NFL Commentator Al Michaels Didn’t Know What To Call Taylor Swift And Settled On A Hilariously Awkward Description

Al Michaels has been one of the most esteemed commentators in all of sports for decades, with a storied career that dates back to the 1970s. Even still, that doesn’t mean the 78-year-old icon immune to slip-ups or awkward moments, like one he faced while talking about Taylor Swift’s presence at yesterday’s (October 12) Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs game.

Swift is of course rumored to be dating Chiefs star Travis Kelce, but neither she nor Kelce have outright confirmed that, so Michaels tried his best to tread lightly when discussing the pop star’s relationship status. At one point during the broadcast, though, he found himself seemingly unsure what to say.

While calling the game for Amazon Prime’s coverage, Swift was shown on screen and Michaels said, “And of course, looking on, is… his… well, at the moment… his good buddy and girlfriend… Taylor Swift.”

Before the game, Michaels told Sports Illustrated‘s Jimmy Traina (as The Score notes) about Amazon’s plan to cover Swift, saying, “What we’re gonna do tonight: everything in moderation. Our crew talked about it this morning. You can’t make a sideshow the show. The vast majority of the audience are tuning in to watch a football game. There are people — I don’t know how many, it could be a sizable number, but it’s certainly not a majority — that if you trained the camera on her all night long, they’d be satisfied with that. This is not what we’re doing.”

Meanwhile, Michaels recently turned heads in the sports world by claiming he, in his 78-plus years on Earth, has never knowingly eaten a vegetable.