Kayla Nicole spoke candidly about how the online vitriol she experienced amid ex-boyfriend Travis Kelce’s high-profile romance with Taylor Swift affected her “to the point” where she’s questioned “my overall value as a person.”
During Wednesday’s installment of the Fox reality series “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” Nicole — who dated the star Chiefs tight end on and off for five years — opened up about the fallout, expressing the hateful commentary has left her in a “state of vulnerability.”
“Going through a public breakup, just to be frank, it’s been overwhelming. I’ve never experienced anything like it,” the 32-year-old model and influencer said in a confessional.
“…Being reduced to a headline to something so small as someone’s ex-girlfriend, I feel like if I complete this [the ‘Special Forces’ challenge] it’ll be a massive impact for myself.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Kayla said she gets “a lot of s–t” because [Kelce] is dating “a mega superstar,” and that she “really” likes Swift, 35, calling the 14-time Grammy winner “very talented.”
Nicole went on to complete a bungee jumping challenge in Wednesday’s episode but was pulled aside by the directing staff afterward.
Upon being shown an article centered on her, Kelce, 35, and Swift, the influencer detailed the negative commentary she’s experienced.
“It’s pretty constant. Exhausting,” she said. “… It doesn’t matter. I could post about the sky being blue, and people will have a response about an ex and their new situation. It’s inadvertently affected me to the point where it makes me question just my overall value as a person.”
When asked by a directing staff member why the chaos has made her question her value, an emotional Kayla said, “I think it’s just the comparison. It’s just like on loop. I think I’m still trying to figure out how to deal with it.”
Kelce and Nicole’s breakup was first reported in 2022.
A year later, the three-time Super Bowl champion was linked to Swift, with the couple stepping out publicly in October 2023 — a month after she attended her first Chiefs game.
Wednesday’s installment of “Special Forces” is not the first time Kayla spoke out about how the trolling has affected her headspace.
Back in October, Kayla detailed what she has endured from Swift’s fans on Angel Reese’s “Unapologetically Angel” podcast.
“I would be lying if I said that that level of hate and online chaos doesn’t impact me,” she told Reese at the time.