Kayla Nicole, the ex-girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, made a surprise appearance onstage with Toni Braxton during the singer’s performance of her 2000 hit “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” reigniting rumors of subtle digs at her former flame and his fiancée, Taylor Swift.
The moment unfolded Saturday night at The Forum during Braxton’s joint tour with New Edition and Boyz II Men. Nicole, 34, strutted out in a sparkly minidress, joining Braxton’s backup dancers for the iconic choreography as the crowd cheered. Braxton, 58, paused to grab the mic and ask Nicole directly, “Kayla, is he man enough?” prompting roars from the audience.
Video of the performance, shared by Hollywood Unlocked on Instagram, quickly went viral, amassing thousands of views and comments. Nicole reposted the clip on her stories, captioning it with emojis and tagging Braxton.
The onstage collaboration comes three months after Nicole’s Halloween costume stirred controversy. In October 2025, she dressed as Braxton from the “He Wasn’t Man Enough” music video, recreating the dance and posting it online. Fans interpreted it as shade toward Kelce, 36, and Swift, 36, especially given lyrics like “Do you know I dumped your husband, girlfriend?” Braxton herself reacted to the costume at the time, telling Entertainment Tonight it was “bitter.”
Nicole and Kelce dated on and off from 2017 to 2022 before he began his high-profile romance with Swift in 2023. Nicole has spoken publicly about the breakup, emphasizing personal growth and blocking out noise from Swift’s fanbase.
Social media reactions to the onstage moment were mixed, with some seeing it as playful empowerment and others as lingering pettiness.
“Travis Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole, just took her viral Halloween performance of “He Wasn’t Man Enough” from social media to the main stage—with Toni Braxton herself,” posted @wahoosport on X.
User @audacityofDOPE_ expressed fatigue: “I hope Kayla Nicole can move on with her life. She’s discussed Travis Kelce so much and now she was Toni Braxton for Halloween a posted herself covering the He Wasn’t Man Enough video. When does it end?”
Others tied it to football: “Hey @BuffaloBills! You want to know how to rattle Travis Kelce today? Learn the dance to the Toni Braxton/Kayla Nicole’s video “He wasn’t man enough for me” and do the dance when you score a touchdown,” suggested @shorebirdsnorth.
Allyson Mayze (@AllysonMayze) praised Nicole: “Kayla Nicole dressed up & STUNNED as Toni Braxton for Halloween & proved why Travis Kelce was never man enough for her 🤣”
Flip the pages for more of Kayla Nicole’s hot shots.
