Kayla Nicole’s 2025 Halloween costume is making waves online after fans claimed she used the holiday to send a subtle message to her ex-boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, and his fiancée, Taylor Swift. The 33-year-old sports host and influencer dressed as R&B icon Toni Braxton, perfectly recreating her 2000 look from the “He Wasn’t Man Enough” music video.
The choice of the song, famously about a woman warning another about an unfaithful man, immediately set social media ablaze. Fans were quick to speculate that Nicole’s costume wasn’t just a fun tribute but a carefully crafted statement aimed at Kelce and Swift. Since the Chiefs tight end began dating the pop superstar in 2023, Nicole has often sparked conversation with her subtle online reactions, but this latest move might be her boldest yet.
Kayla Nicole’s Post That Set Off The Speculation
On October 31, Kayla Nicole took to Instagram to reveal her Halloween costume, a spot-on recreation of Toni Braxton’s look from the 2000 hit “He Wasn’t Man Enough.” The video showed her confidently lip-syncing to some of the song’s most pointed lyrics: “Do you know I dumped your husband, girlfriend?” and “Do you know he begged to stay with me? He wasn’t man enough for me.”
It didn’t take long for fans to connect the dots, sparking immediate speculation that Nicole’s post was a subtle reference to her past relationship with Travis Kelce.
Moreover, the timing of the post added fuel to the fire. Less than a month earlier, Swift released her song “Opalite,” which many listeners interpreted as a subtle reference to Nicole.
The lyrics, “You couldn’t understand it, why you felt alone / You were in it for real, she was in her phone / And you were just a pose,” seemed to allude to Kelce’s prior relationship with the 33-year-old.
Related: Taylor Swift Adopts Low-Profile Approach At Travis Kelce’s NFL Games Amid Security Concerns
Nicole and Kelce dated on and off from 2017 to 2022 before ultimately parting ways. Since their split, Nicole has often shared empowering messages on social media, signaling her focus on growth and independence.
Neither Nicole, Kelce, nor Swift has addressed the latest wave of speculation, leaving fans to draw their own conclusions. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how Nicole recently reacted to Taylor Swift’s latest song.
Kayla Nicole Opens Up About Social Media Anxiety After Taylor Swift’s Alleged Diss in “Opalite”
In early October 2025, Travis Kelce’s ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole opened up about the emotional weight of living under constant public scrutiny. Her comments came shortly after Taylor Swift released her album Life of a Showgirl, featuring a track titled “Opalite,” which many fans speculated was inspired by Nicole and her past relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs star.
Speaking on her podcast The Pre-Game, Nicole shared how the online attention and speculation have taken a toll on her mental health. “As someone who obsesses over the fact that I, on a daily basis, am terrified of my comments, terrified of my DMs,” she said.
She further added, “I don’t want to be triggered. I don’t want to care, I don’t want to look.” Her words painted a raw picture of the anxiety that comes with being endlessly compared and analyzed in the public eye.
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Moreover, Nicole went on to share that she tries to handle the negativity with humor, admitting that if people insist on being cruel, she’d at least prefer it to happen under sponsored posts.
“If you’re gonna be negative, please do it on my ads so I can make money off the engagement,” she joked, hinting at how she’s learned to find lightness in a relentless situation. While Nicole never mentioned Swift directly, she acknowledged that the past year had been one of emotional strain and major change.
She concluded with, “I’m like God, if anybody f—ing Googles me, they’re gonna think I’m a crazy person right now. I can relate to experiencing adversity, great change in your life, maybe misconceptions of people in public in general.”
