Sports presenter and influencer Kayla Nicole publicly apologized on Thursday for the "hurtful tweets" she posted years ago, expressing her profound regret that she "ever thought or spoke that way" (New York Post). The apology comes after a wave of social media scrutiny and follows her deletion of the X (formerly Twitter) account where the comments originated.

In a lengthy, candid message shared on her Instagram Story, Nicole—who was in an on-again, off-again relationship with star Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce for five years—stated that the years-old posts were "ignorant, hurtful and completely wrong."

Details of the Public Apology 📝

"I want to take a moment to sincerely apologize for the hurtful tweets I posted so many years ago," she began her statement. "Seeing them resurface last week has been incredibly difficult, and reading them now, I’m ashamed that I ever thought or spoke that way. They were ignorant, hurtful and completely wrong."

Nicole, who also runs a wellness brand, emphasized the personal growth she has undergone since the posts were written. "The woman I am today would never use those words or express those kinds of views," she wrote. "Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how cruel and harmful online hate can be, and I would never want to add to that world of pain in any form" (People).

The posts, which were allegedly shared between 2010 and 2014, reportedly contained homophobic, racist, and derogatory language targeting various ethnic groups (People). The resurfacing of these comments led to immense public backlash and demands for accountability.

"I have since deleted those tweets and my X account entirely, because I refuse to keep that energy alive or contribute to a cycle of hate," Nicole confirmed, taking "full responsibility for what I posted." She concluded, "I can’t change the past, but I will continue showing through my actions who I’ve become and what I stand for today."

---

Context and Resurfacing 📸

The older messages were brought back into the public discourse earlier this month. The initial surge in attention came when Nicole stirred online buzz over her Halloween costume, where she recreated Toni Braxton's look from the music video for her 2000 hit, "He Wasn't Man Enough" (The Times of India).

Many social media users speculated that the costume—and the lyrics of the song—were intended as a subtle dig at Kelce and his current fiancée, pop superstar Taylor Swift, though Nicole publicly denied this notion.

This speculation added fuel to an existing narrative that has kept Nicole in the headlines. Before the costume, some of Swift's fans ("Swifties") believed her newest song, "Opalite," from the album Life of a Showgirl, included a jab at Nicole. Swift herself has remained silent on the song's meaning, although she has previously gushed that "Opalite" is Kelce’s favorite track on the album (New York Post).

Other Controversial Posts and Clips 🗣️

Further exacerbating the controversy, other old content also recently resurfaced. Screenshots of Nicole's past posts reportedly included offensive remarks about Vanessa Bryant, the widow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, questioning her ethnicity using derogatory terminology (The Times of India).

Additionally, an old podcast clip from 2023 re-emerged where Nicole made a comment about Puerto Rican music artist Bad Bunny, claiming he "gives bisexual vibes—not that there's anything wrong with that" (The Times of India). This remark also drew significant criticism for being insensitive and inappropriate. The mounting online outrage, driven largely by Taylor Swift's dedicated fanbase who investigated Nicole's past, is what ultimately preceded the deactivation of her X account and her subsequent apology.

Kelce, 36, and Nicole, 34, split for good in 2022. He and Swift, 35, went public with their high-profile relationship in 2023 and announced their engagement this past summer (People).

---