Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy in 2024, and while it was expected that the player would be a part of the online buzz, who would have thought his fiancée, Leanna Lenee, would be at the center of it all?
The 21-year-old two-way star’s fiancée became the talk of the town after her reaction to his win at the Heisman ceremony. While most of the internet second-guessed her, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s ex-girlfriend tried to jump into the mix, but only to end it.
Kayla Nicole Calls Internet ‘Weird’ Over Travis Hunter-Leanna Lenee Incident
Nicole has not been afraid of being heard. However, this time, she chose to speak up for Lenee, who has been in the crosshairs since the Heisman ceremony. Reacting to the backlash, Nicole urged the fans to end it with a tweet.
“Y’all weird. Wrap this Travis Hunter girlfriend news cycle up by noon. Thank you,” wrote the 33-year-old influencer.
Yall weird.
Wrap this Travis Hunter girlfriend news cycle up by noon.
Thank you.— that girl. (@iamkaylanicole) December 17, 2024
The stir began after the University of Colorado wide receiver and cornerback accepted the coveted Heisman Trophy on Dec. 14. Netizens criticized his fiancée Leanna for her behavior during the announcement.
Many criticized Lenee for seeming agitated while the college athlete took photos with fans during a pop-up event in New York City over the weekend.
In the video, she appears to say to Hunter, “What do you want me to do?” “I’ll just sit here then.”
Hunter and Lenee React to the Backlash
Though the internet’s reactions have been varied, the couple chose to take the matter into their own hands — by reacting to it in their own separate ways. After the internet was set ablaze, the Colorado athlete tried to block the noise before it got to his fiancée. Hunter addressed the backlash during a Twitch livestream, telling critics to focus on something else.
“Find something else to talk about … go find a life,” Hunter said, reaffirming his commitment to Lenee, who he’s been with for five years.
Travis Hunter defends his fiancée while addressing the backlash she received for her comments as he was taking photos with fans and says that she has been crying and drinking all day because of the hate she’s been receiving 😳 pic.twitter.com/vk3kZpmmnQ
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) December 16, 2024
Meanwhile, Lenee took a more personal route in addressing the controversy, sharing an emotional TikTok video.
“When his name was called, I instantly was going to get up,” Lenee explained. “But if you watch the video, his mom didn’t get up, so I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I just sit here.’ As soon as I saw Travis get up, I stood up to congratulate him.”
Lenee went on to clarify her intentions, expressing that she didn’t want the unnecessary limelight.
“I got out of the camera shot on purpose because I knew how people online would twist the moment. I wanted it to be about him and his family.”
Travis Hunter’s girlfriend, Leanna, releases an 8-minute video responding to the internet backlash 👀pic.twitter.com/ohn9Uu017p
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) December 17, 2024
While Hunter and Lenee may have tackled the situation in their own ways, the drama is still building up, even prompting Lenee to make her Instagram account private to block the hatred from fans and followers.
