Just like some people remember where they were during the moon landing, or when they got their first smart phone, the moment when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement will forever be seared into the memories of millions.
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That goes double for CBS White House correspondent Olivia Rinaldi, who found out just moments before going live on air that the world’s biggest pop star had announced her engagement to boyfriend of two years Kansas City Chiefs tight end Kelce on Tuesday (Aug. 26). Her jaw literally dropping open in awe, Rinaldi grabbed her phone and read a note from her producer, saying “Taylor Swift is engaged?”
A second after the news actually sunk in, Rinaldi looked up from her screen and pointed to the phone, excitedly repeating, “Taylor Swift is engaged!” over and over again as an on-screen graphic showing the flower bedecked Instagram proposal post popped up on screen. “Come back to me… she just posted it,” a flustered Rinaldi sputtered as she covered her mouth in awe and repeated “Oh my God” several times, her eyes glued to the perfectly curated photo.
“Oh it’s huge! The ring is ginormous! This is so exciting!” Rinaldi gushed, the joy plain to see on her face as she continued to be gobsmacked, changing from her work phone to what seemed like her personal phone to check out the Instagram post. “Oh my God, it’s on her Instagram! It’s on her Instagram! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! I feel like Paul Revere right now,” Rinaldi gushed about her chance to be among the first to spread the news of the pop culture mega-merger, her hands making circles in the air as she gleefully struggled to process the information.
But instead of warning the minutemen that the British were coming, Rinaldi simply got to share with CBS viewers that one of the world’s most high-profile couples were making it official after two years of dating.
A short time later, Rinaldi was on air, sharing what she called a “very exciting” moment for her in her professional career, “because I get to announce that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged!” She explained how she had been chatting with her producer when another staffer sent her the alert, with Rinaldi holding up her phone to show the engagement post to the camera, reading out the now-iconic “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married” caption.
“Very exiting here that we get to break that and tell you that,” Rinaldi said with a satisfied, sweet smile on her face as she noted, for the record, that she would totally volunteer to cover the wedding for CBS if needed.
She was just one of many musicians, actors and public figures who took time on Tuesday to congratulate the happy couple who first began dating in 2023. At press time Swift and Kelce have not shared any information about when, or where, their wedding will take place as Kelce gears up to begin his 13th NFL season and Swift ramps up to the Oct. 3 release of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.
Check out Rinaldi’s report below.
