Did Popeye Jones date Taylor Swift? Viral post debunked amid online fan meltdown

Taylor Swift and Dallas Mavericks coach Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones are going viral as rumors of their alleged relationship spread on social media platforms.

The Instagram page @smartest_mavs_fan uploaded Popeye Jones' alleged statement addressing Swift's recent engagement to Travis Kelce.

The page claimed that Jones reportedly said that he was happy for the couple. However, he believed that the singer missed him.

"Happy for them, but I know she still misses me," the basketball coach allegedly said.

The post is fake, as Taylor Swift and Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones never dated. Jones also did not make that statement anywhere. The Instagram fan page appears to have created the rumor for satirical purposes.

Some fans went with the joke and claimed that the alleged couple broke up because Taylor Swift did not want to date someone so good-looking.

One netizen (@steviegotem) jokingly asked if the singer's fans were aware of the rumor.

A few Instagram users played along with the joke and pretended that the two were actually a couple, referring to Taylor Swift and Popeye Jones as the "power couple."

One netizen (@jayxilla6) jokingly asked if there was not a better picture of Jones.

Some netizens called out the Instagram page for lying. One user (@samcingram) jokingly said they were glad that the rumor was not true.

Taylor Swift got engaged to Travis Kelce this month

After dating for more than a year, the pop star and her boyfriend got engaged. Taylor Swift uploaded pictures of their engagement on August 26.

Since then, it has garnered nearly 35 million likes, making it the tenth most-liked Instagram post of all time.

Katie Brundige, the co-founder and CEO of Intertwined Events, a luxury event planning firm based in California, told the BBC on August 29, 2025, that she believed Taylor Swift would incorporate her famous Easter eggs into her wedding ceremony.

Brundige shared that Swift most likely has made plans for her wedding, as she rarely does things without prior preparation.

Katie Brundige also stated that Taylor could consider a smaller wedding planning firm, as she doesn't follow trends and instead follows her heart.

"What she does is intentional. There is never an action taken without a lot of behind-the-scenes thought... She sees talent. She's going to follow her heart on who she thinks can tell her story the best," Katie Brundige stated.

Travis Kelce's father, Ed Kelce, told News 5 Cleveland in an August 27, 2025, interview that the couple has not started their wedding planning yet, as they have just gotten engaged.

Ed then shared how Travis proposed to Taylor in the garden of his home in Lee's Summit, Missouri.

"He got her out there, they were about to go out to dinner, and he said, 'Let's go out and have a glass of wine.' They got out there, and that's when he asked her, and it was beautiful," Ed Kelce said.

It is unclear when and where Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce would get married. Stay tuned for more updates regarding the pop star's wedding.