We blundered into an article on the internet the other day from something called OK! Magazine suggesting Travis and Taylor are headed for big trouble because Travis has said he and Taylor don’t argue. The writer compared them to George and Amal Clooney, with George saying they never fight.
Various “experts” chimed in that these relationships are doomed, in effect saying that two people in the spotlight can’t be happy with one another, or as the article suggests, is “whether the couple’s serene dynamic hides emotional distance rather than marital bliss.”
The article further elaborates: “One family therapist said: ‘It may seem perfect when couples say they never argue, but that can actually point to feelings being held back instead of real harmony. Disagreements are a normal, healthy part of connection – they help partners communicate openly. Avoiding conflict altogether can mean avoiding the deeper issues, too.’
Kelce and Clooney got together on Travis’ podcast, ‘New Heights” and the issue of domestic harmony came up. Clooney has spoken of his “conflict-free” marriage and told Kelce, “Neither of us are going to win the arguments, so why get in it? Dude, I’m 64 years old, and what am I going to argue about at this point? I’ve met this incredible woman, she’s beautiful and smart, and she stands for all the most important things that I believe in in the world, and I can’t believe how lucky I am, so what am I going to fight about?”
Kelce said he and fiancé Taylor Swift have “never argued” in their time together (has it already been two and a half years?). Both are 36. George is 64 and Amal is 47, for whatever value that might have to the discussion. They’ve been married for ten years.
The article continued: “One insider familiar with the Clooneys said: ‘Everyone adores George and Amal, but when they said they never argue, it raised eyebrows. It made people question what other parts of their relationship might be missing. And it means Taylor and Travis’ bond could be just as unhealthy as the Clooneys.’”
Unhealthy????? What “other parts of their relationship” are in jeopardy? To the layman, this sounds like a substantial crock.
(At our house, the biggest long-lasting point of disagreement is what’s for dinner. Couples have disagreements. Couples who love each other resolve them. A disagreement is not a fight that results in no resolution or a winner/loser resolution that creates smoldering resentments. But these “experts” seem to think that is how things should be. They’ve been watching too many soap operas.)
The breakup of celebrity relationships make supermarket tabloid headlines but the relationships that last are far more likely.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest 41 years
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick 37 years
Samuel L. and LaTanya Jackson 45 years
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Brad Hall 38 years
Denzel Washington and Pauletta Pearson 42 years
Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew Broderick 28 years
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward 50 years
Sam Elliott and Katherine Ross 41 years
Phillip Mountbatten and Queen Elizabeth II 74 years
Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh 45 years
James Stewart and Gloria Hatrick McLean 45 years
Stan and Lilian LaBash Musial 72 years
Roy Rogers and Dale Evens 51 years
And we could go on and on.
As long as Travis and Taylor are able to ignore the tabloid’s pressures and are able to live their own lives, they’ll be okay. But the celebrity culture feasts on the beautiful, the rich, and the prominent and they have to stay above that and be whatever THEY make of their lives.
We would hope that people would just stand back and let them enjoy being part of each other’s lives—just as we would do for OUR social friends. If you would not have the same suspicions about your friends’ relationships, why would you be suspicious of theirs?
The all-star jock and the homecoming queen, that’s what we have with Travis and Taylor. It works. Just ask Norm Stewart (who will be 91 on January 20).
Norm and Virginia Zimmerly Stewart 69 years.
So, to Hell with the “experts.” Let the beautiful people be in love. Wish them a long and happy future. Remember when your eyes only saw each other and an unknown future was stretched out before you. Let them have that same joy and the same opportunity to build their own future. Find a checkout lane without a tabloid rack. Their life and their lives are nobody’s business but theirs.
(Stewarts: Columbia Daily Tribune; Clooneys: Microsoft Bling; Travis and Taylor: Instagram)
Me and Debbie will celebrate 49 years of marriage in February and yes, we argue…about who is going to let the dog out.