Kayla Nicole has been doing a lot lately: hosting gigs, brand collabs and launching her podcast. The 33-year-old media personality recently won hearts on a reality TV show and has worked to build her name. But the shadow of being ‘Travis Kelce’s ex’ still looms. And honestly, she’s talked about how frustrating that’s been. No matter what she does, someone always circles back to her past relationship, especially now that Kelce’s dating Taylor Swift. Ever since those two got together, the online noise around Kayla has only gotten louder -more trolls, more hot takes, more people ready to call her out over the smallest things.
And now, Nicole’s caught in yet another wave of backlash. This time, it’s not about her words or her ex. It’s a recent photoshoot for her podcast that’s got the internet talking. And somehow, Vanessa Bryant, who also happens to be a Swiftie, is part of the mix. So, Nicole recently launched her podcast, The Pre-Game, with the first episode premiering this past Thursday. For the second one, she took to Instagram, asking her followers for guest suggestions. She posted a few pictures and captioned them, “Soooo who do I need to bring on the pod immediately for cocktails and a kiki!? She, he, they, them welcome! Tag ’em!”
But one of those photos didn’t sit right with a lot of people. In one shot, Nicole is lying on the floor, looking at herself in a mirror while applying makeup. What caught fans’ attention wasn’t the pose but the background. Behind her, a magazine is visible, featuring an article titled ‘Remembering Gianna,’ in memory of Gianna Bryant, who tragically passed away alongside her father, Kobe Bryant, in the 2020 helicopter crash. That detail sparked a wave of criticism online. Especially among fans who found the placement tone-deaf and disrespectful, given the emotional weight tied to that headline.
People quickly took the conversation to Reddit, where it popped up on one of the snark pages dedicated to her—r/kaylanicolesnarkpage. A user shared a screenshot of the post, and from there, the backlash snowballed. Commenters didn’t hold back, calling out the media personality left, right, and center.
Reddit users react to Kayla Nicole’s photoshoot
What was supposed to be a fun and lighthearted podcast promo has now turned into a full-blown controversy. And Reddit’s not letting it slide. While many of Kayla Nicole’s Instagram followers may have scrolled past the detail without a second thought, Redditors were quick to zoom in and call it out. They felt that including a tribute to Gianna Bryant, especially in the background of a glam shot, was jarring and in poor taste.
One user summed up the sentiment, writing, “Isn’t this podcast supposed to be light and fun chit chat? Why are the morbid magazines in the promo pic while she’s in a nighty? It’s coming off tone deaf and strange.” Another chimed in with, “This is the most perplexing photo, you’re in a nighty, looking at yourself in a mirror applying makeup, lying on the floor with a magazine about someone’s deceased daughter behind your head? Make it make sense…”
The comments didn’t stop there. One user bluntly stated, “Because she’s an idiot who doesn’t double-check or care,” while another added, “Please tell me someone called her out in the comments at least or are all her minions as brain dead as her??? This is so incredibly disrespectful. She couldn’t have picked out fashion magazines???”
Now, whether it was intentional or not, the detail struck a nerve. Once again, Kayla Nicole finds herself at the center of online outrage. It’s not the first time the model and influencer has found herself caught up in drama. And with the internet tracking her every move, it likely won’t be the last. For now, users will be watching closely to see if Nicole addresses the backlash or just lets it fade into the scroll.
The post Kayla Nicole Sparks Controversy for ‘Disrespecting’ Swiftie Vanessa Bryant as Calls Mount Against Travis Kelce’s Ex’s Photoshoot appeared first on EssentiallySports.
