Julia Roberts’ early reputation for being a bit of a femme fatale came back into focus this weekend when the 56-year-old “Pretty Woman” star attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Dublin Sunday night — and got uniquely physical with Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce.
Some of Swift’s very enthusiastic and protective fans got on Roberts’ case for getting “too handsy” with Kelce when she met up with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end in the VIP tent, Page Six reported. But others loved seeing Roberts show Kelce some “mom” affection, as seen in a TikTok video that’s going viral. The Academy Award winner could be seen tubbing the NFL star’s shoulders, tickling and scratching his chest and grabbing his arms to say something that got him laughing.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, left, celebrates with girlfriend Taylor Swift after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images/TNS)
Many commenting on the TikTok video thought they could read Roberts’ lips as saying, “I’m so happy for you guys.” That is, she was sharing her support for Kelce and Swift’s high-flying romance, they speculated. They also said that Roberts — who has been married to cinematographer Danny Moder since 2002 — came across as the mom, sister or favorite aunt, giving a young man some encouragement and love.
“Julia Roberts is one of FEW that can get away with this,” one person said. “Omg she’s like a mom .. telling her son how happy she is,” another person said.
“A little scratch and Mom love from Julia Robert — she is just as happy for Taylor as we are,” said another.
But someone else asked, “JULIAAAAAA what are you doing???”
A number of people commenting on the video thought it looked like Kelce was “trying to pull away” from Roberts, who was “scratching him like a kitty cat.”
“Noticed that too!” one person said. “Thank you! I was thinking the same thing!” said another.
Over on X, someone wrote, “I feel bad for Travis … clearly he’s uncomfortable.”
“Wtf is wrong with JR?” another person wrote. “Why is she scratching his chest and pushing herself into him?? He is so uncomfortable trying to push her off and she holds him up. This is uber strange.”
“Wow handsy much? The scratching? What is her problem??” a third person wondered.
When Roberts first became a mega-star with the release of “Pretty Woman” in 1990, she developed a reputation as being a young female actor who gets involved with her leading men, with a tendency to ricochet from romance to romance, as People reported in 1991. Her famous boyfriends included Liam Neeson, Dylan McDermott and Matthew Perry.
Shortly before Roberts’ scheduled June 1991 wedding to “Flatliners” co-star Kiefer Sutherland, she abruptly called off their engagement and flew off to Dublin, Ireland, with Jason Patric, who was Sutherland’s friend. A couple years later, she was married for about a year to singer Lyle Lovett, and she dated “Law and Order” star Benjamin Pratt for another three years until she settled down with Moder and had three children.
Kelce turned up to the last of Swift’s three shows at Aviva Stadium in Dublin after attending a teammate’s wedding in California the night before, Page Six said.
Swifties believe that the athlete surprised his pop star girlfriend, as she appeared stunned when she noticed him in the crowd. But he has become a fixture at the performances of Swift’s blockbuster world tour, traveling to different countries since the 2023-24 NFL season came to an end with his Super Bowl win in February.
Swift and Kelce also went “Instagram official” last weekend when they posed for a selfie, taken with Prince William and his two oldest children, who attended the singer’s concert at Wembley Stadium in London. Kelce also joined Swift on stage as she performed another night at Wembley Stadium.