What began with a friendship bracelet ended with an engagement ring. Taylor Swift, a fourteen-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, and Travis Kelce, a Kansas City Chiefs football player and a three-time Super Bowl champion, captured national attention with their engagement announcement.[i] As their relationship became public, media coverage showcased it as a modern-day love story. However, the life of a showgirl and the career of a professional athlete also involve a far less glamorous reality: the importance of a prenuptial agreement.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have both built an empire of success, fame, and wealth. Reportedly, Taylor Swift is worth around $1.6 billion, and Travis Kelce is worth around $90 million.[ii] Specifically, Taylor Swift’s assets not only encompass extensive real estate holdings and a private jet but also include her music catalog, royalties, and touring revenue. By contrast, Travis Kelce’s wealth is primarily derived from NFL contracts, business ventures, and endorsements. As a result of their substantial assets, the stakes in their marriage can be extraordinary.[iii] Therefore, due to the complex nature of their assets and their significant future earning potential, a prenuptial agreement is an effective tool to protect those assets and mitigate potential legal battles.
A prenuptial agreement, commonly referred to as a prenup, is a contract entered into before marriage that outlines the terms for separation.[iv] Prenuptial agreements have been a highly publicized topic in celebrity marriages. Although controversial, the purpose is not to imply an inevitable divorce, but rather to allow both parties to retain control over their assets. Moreover, the importance of prenups becomes clear when considering high-profile couples who failed to secure them. In 2019, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, was reportedly involved in a costly divorce due to the absence of a prenuptial agreement with his former wife, Mackenzie Scott. As a result of the couple’s failure to acquire a prenuptial agreement, Mackenzie Scott received $38 billion worth of Amazon stock in their divorce settlement.[v]
Although prenuptial agreements are governed by state contract law, many states have adopted the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (“UPAA”) drafted by the Uniform Law Commission (“ULC”).[vi] This act requires that a premarital agreement be in writing, signed by both parties, and provides that it becomes effective upon the marriage of the parties.[vii] To ensure that the agreement is legally binding, courts require full financial disclosure in the negotiating process of the agreement.[viii] Additionally, independent legal counsel for both parties is recommended to provide protection against future challenges based on duress or a lack of understanding.[ix]
A well-drafted prenuptial agreement will cover a variety of financial and personal matters, protecting individual assets acquired before marriage, and safeguarding future earnings and intellectual property. For high-profile celebrities, prenups are highly beneficial for preserving privacy. Divorce proceedings among celebrities are subject to public scrutiny and may often expose personal and financial details. Therefore, a confidentiality clause is a crucial provision to include in a prenup to prevent such disclosures and ensure that sensitive information remains private.[x] Further prenup provisions include the classification of property as separate or marital.[xi] Although the classification of property varies under state law, typically, absent a prenup providing otherwise, assets acquired during the marriage are considered marital property and are subject to division upon dissolution of the marriage.[xii] This raises an important question for Taylor Swift in particular: How will the intellectual property she creates during her marriage be classified?
In May 2025, Taylor Swift announced that she had successfully purchased her master recordings, thereby gaining control over all rights to her music.[xiii] Music rights created or acquired before the marriage are considered separate property and usually will not be subject to division during a divorce proceeding.[xiv] However, the income generated during the marriage from the royalties and licensing of her music can sometimes be considered marital property, depending on state law.[xv] Therefore, Taylor Swift’s intellectual property can be protected by using a prenup to define her music catalog, brand, and other assets as separate property. This would ensure that any intellectual property created before and potentially during the marriage remains exclusively hers.
Likewise, Travis Kelce also brings substantial premarital and marital assets to the relationship. His wealth is primarily derived from his NFL career, including contracts with the Kansas City Chiefs, and endorsements with various brands.[xvi] Additionally, Travis Kelce has expanded into media ventures, most notably co-hosting the New Heights podcast, which has attracted significant sponsorship revenue.[xvii] While these income streams are likely to continue during the marriage, a prenup could classify Travis Kelce’s preexisting contracts, endorsements, and business ventures as his separate property. Further, a prenup allows him to address how marital income derived from those ventures will be treated. This ensures that both parties have protection regarding their respective financial assets.
Moreover, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement has served as a reminder of the importance of prenuptial agreements in protecting substantial assets. Ultimately, a prenuptial agreement does not undermine the love story that began with a friendship bracelet. Rather, it strengthens it by ensuring that their marriage rests on both trust and protection. For Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, love may be the headline, but a prenup is the fine print that safeguards their legacy.
[i] See Taylor Swift, Grammy Awards, https://www.grammy.com/artists/taylor-swift/15450 [https://perma.cc/GL8P-KFRG] (last visited Oct. 6, 2025); see also Travis Kelce, Kan. City Chiefs, https://www.chiefs.com/team/players-roster/travis-kelce/logs/ [https://perma.cc/RR3Q-N4S4] (last visited Oct. 6, 2025).
[ii] See Martina Di Licosa, Here’s How Much Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Are Worth, Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinadilicosa/2025/08/26/heres-how-much-taylor-swift-and-travis-kelce-are-worth/ [https://perma.cc/NVB2-HKSG] (last updated Aug. 26, 2025, 11:54 PM).
[iii] See Celebrity Prenups: Lessons from Noteworthy Legal Battles, Feinberg & Waller (July 10, 2024) https://www.feinbergwaller.com/blog/2024/july/celebrity-prenups-lessons-from-noteworthy-legal-/ [https://perma.cc/G47G-VZ7A].
[iv] See Prenuptial Agreement, Legal Info. Inst., https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/prenuptial_agreement [https://perma.cc/6D5T-XVZQ] (last visited Oct. 6, 2025) (“A prenuptial agreement, also known as antenuptial agreement, premarital agreement, or prenup, is a contract entered into prior to marriage setting the terms for separation.”).
[v] See What’s Going on With Jeff Bezos’ Prenup?, Douglas Fam. L. Grp., https://douglaslaw.com/jeff-bezos-prenup/ [https://perma.cc/5YNU-NLTB] (last visited Oct. 6, 2025).
[vi] See Unif. Premartial Agreement Act § 1, U.L.A. (1983).
[vii] See Uniform Premarital Agreement Act, Prenup Pros, https://www.prenuppros.com/uniform-premarital-agreement-act?srsltid= [https://perma.cc/92Y3-GGA8] (last visited Oct. 6, 2025).
[viii] Unif. Premartial Agreement Act, § 2 cmt.
[ix] Id. at § 6 cmt.
[x] See Nicole Sheehey, What To Know About Confidentiality Clauses In Prenups, Hello Prenup (May 29, 2023), https://helloprenup.com/clauses/what-to-know-about-confidentiality-clauses-in-prenups/ [https://perma.cc/DL9C-8XHW] (“A confidentiality clause is a provision in a prenuptial agreement that prohibits the disclosure of certain information to third parties[.]”).
[xi] See Nicole Sheehey, How to Establish Separate Property Rights in a Prenup, Hello Prenup (Apr. 10, 2023), https://helloprenup.com/prenuptial-agreements/how-to-establish-separate-property-rights-in-a-prenup/ [https://perma.cc/C6SQ-G6WQ].
[xii] See What You Can, and Cannot, Include In A Prenuptial Agreement, FL. L. Advisers, P.A. (Jan. 10, 2025), https://www.floridalegaladvice.com/blog/what-you-can-and-cannot-include-in-a-prenuptial-agreement/ [https://perma.cc/S4BE-65UW] (“[I]f just one spouse acquires property during the marriage, it is usually still classified as marital property. Separate property, on the other hand, refers to assets and liabilities acquired prior to the marriage by one of the spouses.”); see also Separate vs. Marital Assets Under Property Division Law, Justia, https://www.justia.com/family/divorce/dividing-money-and-property/separate-vs-marital-property-in-divorce/ [https://perma.cc/YC23-7H4U] (last updated Aug. 2025).
[xiii] See Scott Simon & Stephen Thompson, Taylor Swift Buys Back Master Recordings, Now She Controls All Of Her Music, NPR (May 31, 2025), https://www.npr.org/2025/05/31/nx-s1-5418406/taylor-swift-buys-back-master-recordings-now-she-controls-all-of-her-music [https://perma.cc/EB3K-TA87].
[xiv] See Can You Lose Rights to Intellectual Property In a Divorce?, Law Off. Tzvi Y. Hagler, P.C. (June 6, 2024), https://www.tyhlaw.com/blog/2024/june/can-you-lose-rights-to-intellectual-property-in-/ [https://perma.cc/7MU3-ACLD] (“If intellectual property developed before the marriage becomes intertwined with marital assets or if both spouses significantly contribute to its development or enhancement, it may be considered commingled with marital property. This commingling can lead to the IP … being subject to division during a divorce.”).
[xv] See Megan Cartwright, Taylor Swift Won Her Music Back. Could Marrying Travis Kelce Change That?, Newsweek, https://www.newsweek.com/taylor-swift-music-rights-travis-kelce-marriage-2123154 [https://perma.cc/BGY8-8HBW] (last updated Sep. 3, 2025, 6:25 AM) (“In community property states like California, that income may be split 50/50. If a catalog appreciates in value during the marriage, that increase in value can sometimes be subject to division if the non-owning spouse contributed to its growth[.]”).
[xvi] See Hiranmayi Srinivasan, Travis Kelce’s Net Worth Has Soared in 2025—Here’s The Surprising Breakdown, Investopedia, https://www.investopedia.com/travis-kelces-net-worth-has-soared-heres-the-surprising-breakdown-11798480 [https://perma.cc/Z2V8-VWE9] (last updated Aug. 27, 2025).
[xvii] See Alex Taylor, Travis and Jason Kelce Sign $100m Podcast Deal, BBC (Aug. 28, 2024), https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxl1wnpjgyo [https://perma.cc/PVQ6-2M7U].
