This is who Taylor Swift was hugging in the suite at Sunday’s Kansas City Chiefs game
After a Kansas City Chiefs touchdown against the Bills Sunday, TV cameras showed Taylor Swift hugging the man she was standing next to in a suite at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The next day, fans were still searching for his identity.
They noticed that although Swift was obviously enthusiastic, the man looked straight ahead, expressionless, and didn’t appear to return the affection.
Is that the bro code?
Because the man she hugged was Aric Jones, a longtime close friend of Swift’s new boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Jones is in the core group of friends from Ohio that Kelce is still tight with. They wear matching Cleveland Heights city logo pendants and the pals have traveled to watch Kelce’s Super Bowl games.
Jones is the friend who posted photos of KFC boxes on his Instagram story on Thanksgiving and tagged the location as Kansas City, giving credence to Kelce’s comment on his “New Heights” podcast that he planned to spend the holiday in the company of fried chicken, and not with Swift, who was in South America on tour.
Jones has been in the suite at Arrowhead with Swift before.
Swifties had a bad case of hug envy Sunday.
“I got 99 problems but a hug from Taylor Swift would solve all of them,” one fan wrote Sunday on X, formerly Twitter.
imagine hugging taylor swift like this i could cry pic.twitter.com/shFpy4XZjm
— viba˚୨୧⋆。 (@taylorswiftvv13) December 10, 2023
i got 99 problems but a hug from taylor swift would solve all of them pic.twitter.com/432J32mGQd
— Ron (@midnightstrack2) December 10, 2023
I just want to hug Taylor. That is all I want in life pic.twitter.com/NEZ0kfdUtV
— (@BornThisSwift13) December 9, 2023
WHY CANT I GET A TAYLOR SWIFT HUG BROOOO pic.twitter.com/LfDGzeiM1u
— abby (tayvis’ version) (@tayvisdefender) December 6, 2023
"Why wont taylor swift hug me like that?" pic.twitter.com/PvJWTxpTaJ
— matteo⸆⸉ (@itstimetogotv) December 8, 2023
️ I will meet and hug Taylor Swift ️
️ I will meet and hug Taylor Swift ️
️ I will meet and hug Taylor Swift ️
️ I will meet and hug Taylor Swift ️
️ I will meet and hug Taylor Swift ️
️ I will meet and hug Taylor Swift ️
️ I will meet and hug Taylor Swift ️— Fynn (@fokelorianfynn) December 11, 2023
That dude didn't hug Taylor Swift back because he knows Kelce's watching the film later
— Greg Morse (@arrowheadgreg) December 10, 2023
For the uninitiated, Swift is just a naturally huggie person. Her long arms have been wrapped around the necks, shoulders and waists of some of the most famous people in entertainment.
Now football fans get to see that enthusiasm themselves.
Add Jones to a growing list of people this new Chiefs fan has hugged at Arrowhead — among them Travis’ mom Donna, Brittany Mahomes and, on Sunday, Ava Hunt, daughter of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt.