Dolly Parton made an unusual request to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce after their $2 million charity donation to her Imagination Library.
The country music icon expressed her gratitude in a sweet video on social media on July 3, before asking the soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. if she could have their “first born” child.
“Taylor and Travis, it’s Dolly, and I was just told that you two are making a donation of $2 million to my Imagination Library. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Dolly said in the video shared on Instagram.
“I’m blown away and overjoyed with that gratitude. Now, it’s evident that you two have made giving back a key part of your lives, so hey, when you have your first born, can I have it? Because that is gonna be one special baby!”
She continued: “You know the mission of the Dollywood Foundation is to dream more, care more, learn more, and be more. And thank you again for your very generous gift, and we’ll continue that mission even in bigger ways now with your money.
“So thank you, and know that I will always love you,” she signed off, singing the lyrics to her hit song, “I Will Always Love You.”
She captioned the video: Thank you @taylorswift and @killatrav for the generous gift to @imaginationlibrary! I wish you both the best, and know that I will always love you.”
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income, is just one of the charitable donations Taylor and Travis made ahead of their wedding at Madison Square Garden.
© Ezra Shaw- July 2023: Travis first shows interest in Taylor after her concert at Arrowhead Stadium, attempting to give her a friendship bracelet with his number.
- September 2023: Taylor attends a Chiefs game, sitting with Travis’s mom, before leaving with Travis
- October 2023: They’re spotted holding hands at public events, including an SNL afterparty, confirming their relationship.
- November 2023: The couple goes public, with Taylor referencing Travis in her concert lyrics, and he confirms their relationship in an interview.
- January 2024: Taylor and Travis ring in the new year together with a kiss, and he declares his love after the Chiefs’ AFC Championship win.
- February 2024: Taylor supports Travis at the Super Bowl, celebrating his victory with him in a major public moment.
- April 2024: Taylor references Travis in her song lyrics, further solidifying their relationship through music.
- June 2024: Travis makes a surprise appearance onstage with Taylor during her Eras Tour show in London, taking their public connection to the next level.
- August 2025: The couple announce their engagement on 26 August via an Instagram post with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
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August 2025: Taylor announces her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, on Travis’s podcast, New Heights, on 13 August. - December 2025: During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Taylor calls Travis the “love of her life”.
- July 2026: Ahead of their rumoured Madison Square Garden wedding in New York, the couple announce a joint $26 million donation to 20 charities across the US, including children’s hospitals and food banks.
The couple announced in the hours leading up to their rehearsal dinner on July 2 that they had donated upwards of $26 million to 20 local and national charities.
The 20 charities include nine food banks, an animal cruelty organization, seven educational programs, and three children’s hospitals.
© New Heights“This week, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift donated $26 million to charities across the United States,” Taylor’s publicist announced.
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Alongside Dolly’s Imagination Library, the charities include City Harvest in New York City, Food Bank For NYC, New York Cares, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Harvesters – The Community Food Network in Kansas City, MO, The Store in Nashville, TN, Helping Harvest in Reading, PA, Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Feeding America National, ASPCA National, Grammy In The Schools National, Education Through Music in New York, NY.
© GC ImagesDonations also went to Answer The Call in New York, NY, Musical Mentors in New York, NY, After-School All- Stars in New York, NY, After-School All-Stars in Cleveland, OH, MSK Kids, the pediatric cancer program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Children & Teen and Adolescents & Young Adult (AYA) Programs, Hassenfeld Children’s Hosipal at NYU Langone, and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO.
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