Angel Reese’s latest podcast episode has sent Swifties rushing to support her rival, Caitlin Clark.
The Chicago Sky player, 22, sat down with media personality and model Kayla Nicole — who also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Travis Kelce — in an episode of her Unapologetically Angel podcast released on Thursday, October 10. Nicole, 32, dated Kelce on and off from 2017 until 2022.
Following Nicole’s appearance, Swifties began recirculating a September 2023 X (formerly Twitter) post from Clark, also 22, in which the fellow Chiefs fan celebrated the pop superstar, 34, joining the fandom. “Taylor Swift welcome to the good side #chiefskingdom,” Clark had posted.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever smiles during a press conference after losing 81-87 to the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena on September 25, 2024. In October 2024, Swifties began declaring their love for Clark following a controversial Angel Reese podcast episode.
Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images
Swifties ran with the post, slamming Reese as they declared their newfound appreciation for the record-setting Clark. “Caitlin Clark fans and Taylor Swift fans have merged and become one today, a moment that will go down in history,” one person posted.
Another person joked, “Angel Reese interviewing Travis Kelce ex (Kayla Nicole) being the way Swifties find out Caitlin Clark is the biggest Taylor Swift swiftie in the WNBA is actually wild.”
Some posts weren’t as kind, with one person commenting about Reese and Nicole, “who cares what both of these losers say? Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark are more beautiful and talented.”
“Kayla Nicole thinking she on Taylor Swift level is as delusional as Angel Reese thinking she on Caitlin Clark level,” another person posted, while another fan dubbed Clark the “Taylor Swift of women’s basketball.”
Another fan called Reese “messy,” sharing a conspiracy theory about her podcast. “Angel Reese be watching Caitlin Clark every moves😂,” she posted.
It continued, “The only reason why she brought that lady on her podcast is because she knows CC loves Taylor Swift & she thought it would eat by bringing that lady on😂😂 It’s funny watching people flop when they are INTENTIONALLY BEING MESSY.”
Angel Reese interviewing Travis Kelce ex (Kayla Nicole) being the way Swifties find out Caitlin Clark is the biggest Taylor Swift swiftie in the WNBA is actually wildpic.twitter.com/tdPdVkyKbl
— Nezria (@KiwiDusk) October 11, 2024
On the other side, fans pointed out how much hate Nicole and Reese often receive, making the correlation that they are both Black women. “These women can’t breathe without someone having an issue,” one person posted.
Reese seemingly acknowledged all of the backlash from the podcast, posting on X on Friday, October 11, “hating pays too💅🏽.”
Nicole seemingly made Swift fans upset when she spoke about Kelce on the podcast, suggesting the two cannot speak anymore because of Swift. “We’ve seen each other in public spaces before, but it’s — I think that we’re both aware of the nature of his new situation that there’s just no room really for us to communicate or acknowledge each other publicly without it being spun into something crazy,” the entertainment journalist said.
The way people irrationally hate Meghan Markle, Angel Reese, and Kayla Nicole should be studied. We can probably add more names to this list, specifically black women, because that seems to be the common denominator. These women can’t breathe without someone having an issue.
— Michaelle Bradford (@SunnyChi) October 11, 2024
She also opened up about hate she had been receiving from Swift fans, sharing, “I would be lying if I said that that level of hate and just, like, online chaos doesn’t impact me.”
“It does, even to this day,” she added. “You can go to my most recent post, and it will be people debating each other why I am worthless, and I’ll never be a talented person and I have no career.”
Nicole also touched upon her friendship with the wives and girlfriends of the Kansas City Chiefs since her split from Kelce. The model was visibly uncomfortable during this line of questioning, seeing as she had previously been so close to Brittany Mahomes that she was one of her bridesmaids in the 29-year-old’s 2022 wedding to quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“We’re cool [but] we are not as cool as we were before,” Nicole said, before noting, “That was like family.” Nicole unfollowed the Mahomes family on social media in 2023, after Kelce began publicly dating Swift.
