Ella Piazza and her mom, Jessica, recalled the adorable moment on TODAY, with the latter saying that her daughter was in “absolute heaven” and on “cloud nine” after showing her sign to Swift.
An 8-year-old Swiftie is opening up about the viral moment when a shirtless Jason Kelce lifted her up so that she would meet her idol, Taylor Swift.
In case you missed it, during Sunday’s Buffalo Bills versus Kansas City Chiefs NFL playoff game — which Swift attended to cheer on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — a young Swift fan, Ella Piazza, was in the stands with her mom, holding up a handmade sign for Swift in the hopes of getting her attention.
And thanks to Travis’ brother, Jason Kelce, she got her wish, with the Philadephia Eagles center picking up Ella in his arms and lifting her up so Swift could see her from inside the suite. Ella waved to the pop star, who waved back, with the adorable moment going viral on social media.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
On Tuesday, Ella and her mom, Jessica, appeared on TODAY, recalling the sweet moment, which the 8-year-old said she willed to happen all on her own.
“I was thinking positive, but some of my friends weren’t that positive,” she said to Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie.
Jessica shared how it all went down, revealing that their group was actually sitting on the opposite side of the stadium. Then, a friend who was sitting in front of the suite where Swift was with the Kelces, offered to switch seats with Jessica and Ella during halftime so the singer could see Ella and her sign that read: “Buffalo Bills + Taylor Swift – Best First Game Ever.”
“It was halftime and a lot of people had left their seats to go to the bathroom or get a drink or whatever, and so we just tried climbing up higher and higher,” Jessica shared. “It was really Ella who was forging the path. When people saw her sign, everyone started helping her. It was really cute.”
Jason — who had taken off his shirt after Travis scored a touchdown — then came out of the suite, and fans called for the NFL star to help Ella.
“Then [he] came over here and then he picked me up and then I saw Taylor,” Ella recalled. “It was, like, amazing.”
Ella held up her handmade sign, which caught Swift’s eye!
“She waved back and smiled,” Jessica said. “And Ella was in absolute heaven. She still probably doesn’t realize what a big star Jason Kelce also is. She just couldn’t believe she saw Taylor! The rest of the game she was on cloud nine.”
She also noted that she knew her daughter “was in good hands” with Jason because the Philadelphia Eagles player — who has three daughters — is a known girl dad.
“He was so kind to her,” Jessica said of Jason, who posed for a photo with Ella. “I was just so thankful that he gave her the chance to see Taylor because she was — she was standing up there at the top of the bleachers with her sign just waiting and hoping and so brave — she climbed all the way to the top.”