Tom Cruise says Taylor Swift taught him football during Chiefs game chat

Tom Cruise said on Thursday’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that Taylor Swift "was schooling me on football" when the two were seen together in a suite at Arrowhead Stadium during the Kansas City Chiefs’ first game of the 2026 NFL season on Sept. 14. The actor, who is promoting his new film Digger, added that Swift had become knowledgeable about the sport and praised her as a "genius" who "knows her stuff."

Cruise recalled that he had not attended a football game since before the pandemic and described the conversation as enjoyable, noting that they also discussed music and movies. He complimented Swift’s humor, writing ability and musical talent, calling her a "brilliant writer" and "brilliant musician and director."

The meeting occurred as Swift cheered for her husband, tight end Travis Kelce, whose team defeated the Denver Broncos 31-10. Both Cruise and Swift had previously attended Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden in July.

"She was schooling me on football," Cruise said on the show.

The appearance marked Cruise’s first public comment on the interaction, which was observed by fans during the end of the first quarter of the game.