THE RUNDOWN
- A scene in Happy Gilmore 2 featuring Travis Kelce and a bear led some fans to theorize that his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was secretly in the animal suit.
- Entertainment Tonight debunked the claim, finding the person credited on the film’s IMDb.
- Swift later denied the rumor herself during her New Heights podcast interview.
Taylor Swift was a very supportive girlfriend when Happy Gilmore 2 came out last month, posting an Instagram Story raving about the film in which her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, has a small part. But some fans have theorized that Swift has a secret cameo in the movie as well. Entertainment Tonight initially dug in and debunked the rumor, then Swift shut it down herself during her appearance on Kelce’s podcast, New Heights.
The theory started because, at one point in the movie, Kelce appears shirtless and covered in honey as a “bear” approaches him. Fans thought Swift could be in the animal costume. However, someone is credited for the role: stuntman Brandon Alan Smith, whose IMDb listed him as the “Bear Performer” in the film.
Swift told the Kelce brothers on New Heights that she “can deny” the rumor that she was in the suit.
“This is one of those ones where we’ll [Travis and I] send it to each other and be like, ‘Hey, did you hear I was the bear in there?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, you hear we bought a house in Lake Como?’...At this point, we’re just like, ‘Of course they think I’m inside of a bear costume.’ I’m honored to be thought of in that context because I loved that movie so much. I watched it multiple times, loved it so much. Whoever did the bear acting was exquisite performance.”
Happy Gilmore 2 began production on Sept. 9, 2024, and wrapped around early December. Swift was on her Eras Tour through Dec. 8, 2024, although the singer had a break between August 21 and October 17. Still, no footage or photos of Swift on set have surfaced. In the behind-the-scenes clip of the bear scene that Netflix shared, the singer is nowhere in sight.
Swift still had glowing things to say about the project on her Instagram Story when it came out. She wrote, “Happy Gilmore 2 had me cackling and cheering the whole movie! An absolute must-watch, 13/10, go watch it on @netflix as soon as possible 🍯”
Her post came one day after Kelce posted a series of photos of them together, marking his first time sharing shots of Swift on his Instagram account.
A source later told People that the milestone post “was intentional. They’ve been private in their own way, but this was his way of showing how serious things have become. They’re in a really solid place and more in sync than ever.”