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Travis Kelce had a very good reason for not attending the MTV Video Music Awards 2026 with his wife, Taylor Swift.
The “Patient Zero” singer-songwriter, 36, is expected to arrive solo at MTV’s annual music gala at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27, to accept the first-ever MTV VMA Artist Director Honors.
Her husband Kelce, 36, is unable to join her during the celebratory evening due to his own busy schedule — his Kansas City Chiefs were busy taking on the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sunday. (The Chiefs emerged victorious in a 24-10 win.)
Kelce has previously supported Swift when she received industry honors, including flying from the Chiefs minicamp to attend her induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City in June. (Swift and Kelce tied the knot in a star-studded ceremony at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 3.)
Meanwhile, MTV and CBS announced on Monday, September 21, that Swift would be given the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honor at this year’s ceremony.
The brand new VMAs category celebrates “a sustained and influential body of work from artists who have pushed creative boundaries and developed a clear directorial voice.”
Swift is certainly worthy of being the first recipient of the award as she has received seven Best Director nominations and four wins throughout her career. She also holds the record for most VMA wins of all time with 31, putting her ahead of Beyoncé’s 30 total wins.
“Across her work, Swift has brought an increasingly expansive approach to storytelling, creating interconnected narratives, cinematic worlds and recurring details that invite audiences deeper into each project,” MTV and CBS said in a statement. “The inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honor recognizes that body of work, while also underscoring the growing role artists play in shaping how their music is brought to life on screen.”
Swift was once again up for Best Director this year, as her “Opalite” clip was pitted against Christian Breslauer’s direction of Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me”, Bruno Mars and Daniel Ramos’ collaboration on Mars’ “I Just Might,” Romain Gavras’ visualization for Gener8ion and Yung Lean’s “Storm,” TORSO’s work on Madonna’s “Confessions II – The Film” and Sabrina Carpenter and Margaret Qualley’s adaptation of Carpenter’s “House Tour.”
Swift came into this year’s VMAs with 11 total nominations for her Life of a Showgirl album, second only to Madonna’s 12 total nods for Confessions II. Among Swift’s nominations this year were Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Artist of the Year.
Aside from winning the MTV VMA Artist Director Honor, Swift also premiered the music video for new single “Patient Zero” during the gala. (“Patient Zero” is one of four new tracks featured on an expanded edition of her 2025 album, now retitled The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.)
The MTV Video Music Awards 2026 aired live on MTV, CBS and Paramount+ from the Peacock Theater on Sunday. A replay of the ceremony will be available on Monday, September 28, on Paramount+.
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