Posted 4 minutes agoSubscribe to Taylor Swift NewsletterCaret DownAfter Being Accused Of Shading Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce, Kayla Nicole Explained Her Viral Halloween Look"It just worked out perfectly."by Ellen DurneyBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLinkHot Topic🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Taylor Swift If you've had "He Wasn't Man Enough" by Toni Braxton stuck in your head all week, firstly, welcome to the club, and secondly, you've got Kayla Nicole to thank. Arnold Turner / Getty Images For context, Kayla is a broadcaster and social media personality who also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Travis Kelce. The pair were together for roughly five years, starting in 2017, and since Travis began dating Taylor Swift in 2023, Kayla has found herself in a lot of conversations about her ex and his new relationship. Amy Sussman / Getty Images For the record, Kayla has never said anything publicly negative about Taylor. In fact, even while facing scrutiny from her fans, Kayla made a point of praising the singer, previously saying, "I really like her. I think she's very talented." Kansas City Star / Getty Images Despite this, Kayla has had to repeatedly deny accusations that she's shading Taylor and Travis on social media and in interviews. "I would lie if I said that it didn't affect me or impact me," she said on her Pre-Game podcast in September, shortly after Taylor and Travis got engaged. "When I address things, instead of me ever talking about [my] lived experience, people think that it's just me constantly trying to rehash bullshit, when in reality it's like...I'm just a human who wants to talk about my life." View this photo on Instagram Instagram: @undefined BuzzFeed TrendingHot TopicThink you're Blondie's biggest fan? Put your ~reputation~ to the test.
See our Taylor Swift Discussions Which brings us to October, which is where things possibly get a little messy. On her new album, Taylor was accused of shading Kayla on a song called "Opalite," which seemingly refers to Travis's past relationship with someone who wasn't right for him. The song paints a picture of an ex who is self-obsessed and always "in her phone," which led fans to uncover an old video of Travis begging Kayla to "get off" her phone while the pair were out together. Genius / Taylor Swift / Via genius.com Initially, fans speculated that Kayla responded to the song by posting a cryptic Instagram story, but the chatter really ramped up last week when she dropped what might be the most talked-about Halloween look of the year. View this photo on Instagram Instagram: @undefined In the unlikely event you've not seen it yet, Kayla dressed up as Toni Braxton, posting a fun video of her recreating the choreography and iconic silver dress moment from her 2000 "He Wasn't Man Enough" music video. @iamkaylanicole / Via instagram.com, LaFace Records / Toni Braxton / Via youtu.be And regardless of whether you're a fan or not, I think we can all agree that she looked incredible. @iamkaylanicole / Via instagram.com But, aside from the fashion of it all, let's get down to the real reason that everyone is so obsessed with this moment. The lyrics of "He Wasn't Man Enough" reveal a very pointed message to an ex's new partner - specifically, the part that Kayla danced goes as follows... Genius / Toni Braxton / Via genius.com Kayla's costume has gone incredibly viral - even sparking its own TikTok dance trend - and it obviously didn't take long for people to speculate that this was some subtle Taylor and Travis shade. And now, Kayla has spoken out on the look. @iamkaylanicole / Via instagram.com In an episode of her podcast that was recorded prior to Halloween, Kayla explained why she was dressing as Toni from that specific music video, revealing a core memory that connects her to the song. LaFace Records / Toni Braxton / Via youtu.be "I've been listening to it since it came out. I have a very specific memory about it growing up. I had a white best friend. Her name was Taylor, and her mom's name was Pam," Kayla recalled one day getting a ride home from school when Pam started playing "He Wasn't Man Enough" in the car. "Her mom was playing this song, playing at the top of her lungs. It was just like an ah-hah moment that, 'Wow, white people listen to Black people music as well.'" The Pre-Game with Kayla Nicole / Via youtu.be One of her co-hosts pointed out that the look was "on theme" for her since she dressed as Ciara last year, to which Kayla replied: "I'm performative." And while speaking to People at the Ebony Power 100 Gala on Nov. 4, Kayla shared more about her Halloween inspiration. "Last year, I did Ciara - 'Ride.' Had a little viral moment. This year I did Toni," she said. "To be honest, that iconic dress, I have a girlfriend, she has a jewelry brand, I have to shout her out, Lace by Tanaya, she made that dress. That is a handmade piece that I wore. So it just worked out perfectly." People / TikTok / Via tiktok.com She added, "I had the wardrobe. I kn