Travis Kelce and Tom Holland know being obsessed with your superstar wife is good for business

Aug 14, 2026 02:27 AM - 1 hour ago 1
Business Insider

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Zendaya and Tom Holland look successful a personage collage pinch rings and the Hollywood sign.

Tayvis and Tomdaya. Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo; TheStewartofNY; Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI
Whether he's joined to an A-list character aliases a world popular star, a savvy husband's champion profession move is supporting his much celebrated wife.

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Zendaya and Tom Holland look successful a personage collage pinch rings and the Hollywood sign.

Tayvis and Tomdaya. Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo; TheStewartofNY; Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI

In the mediate of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, her then-boyfriend, Travis Kelce, materialized onstage wearing a apical chapeau and grinning ear-to-ear. He clicked his heels, cradled Swift successful his arms, and mimed putting constitution connected her look during a well-rehearsed skit, hitting each his marks arsenic a personnel of her supporting cast.

While tens of thousands of fans successful London's Wembley Stadium screamed their approval, nary had shelled retired money for tickets to spot Kelce. His cameo was the specified cherry connected apical of Swift's monumental profession achievement: She'd group an attendance grounds for the venue and generated an estimated $1 cardinal for the UK economy.

Not that Kelce seemed to mind playing 2nd fiddle. In fact, he said it was "an honor" to dip his toed into Swift's world, casting himself arsenic a superfan who sewage luckier than most.

"You tin do nary incorrect erstwhile Taylor's onstage," Kelce said connected his podcast. "She's the champion to do it."

Kelce is simply a prima successful his ain right, an jock connected way for the NFL Hall of Fame. Yet Kelce's reported nett worth is dwarfed by Swift's multibillion-dollar fortune, and this summer's headlines astir his return to football can't defy shoehorning successful a mention of his and Swift's caller wedding.

Off the field, Kelce's prestige is not threatened by Swift's occurrence but is possibly moreover bolstered by it. He belongs to a caller activity of unafraid Hollywood husbands: antheral celebrities whose enthusiastic endorsement of their high-earning wives makes them much endearing and, crucially, much bankable.

Taylor Swift is joined onstage by Travis Kelce during The Eras Tour astatine Wembley Stadium successful London.

Taylor Swift's now-husband, Travis Kelce, joined her successful a supporting domiciled during The Eras Tour extremity successful London.  Gareth Cattermole/TAS24 via Getty Images

Think: Tom Holland, Spider-Man himself, interrupting his ain question and reply astatine a "Spider-Man" premiere to respect the glamorous presence of his wife, Zendaya. (This has happened not conscionable once, but many times.) Holland besides told Men's Health that he doesn't subordinate Zendaya connected non-Marvel-related reddish carpets because "it's not my moment, it's her moment."

Or see the musician Benny Blanco, who said he's truthful acrophobic of flying that he virtually took a vessel crossed the Atlantic Ocean to laic eyes connected his billionaire wife, Selena Gomez, who's presently successful London filming her Emmy-winning TV show. "The things we do for love," he wrote connected TikTok.

This shape offers a refreshing opposition to the much communal reality, which is that divorce rates successful heterosexual couples emergence importantly erstwhile a female is much professionally successful than her antheral partner.

It whitethorn besides connection an escapist balm for the women successful question. Celebrity civilization thrives by reflecting our ain desires for illustration a gilded reflector — and husbands for illustration Kelce, Holland, and Blanco correspond an alluring perfect for women astatine a clip erstwhile galore are outpacing their antheral counterparts successful the labour market. Women outnumber men successful medical school and law school; they gain more bachelor's degrees; and they clasp much jobs successful the US arsenic of March, according to a study conducted by the Indeed Hiring Lab.

"That conception of a supportive hubby is really appealing to women successful 2026," Mike Fahey, the laminitis and CEO of the PR agency Fahey Communications, told Business Insider. Plus, celebrated hype husbands who are loving and supportive bask the added prize of being "more marketable," Fahey said.

A female breadwinner isn't precisely a caller phenomenon, but arsenic women accumulate much taste and economical clout — and arsenic salient men publically observe that inclination — the strict "alpha male" archetype loses its luster.

"We're reimagining what masculinity looks like," Fahey said. "As much of those couples return A-plus-list status, others travel suit. You conscionable request 1 trailblazer to really alteration the crippled for the remainder of Hollywood."

'They're much than conscionable the alpha male. They're the modern male.'

 Brand New Day."

Tom Holland seldom poses for photos connected the reddish carpet pinch his wife, Zendaya. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," successful which the mates are besides co-stars, is an exception.  Lia Toby/Getty Images

The societal media era has transformed personage branding, turning descriptors for illustration "real" and "relatable" into precocious praise. Now much than ever, it pays for celebrities to put their dimensions connected display, beryllium it via Instagram posts, reddish carpet appearances, aliases paparazzi shots. One of the champion ways to do truthful is by giving fans a glimpse into their relationships.

"This is simply a really important spot for men to show that they're much than conscionable the roles they play," Fahey said. "They're much than conscionable the alpha male. They're the modern male."

Take personification for illustration the rapper A$AP Rocky, who roseate to fame pinch songs for illustration "Peso" and "F**kin' Problems," which characteristic lyrics successful which he brags astir his groupies and his ain beautiful face. Rocky still releases popular, braggadocious euphony — and his latest album, "Don't Be Dumb," debuted astatine No. 1 connected the Billboard 200 successful January — but now, he besides spends a batch of clip gushing astir Rihanna, his longtime partner and the mother of his children, not to mention a beloved hitmaker and Fenty Beauty billionaire.

"So overmuch amended erstwhile you sewage 'the one,'" Rocky told GQ erstwhile he confirmed their relationship. "She amounts to probably, like, a cardinal of the different ones."

Unlike the trite "wife guy" archetype — the benignant of man who builds and sustains his full image connected his marriage, to the constituent that it tin publication arsenic performative — Hollywood's hype husbands person plentifulness going for them connected their own. Kelce has Super Bowl rings, and Holland has record-breaking box-office achievements. Blanco made deed songs for illustration Rihanna's "Diamonds" and Katy Perry's "California Gurls" agelong earlier he teamed up pinch his pop-star wife for a collaborative album, 2025's "I Said I Love You First."

Peter Mancusi, a PR master and communications professor astatine Northeastern University, said the favoritism comes down to self-sufficiency and confidence: It's not "I request you," but "I want you."

"It's not for illustration these men are drafting their wives to go celebrated themselves. They're already, successful their ain realms, famous," Mancusi explained.

"Confidence is really astir doing what these men are doing, which is supporting their partners," he continued. "It's to say, 'I'm assured capable successful who I americium to beryllium very supportive of her spectacular career.'"

Want to triumph complete female audiences? Supporting your woman is simply a bully spot to start.

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco astatine the 2026 Golden Globes.

Benny Blanco wasn't awkward astir supporting his wife, Selena Gomez, astatine the 2026 Golden Globes, wherever she was nominated for "Only Murders successful the Building."  Christopher Polk/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty Images

In Rob Sheffield's book, "Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music," astir Swift's effect connected the euphony industry, he quotes Smokey Robinson: "Women make show business," the singer-songwriter and shaper told Rolling Stone successful 1979. "Men lend to the thing, but women really make show business happen."

Sheffield argues that Swift knows this each excessively well, but I would reason that her hubby Kelce does, too. When he proudly declares that his favourite Taylor Swift song is "Blank Space," aliases he's caught filming the Eras Tour connected his phone, Swifties are eager to rally down him. He becomes 1 of them.

"Being this celebrated shot subordinate and having this supportive, softer broadside to him — he's into the music, into what his woman is astir — is very appealing, particularly to women," Mancusi said. "He's sewage unlimited possibilities because of his relationship."

"Getting women connected your broadside makes your marque overmuch stronger."Mike Fahey, laminitis and CEO of Fahey Communications

Women and girls are the driving unit down fan culture — often arsenic early champions of antheral celebrities they find charming and non-threatening, from The Beatles to Harry Styles to the stars of "Heated Rivalry." History shows that winning complete female audiences tin beryllium a accelerated way to stardom.

"I deliberation that women are much apt to click 'Follow,' they're much apt to click 'Like,' they're much apt to sojourn your TikTok shop," Fahey said. "Getting women connected your broadside makes your marque overmuch stronger. It makes your longevity overmuch stronger. It makes your marketability overmuch stronger and your prospects limitless."

Melvin L. Williams, a communications and media studies professor astatine Pace University, agreed that celebrated men for illustration Kelce, Blanco, and Callum Turner, who precocious wed pop juggernaut Dua Lipa, are "keenly alert of the economical benefits" of wooing the crowds who flock to their celebrated wives.

"Each man's adjacent business task aliases media quality has the anticipation of a highly profitable endorsement from a notable fig for illustration Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, aliases Taylor Swift," Williams said.

Indeed, aft Kelce began making love Swift, NFL viewership spiked — peculiarly among teenage girls — and sales of Kelce's jersey surged astir 400% erstwhile Swift made her first game-day appearance. Kelce's brother, erstwhile NFL subordinate Jason Kelce, has credited Swift pinch introducing their family to a full caller demographic.

Meanwhile, Blanco's associated medium pinch Gomez sold much successful its first week than immoderate different medium successful his discography, and rumors are swirling that Turner — who was antecedently champion known for starring successful the embattled "Harry Potter" spinoff series, "Fantastic Beasts" — is being eyed arsenic the adjacent James Bond.

So immoderate you want to telephone it — modern masculinity, savvy branding, aliases simply being a bully hubby — being successful emotion pinch a commercialized juggernaut has its perks. For Hollywood's hype husbands, a happy woman makes for a lucrative life.

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Callie Ahlgrim is simply a elder newsman astatine Business Insider who writes astir popular culture, pinch a typical attraction connected the euphony industry.As a cofounding personnel of BI's euphony vertical, Callie has covered a scope of basking topics astatine the intersection of art, personage culture, and show business: the governmental implications of Bad Bunny's success; the instrumentality feedback loop in Taylor Swift's imaginative process; the symbolism of Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show; the commercialized effect of Beyoncé's country album; the marque identities of stars for illustration Harry Styles, Morgan Wallen, Addison Rae, Katy Perry, and Frank Ocean; the modern challenges of making money arsenic a musician; and more.She besides covers personage PR strategies, blockbuster movies, prestige TV shows, and net trends.Callie graduated from Boston University pinch a Bachelor of Science successful Journalism, a Bachelor of Arts successful English, and a insignificant successful Spanish. She antecedently wrote columns for Man Repeller and ELLE.

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