Kayla Nicole Shades 'Athlete' Exes, Says She'll Only Date 'Owners of the Team' Years After Split From NFL Star Travis Kelce

Kayla Nicole is turning heads online after shading her ex Travis Kelce by vowing to swear off dating athletes.

The influencer, 34, appeared on the Tuesday, November 25, episode of the “Boyfriend Material With Harry Jowsey” podcast, where the eponymous host, 28, casually dropped that he's part-owner of a Los Angeles-based professional rugby team.

“That’s nice. Do you have any owner friends?” she asked Jowsey, who smiled. “I keep saying I don’t want to date any more athletes, but I’m down to date the owners of the teams.”

The Too Hot to Handle alum pointed to himself, saying, “Here we go. I’m here.”

Fans quickly interpreted the comment as shade toward Kelce, 36, as Nicole’s last known relationship was with the Kansas City Chiefs player, whom she dated on and off for five years before calling it quits for good in 2022.

“It’s odd to still be trying SO HARD to build a career off the fact you dated someone forever ago and now you are salty he’s dating a billionaire… grow up,” one critic wrote, while another social media user added, “Her only claim to fame was being Kelce's girl, but she isn't anymore. Move on.”

However, others defended the “The Pre-Game With Kayla Nicole” podcast host, writing, “God forbid she makes a joke.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Nicole has been accused of throwing shade toward her ex-boyfriend. The California native sparked drama last month when she recreated Toni Braxton’s look for her 2000s music video “He Wasn’t Man Enough” for Halloween. The sultry outfit featured a chrome thong bikini with a metallic silver chain mini dress, and Nicole went the extra mile by learning some of the hit’s iconic choreography.

Fans immediately translated the look as shade directed at Taylor Swift — who is engaged to the NFL star — due to lyrics like, "Listen, girl / Who do you think I am? / Don't you know that he was my man? / But I chose to let him go / So, why do you act like I still care about him?"

Nicole responded to the backlash and insisted she wasn’t in the “business” of throwing shade at other women.

"As with anything, I think that people will try to project their own narratives,” Nicole said during the November 8 episode of her podcast. “I've been listening to this [song] since it came out. I have a very specific memory about it growing up. I had a white best friend. Her name was Taylor, her mom's name was Pam. And she was the only house I could go over to as a kid because my mom didn't play them type of games."