Julia Fox Defends Taylor Swift Against NFL Fans Who Blame Her for Travis Kelce’s Losses

Julia Fox thinks it’s ridiculous women get “blamed” for their partners’ sporting performances.

The actress stars in Him, a new thriller set in the world of professional football.

During an interview with Australian outlet Pedestrian.TV, Fox, 35, spoke about how WAGs tend to face unfair blame online for how their athlete-boyfriend or husband’s game played out.

“Like, if a guy loses a game it’s a girl’s ‘fault,’ it’s, like, his girlfriend’s ‘fault.’ It’s just crazy. And all the superstitions and all the irrational ass s— that these men believe, you know, that ultimately leads to a woman being blamed,” said Fox.

“I remember Travis Kelce lost a game, and then people were saying that it was Taylor Swift’s fault. It was just like, ‘What? That’s crazy!’ But, you know, blame women — they love to do that. It’s like, oh, I didn’t know we were so powerful. So you’re admitting that we are powerful? So you’re admitting it?”

Elsewhere in the Pedestrian.TV interview, Fox shared that she took inspiration from real-life WAGs when building her character, influencer Elsie White.

“I rewatched some Basketball Wives. … That’s what I did to prep for the role: I watched reality TV. And then when I got to set I assumed that Justin would then want me to transform into these women that I’ve just been watching. And he was kinda like, ‘No, stay exactly as you are.’ ”

“Then I realized,” she continued, “it was because in Elsie’s mind she’s not like the other WAGs — she’s better than them. She’s more cosmopolitan and she loves fashion and art and travel, more refined and sophisticated. She just has a lot more to prove, given that she comes from not such a great place.”

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Fox also spoke about the relationships of athletes and their partners being “so heavily publicized that you can’t escape” hearing about them. “Eventually you do find yourself reading the gossip or whatever, the tabloids. It kinda piques your curiosity.”

“[The move] was an opportunity to get a little taste of what that might be like,” she said. “The stakes are so high and the pressure is so much. It seems like such an intense world. … It’s definitely not for me. I definitely have a newfound respect for people in that world, especially the women.”

On The View in September 2024, Whoopi Goldberg addressed NFL fans who tried to blame Swift for Kelce’s game outcomes. (Swift and Kelce, both 35, have since gotten engaged.) “Grow up, y’all,” Goldberg said at the time. “Stop putting this on her. Your team is fine, your team is doing well. Shut up.”

Him is in theaters now.