The 'Swifties' Are Infuriated Following Donna Kelce's Short-Lived Run On ‘The Traitors’

The first three episodes of season 4 of Peacock's hit reality series, "The Traitors," delivered epic highs and shocking twists. Still, none loomed larger than the presence of Donna Kelce and the global fanbase attached to her famous family. Throughout the premiere, cast members openly joked about walking on eggshells around the soon-to-be mother-in-law of Taylor Swift, fearing the wrath of the Swifties if they targeted her. However, it wasn't the cast that ultimately fumbled the bag with "America's Mom,"—it was the producers. After a controversial twist led to Kelce's banishment in episode 3, the very backlash the cast feared has arrived, but they're not the ones under attack.

As the first episode began, host Alan Cumming told the cameras that the twists were starting immediately, setting the stage for what many fans now call a "setup."

"This game is full of surprises," Cumming said. "I am about to pick my very first Traitor right here, right now. Players, 23 chests stand before you — one [for] each [of you]. Inside your chests, 22 of you will see nothing and remain Faithful for now. But one player will see the Traitor card, and a life of scheming and sabotage begins as they become my first Traitor."

It was revealed during episode 3, however, that Kelce was the Secret Traitor after she was voted out by her fellow castmates. "This has been a dream come true," she said to producers. "These are happy tears that I get to do this at this point in my life. It’s just the joy of being in the game."

While producers were likely hoping to capitalize on the "Swiftie effect" by centering a major twist around Kelce, the move backfired spectacularly after the group sniffed her out almost instantly, robbing fans of the chance to see her play the long game.

Despite Kelce's earlier statement about being grateful for being able to play the game, some social media users (and presumed Swifties) weren't pleased with how things went down.

"If you're gonna make DONNA KELCE a traitor, then do it all the way," a user wrote. "We didn't get to see her actually being a traitor before she was banished."

They added, "And if you're gonna make someone a secret traitor, it's gonna be a gamer [because] they'll know what to do with it. She didn't."

Another user wrote, "Making Donna the secret traitor was lowkey a flop, like, she didn't know how to play the game at all."

The disappointed comments didn't end there, as one user shared on X that they weren't trying "to be a crazy Swiftie" before questioning why Kelce was targeted in the first place. "Like, she came there all alone and is just trying her best," they wrote.

"I don't even like Donna all that much, but making her the secret traitor when she didn't want to be one and not even giving her the identities of the other traitors? That's just not right," another shared.

Unlike Kelce, who was left to fend for herself, the remaining Traitors were chosen in the traditional manner during the roundtable. Cumming walked around the room to pick the trio, who turned out to be Lisa Rinna from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Candiace Dillard-Bassett from "The Real Housewives of Potomac," and Rob R. from "Love Island."

Bassett shared that she felt like a beauty queen when she was chosen as the first Traitor. "The game is called The Traitors — it’s not called The Faithfuls," she said. "The game is about main characters, and I am obviously a main character."

Rinna shared something similar, adding, "This feels really right," while Rob R. said that he would make a great Traitor. "I've been told that by every girl I’ve ever dated, and I’m extremely competitive. I like to win," he said.

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Cumming opened up about the season and revealed that many of the contestants were concerned about upsetting the Swifties. "The contestants, the players, talk about it quite a lot, [They were like] ‘I’m a bit worried about the Swifties. What they’ll do if we," he said before admitting watching them squirm was "quite fun." He added, "It's another added layer of menace."