Taylor Swift skips Travis Kelce's Sunday night NFL showdown in New York amid recent safety concerns

Taylor Swift opted to skip Travis Kelce's must-win game on Sunday night amid growing safety concerns surrounding the global superstar.

Kelce and Chiefs faced off against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium as they looked for their first win of the season after losing their first two games. 

Tight end Kelce had his game face on as he was pictured entering the stadium on Sunday in a sleek, purple suit - but there was no sign of Swift on the night.

The singer-songwriter was seen at the Chiefs game against the Eagles last weekend, where she arrived behind what was believed to have been a bullet-resistant screen.

Insiders recently revealed to the Daily Mail that Chiefs players were warned in advance that there would be heightened security at the game.

The insider pointed to increased tensions in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder at an event in Utah, which came just days before the Chiefs game against the Eagles.

'They used the screen to keep her safe,' the insider said. 'They have used that screen before, but usually it is for the President or someone like that, not a celebrity. But this was a weird week.'

Conservative activist Kirk, 31, was assassinated by a gunman last Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University.

Meanwhile, Swift is a known liberal who has backed the last two Democratic Party candidates, in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.

Kirk even spoke about Swift a fortnight before his death, remarking on her recent engagement to tight end Kelce, 35. 

'This is something that I hope will make Taylor Swift more conservative,' he said, before adding that the singer should 'submit' to her future husband.

Kirk also controversially said the burly sportsman could 'de-radicalize' Swift from being 'a cat lady to a JD Vance supporter.'

For her part, Swift is said to have been left in shock at Kirk's very public assassination. And it is that trauma, coupled with her ongoing issues of stalking, that has meant those around her are not 'taking any chances' when it comes to safety.

'Taylor had concerns because she has received hate mail from the same kinds of extreme groups,' said another insider. 'Charlie's murder, and the weirdness with her stalkers, is why she will take serious measures to increase her security and only a core group of people know what her schedule is.

'She was targeted by far-right extremist groups after going against Trump [by endorsing Kamala Harris] and there are legitimate concerns about some of the threats that have been made. They aren't taking any chances.'

In August last year, Swift found herself the target of a foiled terror attack in Vienna, Austria, and was forced to cancel three of her 'Eras' world tour dates in the capital. She later said the incident filled her with a 'new sense of fear.'

It came days after three young girls were tragically knifed to death while at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England.

Swift has also found herself the target of multiple male stalkers.

Most recently, she was granted a restraining order against Colorado man Brian Jason Wagner, who sent hundreds of emails and showed up at Swift's in Los Angeles multiple times.

In the wake of Kirk's death, there were a number of heightened security measures put in place at different sports events that high-profile figures attended. 

For example, Trump visited the New York Yankees just 24 hours after Kirk's death to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Images released before the game showed a row of three glass panels lined up next to each other in the stand. There were also snipers pictured overlooking the field.