Kayla Nicole made headlines this Halloween, but not just for her costume.
On October 31, she dressed as Toni Braxton, recreating iconic scenes from the singer’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough” track video and lip-syncing along to the classic track. She shared a video on Instagram that paired her performance with clips from the original video, drawing immediate attention.
Fans quickly connected the costume to her past relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, today engaged to Taylor Swift. Nicole and Kelce dated on and off for five years, ending in 2022. Swift and Kelce began their relationship a year later, confirming their engagement in August 2025. The timing and song choice fueled speculation that Nicole was sending a message.
Nicole later addressed the inspiration on her Dear Media podcast. She shared a childhood memory with a friend named Taylor: “I had a white best friend. Her name was Taylor.” Toni Braxton’s track had played in the car with her friend’s family, and Nicole described the memory as an “a-ha” moment, realizing that “white people listen to Black people track as well.” She stressed that the reference was to her childhood friend, not Swift.
Despite her explanation, some fans remained skeptical. The costume coincided with the release of Swift’s album The Life of a Showgirl, which includes the track “Opalite.” Many listeners linked lyrics about someone “in it for real” while the other was “in her phone” to Nicole, recalling a viral moment when Kelce asked her to put her phone down during a date.
Nicole has previously used Halloween to reference former relationships. After breaking up with ex-NBA player Iman Shumpert, she dressed as Teyana Taylor, prompting attention as Shumpert later married Taylor.
The Halloween post also led to renewed scrutiny of Nicole’s old social media. Fans resurfaced tweets from her early 2010s account containing offensive language described as racist, homophobic, sexist, and ableist.
Nicole has since deleted her X account entirely
What started as a nostalgic costume moment quickly turned into a viral controversy.
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