What happens when the stand-in spouse becomes the bigger headline than the one showing off? In the sporting world-cum-celebrity culture reality, some choice WAGs (wives and girlfriends) have constructed empires, bestselling careers, and international followings that rival even their superstar sporting star husbands as the draw.
From Grammy-winning legends to Olympic icons, these women have taken the spotlight as their own domain drawing new boundaries for the role of the “sports spouse” in the process. Theirs are not just tales of whom they are dating or married to, but of how they’ve utilized their own talent, charm, and power to become the center of the cultural conversation. Here’s a peek at nine WAGs who’ve become so well known, powerful, and famous as to dwarf even the sport’s largest stars.
1. Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s on-again, off-again relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce started with a busted friendship bracelet exchange and became one of pop culture’s most-watched love stories. By her first visit to a Chiefs game in September 2023, they were dating a truth she outlined in her TIME Person of the Year interview, during which she outlined, “We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”
Throughout the span of two years, Swift was a frequent attendee at NFL games, changed the lyrics to “Karma” to mention Kelce, and even took the stage alongside him for his Tight End University performance. Their August wedding in 2025, which included an eight-carat diamond, was announced in a shared Instagram post titled, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” Aside from love, her presence has introduced new followers to football, with Kelce himself stating, “I love it when Taylor comes and cheers me on and enjoys the game with the fam and friends.”
2. Hailee Steinfeld
Oscar-nominated pop artist and actress Hailee Steinfeld won over Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen heck, she won over the city of Buffalo itself. Nicknamed the “Queen” of Buffalo, she got a literal billboard welcoming in response to their November 2024 engagement. When she appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she sang in glowing words about the warm welcome “The people are amazing. It’s such an amazing, wonderful place. I love it so much.”
The love affair of the couple, which started mid-2023, has been filled with low-key nights out and mutual love of cooking along with an odd “bad omen” knife gift-exchanging that they defused by swapping quarters. Steinfeld’s film and music star power has kept her very much in the spotlight while Allen shines on the pitch.
3. Simone Biles
At 11 Olympic medals, Simone Biles is among the best gymnasts in history and her own celebrity far surpasses that of her husband, Chicago Bears defensive back Jonathan Owens. Wedded in April 2023, Biles indicated she has enjoyed the way Owens has been “so supportive” and recognized the pressures of elite sport.
Their connection is founded on mutual respect for one another’s athletic careers, but Biles’ international fame, mental health advocacy, and ongoing success on the gymnastics apparatus make her a household name to far more than NFL fanatics.
4. Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood’s powerful voice and numerous Grammy awards have kept her in the limelight since she won American Idol. Married to ex-NHL player Mike Fisher since 2010, she informed a Minneapolis radio station, K102, in an interview one time, “It is nice being a hockey wife.”
While Fisher had a fruitful career on the ice, she’s publicly referred to her “one of the biggest stars.” Underwood’s ongoing chart success, sold-out tours, and endorsement contracts with name brands guarantee celebrity status unparalleled in their union.
5. Olivia Culpo
Ex-Miss Universe Olivia Culpo once swore off dating athletes until San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Culpo and the ex are set to wed in June 2024, and Culpo confessed to breaking her own rule, saying to Entertainment Tonight, “He’s just the best. I never have to worry about anything.”
Her professional modeling, reality television show segment on The Culpo Sisters, and fashion relevance have made her a topic of the public sphere, and continuously overshadowed McCaffrey’s play on the field.
6. Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington, best recognized for starring in Scandal, wed retired NFL cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in 2013. A few weeks later, Asomugha retired, stating through ESPN, “We didn’t get a championship. but we had a lot of championship moments.”
Washington’s career as an actress, activist, and red carpet queen has landed her a top-listed position in Hollywood, ensuring the premiere of her name far surpasses that of her husband’s post-PNFL celebrity.
7. Kylie Kelce
Newly retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce’s wife, Kylie Kelce, has established her own fan base with her Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce podcast and blunt public appearances. Jason’s retirement speech came with a sincere plug “Every award I’ve ever won has had her in my life.”
Her popularity, wit, and growing presence in the media most often with brother-in-law Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have made her a standalone popular personality in her own right.
8. Ciara
Ciara’s two-decade career as a Grammy-winning singer, dancer, and entrepreneur has seen her become an R&B legend through such hits as “Goodies” and “Level Up.” Wed to quarterback Russell Wilson since 2016, she’s lauded his commitment to family, saying to SI, “He doesn’t want to miss a moment.”
Though Wilson is a Super Bowl winner, Ciara’s music, fashion line, and charity work keep her well in the spotlight as a celebrity.
9. Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham was once Posh Spice, the Spice Girl with attitude and fashion sense who sold more than 55 million albums globally. Her marriage to football great David Beckham in 1999 was international news, but she also went on to build a very respected fashion brand, even winning Designer Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2011.
Her London Fashion Week catwalk shows and new London flagship store in Mayfair cement her position as style guru whose appeal reaches far wider than her WAG roots.
These women are proof that one can be a WAG without living in another person’s shadow. Through sport, fashion, acting, or musical supremacy, each of them has created her own identity and career that has nothing to do with having sex-married someone well-known they’ve received more press than their husbands’ games, actually. In today’s new celebrity sports world, they’re not just riding the bench she’s rewriting the playbook.
