Screenshot of fake Elon Musk, Travis Kelce dispute spreads online

Taylor Swift announced her endorsement of Kamala Harris immediately following the first presidential debate, sparking a rapid response from Elon Musk. Soon after, screenshots circulating on social media claimed to show a confrontational thread on X between the pop star's NFL player boyfriend -- Travis Kelce -- and the billionaire Tesla founder and X owner. But the post does not appear on the tight end's account and his purported comment parrots a sports meme.

"Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life," says a September 11, 2024 X post shared by Musk.

The same day, an X user claimed: "It appears Travis has responded to Elon." The post includes what looks like a reply to Musk's comments from the American football star, saying: "I'm 6'5" and actually play football. The fact that I went to college and got a degree and worked hard might be lost on you. I don't play backgammon but I do play chess. I could also twist you into a pretzel."

Musk's tweet referenced the Instagram post Swift shared after the presidential debate September 10, endorsing Harris. She urged her fans to do their own research and head to the polls in November, signing off as "Childless Cat Lady" -- a direct call out to controversial remarks made by Republican vice presidential nominee Senator J.D. Vance.

Swift had been largely silent on the election but said that she had been inspired to speak up after discovering altered images showing her falsely endorsing Trump. Her call to action brought in 405,999 visitors to the federal government's website Vote.gov. 

Many Swift fans were angered by Musk -- who posted his public endorsement of Trump on July 13 -- taking a jab at the megastar, but the screenshot showing Kelce purportedly reacting to the billionaire's remarks is fabricated.

AFP searched the Kansas City Chiefs player's X profile and replies and found no evidence of such comments (archived here). The X user @theABinKC appears to have shared the first iteration of the screenshot and has since posted several follow-up responses, calling those who believed the post "gullible." The user's bio says: "you've seen my memes" and "relax they're just jokes."

A keyword search on X uncovered the quote's origins: a baseball-related dispute between a Baltimore Orioles fan and a Washington Nationals fan page, @TalkNats. The quote was then reshared by the Orioles' official X account after they beat the Nationals on August 14, 2024 (archived here).

AFP has previously fact-checked multiple false claims about Swift and Kelce.