Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce tied the knot at Madison Square Garden on July 3 in front of roughly 1,000 guests, but one conspicuous absence drew attention in the days that followed. Jaime King, the actress once considered one of Swift's closest friends, was not there. Neither was her 10-year-old son Leo Thames Newman, Swift's godson.
King's publicist, Jane Owen, issued a statement to the Daily Mail addressing the pair's absence. The explanation leaned on Leo's age and the nature of the event.
"The reason Jaime chose Taylor as Leo Thames's godmother is because they both believe that being a godmother is a deeply personal and spiritual commitment that has nothing to do with public appearances."
Owen added that Leo was "still too young for a large adult wedding celebration" and that he and King "were able to joyfully celebrate Taylor and Kelce's marriage in his own very special, age-appropriate way during his summer break." No further detail was given about what that celebration entailed.
The godmother designation dates to 2015, when King publicly explained the choice in an interview with E! News. At the time, King spoke warmly about Swift's character.
"I always thought if I were to have another child that she would be the ideal godmother because the way she not only treats me but the way she treats other human beings. She's so loving and so giving and so generous and she does everything from her heart and she's incredibly brave and authentic. It's a very rare thing to come across."
The two were photographed together frequently in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood during 2014 and 2015. King's then-husband, director Kyle Newman, directed the music video for Swift's "Style" off her 1989 album in 2014. The families appeared close.
But the relationship cooled. An unnamed source told The U.S. Sun last year that "Taylor and Jaime are not close anymore and don't talk but there is still love." Owen's carefully worded statement to the Daily Mail did not dispute that characterization.
The 47-year-old actress has faced a difficult run of personal upheaval. She and Newman married in 2007 and finalized their divorce in 2023. They share two sons, James, 12, and Leo, 10.
In March, a judge granted Newman sole physical custody of both boys. The court ordered that King's visits with her sons be supervised until she completes a mandated drug and alcohol program lasting approximately six months. Whether King has completed that program is not publicly known.
King became engaged to business investor Austin Sosa in July 2025 and married him shortly after. Sosa then filed for divorce in January. King was described as having been caught off guard by the filing.
At the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, in March, King struck an optimistic note when speaking to the Daily Mail about her professional life.
"I'm doing four films this year, so 2026 is shaping up to be a really exciting year creatively. My children are always my greatest inspiration. Watching them grow, their brilliance and heartfelt natures I marvel in. They are as always the most important part of my life."
The custody situation raises an obvious question the publicist's statement did not address: whether King was in a position to bring Leo to the wedding at all, given that Newman holds sole physical custody and King's visits require supervision.
The wedding itself was an event of considerable scale and secrecy. AP News reported that both the bride and groom wrote their own vows. Adam Sandler, described as a friend of the couple, officiated the ceremony. Austin Swift served as his sister's Man of Honor. Jason Kelce stood as Best Man. Jason Kelce's daughters served as flower girls, tossing white and pink rose petals.
Neither bride nor groom had bridesmaids or groomsmen beyond those roles, a detail Swift's longtime publicist Tree Paine confirmed in an email blast that also laid out the fashion credits. The wedding looks came from Christian Dior Haute Couture, designed by Jonathan Anderson, the house's creative director, in close collaboration with Swift and Kelce. Custom Christian Louboutin shoes and Cartier jewelry completed the bride's ensemble.
Designer Jonathan Anderson spoke about the experience. Fox News reported his remark: "It was a joy to work with her. We became very good friends. It's an emotional thing doing someone's wedding."
Sir Paul McCartney performed during the ceremony, singing lyrics to "I Want To Hold Your Hand." Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac also sang during the festivities. Billboards at Madison Square Garden flashed "JusT&T married" at 7:30 p.m. EST. Later that evening, the Empire State Building lit up in blue, Swift's "something blue."
The venue's appeal was partly practical. Newsmax had reported weeks earlier that MSG's lack of windows and underground parking made it an attractive option for a celebrity couple seeking privacy. Fox News noted that guests had their phones placed in individual locked glass boxes upon arrival.
A-list guests spotted heading to the venue included Karlie Kloss, Hugh Grant, Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco, Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, and Dakota Johnson. Breitbart reported that a smaller rehearsal dinner had been held Thursday night, with a tented area shielding arrivals from view. The couple also donated $26 million to 20 charities across the country earlier in the week, per that same report.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch repeatedly declined to confirm the wedding would take place at MSG but said her department would have "appropriate resources at each major event over the weekend."
Leo Thames Newman is not Swift's only godchild. She is also godmother to Blake Lively's four children. None of those children were reported to be in attendance at the wedding either. Whether their absence followed the same logic, too young for an adult celebration, or reflected a separate decision is unclear.
The publicist's framing, that the godmother role is "a deeply personal and spiritual commitment that has nothing to do with public appearances", reads as a pointed effort to separate the private relationship from the public spectacle. It also serves as a preemptive response to the obvious tabloid question: did the friendship end, or just change?
The Daily Mail reached out to Swift's representative for comment and reported it had yet to hear back.
Owen's statement is notable as much for what it avoids as for what it says. It does not claim King was invited. It does not claim King and Swift are still close. It does not explain how a 10-year-old is too young for a wedding when Jason Kelce's young daughters participated as flower girls.
The statement also does not address the custody order. If King's visits with Leo require supervision and Newman holds sole physical custody, the question of whether King could have brought Leo to New York for the event answers itself, regardless of whether an invitation existed.
None of this is the public's business in the strictest sense. Celebrity friendships rise and fall, and custody matters are private legal proceedings. But when a publicist issues a formal statement to a global outlet, the statement invites scrutiny. And this one raises more questions than it settles.
In the end, the publicist's careful words tell us one thing clearly: whatever the relationship between Taylor Swift and Jaime King once was, it is now managed by professionals speaking in press-release language. That says more than any wedding guest list ever could.
