When Taylor Swift wrote the lyrics “It's a love story, baby, just say yes,” she probably didn’t have legal documents on her mind.
But ahead of this weekend, when the pop superstar is rumored to marry Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in a glitzy ceremony at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, a team of lawyers has likely been working hard to draw up what is expected to be one of the most extensive celebrity prenuptial agreements of all time.
The couple’s union raises questions about how their assets will be treated during their marriage, and crucially, how they will be divided up if things don’t work out.
Kelce is no pauper — the NFL star has an estimated net worth of $70 million — but he is marrying the wealthiest female musician in history. Swift is 2,052nd on the Forbes Billionaires List with an estimated net worth of $2 billion. That puts a roughly $1.9 billion wealth gap between them.
There is no doubt, legally speaking, that the couple and their separate legal teams have a prenuptial agreement locked down ahead of the big day — but what could the multi-billion dollar document look like?
Atty Bruggemann, a New York-based matrimonial and family law attorney, tells The Independent the prenup between the pair will be one of the “most sophisticated prenuptial documents probably ever drafted” and will be equivalent to a “short novel” in length.
Bruggemann predicts that each party will list out specific assets that they own to protect their individual wealth and that there is little value in them seeking out shared marital property.
“I think there's going to be carve-outs for every penny that they earn,” the lawyer tells The Independent. “The prenuptial agreement negotiations probably started the day after they got engaged.”
The prenup, Bruggemann predicts, will cover everything from Swift’s eight-property real estate portfolio, her music empire and global brand, including her catalog ownership, her publishing rights, royalties and touring profits.
“There will be pages and pages of disclosure on her business entities and her intellectual property alone,” said the attorney. The Independent has contacted representatives for Swift and Kelce for comment.
Kelce, although not as rich as Swift, has got plenty to protect, such as his New Heights podcast, which was part of a $100 million licensing deal with Amazon’s Wondery network in 2024.
“He’s got his podcast with his brother, his NFL earnings, endorsements and media stuff,” said Bruggemann. “My recommendation would make this document as detailed as possible. and that every asset is disclosed.”
Bruggemann wonders what they will do about future earnings — especially if Swift releases material based on their relationship, which wouldn’t be unheard of, since much of her music is inspired by her past and present romantic relationships.
“My big question is, what are they going to do about future earnings?” said Bruggemann. “If she writes songs during the marriage and writes another album, then it's all about him and their life together. Is she going to say that that's entirely hers or, you know, is there going to be some sort of carve-out for subject matter or, you know, if it's about them, right?”
The lawyer also thinks that Swift’s team will include an appreciation clause, which dictates how increases in the value of an asset are handled or distributed.
“Everything that she has now, regardless of whether it appreciates starting the marriage, is still hers. If her real estate catalog is worth $1 billion and it goes to $3 billion, and he's not getting a piece of that $3 billion,” said Bruggemann.
Swift’s real estate portfolio is impressive, with an estimated worth upwards of $80m, across New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Los Angeles, while Kelce has a mansion Leawood, Kansas — where he proposed to his girlfriend last August — and another in Kansas City.
One of Swift’s first real estate endeavors was at the age of 20, when she snapped up a $1.9 million penthouse on Nashville’s Music Row in 2009.
In New York, Swift owns a massive $50 million compound in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood, made up of a double penthouse at 155 Franklin Street and the adjoining 153 Franklin Street townhouse. It has 10 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and a billiards room.
In 2013, Swift acquired a waterfront mansion in Westerly, Rhode Island’s ritzy Watch Hill neighborhood, for $17.75 million. This is where she hosts her famous Fourth of July parties. The 11,000-square-foot estate — nicknamed High Watch or Holiday House — has eight bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and 700 feet of private beachfront.
She also owns a mansion in Nashville, Tennessee, which she bought for $2.5 million in 2011. The property, built by former U.S. ambassador to Denmark Guilford Dudley Jr., was completed in 1934 and includes a 5,600 square foot main house with four bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Ashley Silberfeld, a California-based Partner in Blank Rome’s Matrimonial and Family Law Group, said that she advises her clients seeking out a prenup that “transparency is key.”
“You have to be really clear with your spouse about what your goals are and what your wishes are,” she said “It’s a really good indicator, in my opinion, if a couple can get through the prenuptial agreement negotiation and become stronger than when the negotiations started, because that shows that they can have the tough conversations.”
Bruggemann said that the prenup will likely be the first of many legal documents between Swift and Kelce.
“I don't think this is going to be the last contract between them,” said the attorney. “Yes, they're getting married, but I think future ventures between them are going to be all about business.”
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