Zac Efron Loves Taylor & Travis’ HSM-Coded Romance
Alexa, play “Start of Something New.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have their own rom-com soundtrack. Well, not an actual one. However, there’s several anthems in Swift’s discography that feel specific to their months-long relationship: “Love Story,” the cheeky lyric swap on “Karma,” and Kelce’s current favorite, “Anti-Hero.” Now, it seems they might have to add every romantic ballad from High School Musical to their tracklist. Many Swifties believe they’re the football version of Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, and recently, some of the cast shared their thoughts on the comparisons.
During a Feb. 26 interview with E! News, Zac Efron — who played Bolton in the iconic Disney Channel film — complimented the similarities to Swift and Kelce. “Wow, I didn’t think about that,” Efron said. “That’s really cool. Shout out to all the High School Musical fans. I love the whole Travis, Taylor thing. Man, I’m so happy for them.”
Efron continued, adding “they’re two of the best people in the world” and that he was stoked to see their relationship thriving. His words seemingly echo the initial excitement of HSM stans, who fell in love with Bolton and Montez at their first karaoke session. It wasn’t long until the characters’ chemistry progressed from sweet glances (and dramatic singing) in the bleachers to kisses on the court — a timeline Swift and Kelce followed during football season.
The HSM similarities first began in September 2023, when fans compared Swift frequently cheering on Kelce at his Chiefs games to Montez — specifically, her singing in the stands. As their relationship became more public this year, the comparisons hit new heights. In January, one fan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Swift and Kelce’s busy schedule reminded them of a plot point in the film.
“the chiefs game and the golden globes being within hours of each other reminds me when Troy and Gabriella had the basketball game and the academic decathlon at the same time as the audition for the school musical,” they joked.
Efron wasn’t the only HSM alum who shared his thoughts on Swift and Kelce’s romance. Montez herself — Vanessa Hudgens — also joined in on the joke, per E!. After Entertainment Tonight reposted one of the comparisons on their Instagram account on Jan. 7, Hudgens commented: “Hilarious.”
Beyond the fictional characters’ relationship, the red and white color scheme of the Chiefs’ merch matches East High’s signature colors. And fans are aware of how much Swift adores the color red. “I would tell my children that it was High School Musical,” one fan wrote above photos of Swift and Kelce.
Now that football season has ended, it’s time for Kelce to thoroughly lean into his Bolton dramatics and reenact an iconic moment: “Bet On It.”
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