During the Super Bowl 2026 broadcast on February 8, Kayla Nicole used her moment in a Sleeper sports app commercial to express frustration toward her ex, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his fiancée, pop star Taylor Swift. The ad highlighted a humorous but tense take on breakups, featuring Nicole portraying the ex-girlfriend of an unnamed NFL player.
Humorous Players Portray ‘Ex-Communicators’ in the Spot
Tiffany Haddish and Ben Simmons star as exaggerated “emotional injury specialists,” dubbed “The Ex-communicators.” Haddish opens the ad by asking,
“Have you or someone you know been injured emotionally in a high-profile relationship?”
while Simmons adds,
“Are your exes snubbing you in commercials?”
The tone of their dialogue sets an uneasy, anxious mood around the topic of public breakups.
Nicole’s Sharp Jabs at Kelce and Swift
Kayla Nicole enters the scene with notable attitude, dressed in a pink suit, and delivers a pointed line:
“Don’t get me started on these two,”
referring to Kelce and Swift without naming them outright. She further critiques the “ex-communicators,” saying,
“They have no idea what they’re doing at all.”
On-screen, she is captioned as the
“ex of a certain NFL player,”
clearly alluding to Kelce.
Later in the commercial, Nicole questions the effectiveness of Simmons and Haddish’s help with ending an ex-girlfriend “fiasco,” stating,
“Simmons & Haddish promised me that they could put an end to this whole ex-girlfriend fiasco quickly.”
Simmons corrects her choice of words three times — from “quickly” to “rapidly,” then “pronto,” and finally “swiftly,” a likely nod to Taylor Swift. The exchange adds a layer of tension and unease to the comedy.
Context of Nicole and Kelce’s Relationship
Nicole, 34, and Kelce, 36, had an on-again, off-again relationship spanning from 2017 to 2022. After their split, Kelce began dating Taylor Swift in 2023, with their engagement announced two years later and a wedding planned for the upcoming summer. The ad’s timing and subtle references underscore the lingering public attention on their personal dynamics.
Ad’s Closing Message on Choosing Partners
The commercial concludes with Haddish highlighting the difficulty of selecting the right romantic partner, followed by the tagline,
“Picking the right athletes doesn’t have to be.”
This line reinforces the app’s promise while contrasting it against the emotional fallout portrayed throughout the ad.
