NYC paparazzi struggles with Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce hiding behind umbrellas
How hard is it these days to get a picture of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce out and about in New York City, presumably just weeks ahead of their highly anticipated wedding?
Check out the funny video one New York paparazzo posted showing his encounter with a security dude outside Casa Cipriani New York last week.
When Swift and Kelce arrived, security folks broke out the big ol’ black umbrellas Swift uses to shield herself from public view, usually when she’s getting on and off her private jet.
Celebrity photographer T. Jackson, @nycpap on TikTok, was there, waiting near an entrance to the exclusive, lower Manhattan club, camera ready.
But he wound up going head-to-head with one security dude dead-set on preventing him from taking a picture.
Security dude held his hand up in front of Jackson’s camera, all the while shouting, “It’s private property, it’s private property, it’s private property, it’s private property, it’s private property.”
Jackson, though, kept clicking.
Then, security dude turned on his cell phone’s flashlight and shined it at Jackson’s camera.
At one point, Jackson managed to hustle past security dude and catch a peek of the men holding the umbrellas, but no Swift or Kelce.
Jackson can be heard saying, “I’m tired,” as the nearly two-minute video ends.
He set the video to “Star Wars” battle music.
It was so unlike in the early days of the Swift-Kelce romance, flush with newsy newness, when they smiled in the glare of paparazzi cameras as he helped her in and out of SUVs and they held hands on dinner dates.
The New York Post reported that before Swift and Kelce arrived at the club some guests on the club’s terrace were told to stash their phones in the pockets, no explanation given.
The club has a no-pictures policy which the Post said was broken in 2023 when guests leaked photos of Swift and British indie pop singer Matt Healy at the club.
Pictures might be off-limits. But New York lounge singer and trombone player Richie Nuzz told his TikTok followers that the Swift-Kelce party caught his act that night in Cipriani’s jazz club.
“Alright guys, this is crazy. Last night Taylor Swift was at my show, her clique, her fiance, the whole thing,” Nuzz said on TikTok. “We played two hours, she stayed the whole time and we went 30 minutes over. She gave us a very generous tip and blew me a kiss. What!”
He shared more details in a follow-up TikTok.
“There’s a lot of security just hangin’ around her table,” he said. “But more than anything I noticed is that she was just having a good time, generally bringing great energy to us and us musicians ... we were just having the best time performing because we knew what a special night this was. Might not happen again.
“But I mean, it was just such a blessing to get that reaction from her, being obviously such a fan and she’s such an iconic singer. I think she liked the blues the best.
“We were doing Elvis and some ‘Tutti Fruitti.’ Yeah, I certainly will never forget this. And I hope it’s not the last time I get to perform for her and meet her. But, uh, still vibing”
In other news from Swiftie world, “Hunger Games” actor Josh Hutcherson told GQ in a new interview published Monday that he caught a lot of heat from Swifties last year when he told his “I Love LA” costar Jordan Firstman that he is not a fan of Swift’s music, no shade intended.
“I got some heat because I did a photo shoot with Jordan, and Jordan asked me something about being a (Taylor Swift fan), and I was like, ‘Oh no, I’m definitely not a Swiftie,’” he told GQ.
“All of a sudden it garnered this, ‘F— him! He’s a monster! Destroy him! He’s short! He hates her because he’s short!’ It’s just like, whoa! I think she’s great. Her music is not my kind of music.”
“That is why I don’t want to be online.”
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