his comments section, but even Chris Brown chimed in to give the crown to Dave East, who played Division 1 basketball for Towson University.
“Dave the only N—a that can really hoop,” Brown wrote, but made sure to note that nobody else can keep up with him. “Y’all better stop playing I will cook the rest!!! Yall know my body.”
Quality Control Music A&R Wayno added: “[Dave] East , and he don’t even trained if he trained one month ain’t no rapper beating him in ball.”
Sheck Wes took major issue and called the list “blasphemy” as he couldn’t believe he was left off. The “Mo Bamba” rapper realized his professional hoop dreams by suiting up overseas in a French league for the 2021 season.
NBA players even took note as the list caught the eye of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard and he gave the title belt to Dax.
Join the debate on Instagram, and find Brickley’s post below.
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WWE is gearing up for a major weekend filled with must-see matches during the highly anticipated Royal Rumble 2024 taking place Saturday (Jan. 27), with the main card event starting at 8 p.m. ET on Peacock and pay-per-view.
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This marks the first big rumble on the road to WrestleMania 40, and is the first of four total PPV matches that will take place this year. Sixty contenders (30 men and 30 women) will fight for a chance to move up within the ranks, and with two championship titles up for grabs, it’s sure to be a exciting.
The fights will be livestreamed from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., which you can still purchase tickets to watch live through Ticketmaster, StubHub, Vivid Seats and Seat Geek (new users can score $10 off their first purchase of $250+ with code BILLBOARD10). If you’re not able to get some travel deals to see the fights live, you can still stream WWE Royal Rumble 2024 at home without cable through affordable streaming options.
Two main events will be taking place, including Roman Reigns defending his WWE Universal Championship title in a four-way match against Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight. Then, Logan Paul will be defending his WWE United States Championship title against Kevin Owens. The winner from each bout will be eligible for a title as they move on to fight against a champion of their choice during WrestleMania 40 on April 6.
Keep reading to learn how to watch the WWE matches live.
How to Watch WWE Royal Rumble 2024
Peacock will be exclusively livestreaming WWE Royal Rumble 2024 with some live cable providers offering a PPV package to watch the fights live. If you have cable, you can check with your cable provider to see if they offer WWE Royal Rumble 2024 and to purchase it on PPV. For Peacock subscribers, you can tune into the live event for no additional cost. Just log into your account once the main card event begins, and you’ll have access to the fights.
Don’t have a Peacock subscription? The streaming platform doesn’t offer a free trial, but does come with a couple of affordable plans starting at $5.99/month. Click here or the button below to start your subscription.
There are two different plans offered on Peacock: the Premium Plan for $5.99/month or the Premium Plus Plan for $11.99/month. If you’re looking for additional savings, you can save 17% off when you do the annual plan for $59.99/year or $119.99/year. With the Premium Plan, it’s ad-supported and you’ll receive more than 80,000 hours of TV, movies and sports, access to live sports events, current NBC and Bravo shows, 50+ always-on live TV channels as well as the ability to stream new, exclusive and original content from the streaming platform.
Peacock’s Premium Plus plan comes with everything in the Premium plan, no ads, your local NBC channel live and the ability to download and stream eligible content offline.
Alongside WWE Royal Rumble 2024, you’ll have access to the entire Peacock library as well as Bravo and NBC content including WrestleMania, Yellowstone, The Holdovers, Five Nights At Freddy’s, Vanderpump Rules, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Based on a True Story, Bel-Air, Kevin Hart: Reality Check, Poker Face, Saturday Night Live, Willie Nelson & Family and more.
Make sure you also grab official merch here to cheer on your favorite fighter or show some love for the major wrestling event.
The Kansas City Chiefs are Swifties! Tight end Jordy Fortson Jr. took to his Instagram Stories over the weekend to post a video singing along to Taylor Swift’s 1989 hit, “Bad Blood,” in celebration of his team’s playoff win against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday (Jan. 21). The song choice is fitting, as Swift was […]
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The city of Detroit is on a high as the Detroit Lions are only one more win away from their first ever Super Bowl appearance.
As a city with a team that once went 0-16, the current success has most native Detroiters feeling proud and a little emotional. This is why when Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back, Rachaad White did “The Blade Dance” after scoring a touchdown against the Lions during Sunday’s Lions-Bucs divisional round matchup—the city responded with outrage.
Detroiters have also flooded White’s Instagram comments going in about the perceived “disrespect.”
White later told M-Live reporter Kory Woods that he learned about Icewood from teammate Will Gholston who is from the Detroit area. White is from Kansas City. “(Gholston) did it one time. He got a sack when we played somebody in Tampa. And I was asking him about the dance. I thought it was cool,” White told MLive. “And then he just basically filled me in on where it was from, who it was from and stuff like that. So the biggest thing is they can say what they want to say, but it wasn’t disrespect; it was to pay homage.”
The rapper’s son, known as Lil Blade, responded with a selfie on Instagram, writing, “Idk if I should be happy or irritated @detroitlionsnfl.”
Icewood, considered one of the forefathers of Detroit street rap, popularized the dance with his most successful single, “Boy Would You (Boss Up and Get This Money). Born Darnell Lindsay, Icewood was part of a rap group called The Street Lordz and was slain in a hail of gunfire at the age of 28 in 2005.
The rapper’s life was documented in an episode of TV One’s Sins of the City last year.
The Lions ultimately won the game and are one win away from their first Super Bowl appearance. They take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Jan. 28 in the Bay.
Check out reactions in the gallery.
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Let’s hear it for the Bay Area! NorCal natives Saweetie and P-Lo teamed up with their hometown NFL team, the San Fransisco 49ers, to release the ultimate anthem, “Do It For the Bay,” on Friday (Jan. 19). “You ain’t gotta ask who I do it for / Home team iced out / Dipped in that […]
Taylor Swift is getting all the love from the Kansas City Chiefs family! Patrick “Pat” Mahomes Sr., the father of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was asked during a recent interview with Starcade Media about Taylor Swift’s relationship with the team’s tight end Travis Kelce. “She’s down to earth,” Mahomes Sr. said. “I actually walked up […]
The National Hockey League revealed on Thursday (Jan. 18) that rock band The Glorious Sons and multi-instrumentalist TALK will be headlining this year’s NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The event, which will take over Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, on […]