Saquon Barkley thinks the Taylor Swift hate train should calm down.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ running back, who won the team’s Super Bowl playoff against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 9, didn’t appreciate the crowd booing the “Fortnight” singer during the game.
“I remember that they showed her on the jumbotron and she got booed,” Saquon, 28, told Howard Stern on his self-titled SiriusXM show. “I don’t get why she was getting hate there.”
The show’s host echoed the sentiment, adding he also “didn’t like” that moment. The crowd’s icy response to Taylor—who was cheering on her Chiefs boyfriend Travis Kelce alongside rapper Ice Spice—was notable, considering she was the only star who got that reaction. Other celebrities, including Adam Sandler and Paul Rudd, were met with positive applause once they were shown on the big screen.
Once Taylor, 35, noticed she was being booed, she gave the camera a semi-surprised look before laughing it off.
While the “Karma” singer took the moment with stride, Saquon said she didn’t deserve the negativity.
“She’s there supporting her significant other and she’s made the game bigger,” he said, his words a reflection of the overall criticism Taylor’s faced since she went public with Travis in September 2023. “In football, we’re all about how we can expand the game and make it more international. We’re traveling to Brazil, Mexico, and Australia soon. [Taylor] being a part of it is only helping that, so I don’t get the slack that she’s getting.”
Saquon wasn’t the only star who defended Taylor. Serena Williams, who made a brief cameo during Kendrick Lamar’s iconic halftime performance, told the singer she loved her on social media following the now-viral moment.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump—who also attended the New Orleans game—shared his own response to the moment on social media.
“The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social the night of the game. “She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!”
Keep reading to see what other celebrities attended the packed Super Bowl game….
Ashley Avignone, Alana Haim, Taylor Swift, Este Haim & Danielle Haim
Cynthia Erivo
Brenda Song & Macaulay Culkin
Leonardo DiCaprio
Bradley Cooper & Daughter Lea
Seal
Teyana Taylor & Karrueche Tran
Russell Wilson & Ciara
Lady Gaga
Dylan Sprouse & Barbara Palvin Sprouse
Kevin Hart
Anne Hathaway
Serena Williams
SZA
Paul Rudd
Brittany Mahomes & Patrick Mahomes
Jordon Hudson & Nikki Glaser
Donald Trump & Ivanka Trump
Taylor Swift & Ice Spice
Bradley Cooper
Samuel L. Jackson
Ledisi
Master P
Jon Batiste
Kendrick Lamar
Jon Hamm
Harry Connick Jr.
Jay-Z, Blue Ivy & Rumi
Pete Davidson
Olivia Culpo
