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Palmer Haasch
- Katharine McPhee and David Foster were married in 2019, and had their first child in 2021.
- The pair first met when 21-year-old McPhee was competing on season five of "American Idol" in 2006.
- Here's a complete timeline of their relationship, from their meeting through their marriage.
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2006: Katharine McPhee and David Foster first met on "American Idol."
McPhee and Foster first met when McPhee was a contestant on season five of "American Idol" in 2006. She performed Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," which Foster wrote, and he and operatic tenor Andrea Bocelli helped her practice.
"You have to say also that she is nice, beautiful, and young," Bocelli, who is blind, told Foster.
"How do you know all this?" Foster responded.
"It's important," Bocelli joked. "Don't worry. Don't care."
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Late 2000s: McPhee and Foster were seen together at public events.
In the years following McPhee's season five run on "American Idol," in which she finished as the runner-up, she and Foster were pictured together at many public events, including the JCPenney Jam press conference in June 2006, the Carousel of Hope Ball in October 2006, and Gotham Magazine's Annual Gala in November 2008, according to photos available on Getty Images.
Foster also produced McPhee's first post-"Idol" single, a cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," released in June 2006.
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February 2008: Foster performed with McPhee at her wedding to Nick co*kas.
Before her marriage to Foster, McPhee married actor Nick co*kas in February 2008. At the wedding, she serenaded him with a rendition of Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole's song "Unforgettable." And, as People reported per its own exclusive photos from the 2008 event, Foster accompanied her on the piano.
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Mid-2010s: Both Foster and McPhee ended their previous marriages.
McPhee filed for divorce from co*kas in May 2014 after a year of separation, and the divorce was finalized in 2016, E! News reported. At the time of filing, a representative for McPhee told People that the two "have an amicable relationship and will remain friends."
As E! News reported in December 2015, Foster and his wife, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Yolanda Hadid, divorced after four years of marriage and nine years together. In a statement to E! News, the couple said that they were "grateful for the years we've spent together" and would hoped that they could move forward "with the love and respect we will always have for one another." Their divorce was finalized in 2017.
During this same period, McPhee and Foster continued to be pictured together at public events they both attended, including the the Jane Seymour Open Hearts Foundation Inaugural Celebration in February 2011, a Thanksgiving concert in Washington, DC in 2009, and Barbra Streisand's 75th birthday in April 2017.
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2017: Dating rumors around the couple began to spread.
Foster and McPhee began to spark relationship rumors after they were spotted eating together in Miami at Nobu in May 2017, E! News reported.Citing an anonymous source, E! News reported at the time that the pair were "very intimate" during their dinner.
Later that year, one of Foster's daughters added fuel to the rumors.
In September 2017, Foster and McPhee attended, and performed at, the Grammy Museum's third annual gala, hosted at The Novo in Los Angeles, People reported. Foster was awarded with the Architects of Sound Award at the event. McPhee helped him debut a song from the stage musical he was working on that the time, according to People.
As People reported, Foster's daughter Erin, who is two years older than McPhee, posted photos of McPhee and Foster from the event on her Instagram story.
"Excited about my new step mom" and "my parents," she wrote in text-overlay captions on the photos that she posted.
In the wake of Erin's Instagram story posts, an anonymous source close to the pair told People that the two weren't dating. The source told people that Erin's posts were sarcastic, and directed to "those who can't seem to grasp that her dad and Kat can be colleagues, collaborators, and longtime friends without it being some big romance."
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Late 2017: Dating rumors continued to spread, prompting further denial from anonymous sources.
In October 2017, McPhee and Foster were spotted walking arm-in-arm, with McPhee later reportedly placing her hand on Foster's backside at an ATM, People reported.
An anonymous source close to the couple told People that the pair were "[having] some fun" with paparazzi following them, saying that they were "in no way romantically involved."
"They are dear, old friends who genuinely love spending time together, but it is nothing more than that," the anonymous source said, according to People.
Later that year, McPhee and Foster were spotted together at a November 2017 Los Angeles Lakers game, as well as other events that same month, including the Bumble Bizz Los Angeles Launch Dinner and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Patron of the Artists Awards, according to photos available on Getty Images.
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December 2017: McPhee reiterated that she was single in a Health Magazine cover.
McPhee told Health Magazine in an interview for the magazine's December 2017 cover that she was "pretty single" in the wake of a nearly two-year relationship with her "Scorpion" costar Elyes Gabel.
At the time, she told Health that she and Foster were "very close friends" and that she was "really fond of him."
A post shared by Katharine McPhee Foster (@katharinefoster)
"I've known him since I was 21 years old, you know? He produced my first single," McPhee told Health, referring to her cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." "So he's been really good to me. People can say whatever they want."
May 2018: McPhee and Foster made their relationship red-carpet official at the Met Gala.
As Insider previously reported, the pair made their relationship official at the Met Gala in 2018. McPhee was wearing a sheer, blue dress from Georges Chakra Couture, while Foster wore a black suit.
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July 2018: Foster and McPhee were engaged.
In July 2018, both McPhee and Foster got engaged while on vacation in Europe. McPhee first confirmed the news on Twitter, sharing a ring emoji and a gif of Ariana Grande saying, "and what about it?"
Later, she posted a text exchange with Just Jared founder Jared End, revealing that Foster proposed at the top of a mountain in Anacapri.
A post shared by Katharine McPhee Foster (@katharinefoster)
"Thankfully he didn't push me off the cliff," McPhee wrote in the texts. "He said it was one or the other. And in the end he spared me."
Foster also posted on Instagram to confirm the engagement, posting a photo of himself and McPhee,accompanied by a caption reading "Yup!!"
His daughter, Erin, jokingly commented on the photo of the pair, writing, "Mommmyyy."
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September 2018: Foster and McPhee reunited with Andrea Bocelli, who appeared alongside Foster on "American Idol."
People reported in 2018 that the couple attended Celebrity Fight Night in Italy in September of that year. At the event, McPhee performed "I Can't Help Falling In Love with You" with Bocelli, who appeared with Foster on "American Idol" in 2006 to help McPhee practice.
"A few years ago I told you she was the one," Bocelli told Foster at the event, People reported.
"You were right," Foster replied.
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June 2019: McPhee and Foster were married in London.
The two were married in June 2019 in a ceremony taking place at the Church of St. Yeghiche in the South Kensington district of London, Vogue reported.
McPhee told Vogue that they chose to have the wedding in London after her run in the musical "Waitress" there. Her wedding dress, custom made by Zac Posen, featured one of Foster's songs — "The Colour of my Love," written for Celine Dion and René Angélil's wedding day — notated on the back, according to Vogue.
A post shared by Katharine McPhee Foster (@katharinefoster)
"Exactly 13 years ago today my very first single, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, was released right after Idol," McPhee wrote on Instagram the day of their wedding. "Today… I'm marrying the man who produced it. Life is full of beautiful coincidences, isn't it? Thank you for taking me over the rainbow, David."
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October 2020: People reported that McPhee was pregnant with her and Foster's first child.
In October 2020, People, citing anonymous sources, reported that McPhee and Foster were expecting a child. McPhee alluded to the news a day later in an Instagram post that mentioned that she would be refraining from drinking alcohol.
A post shared by Katharine McPhee Foster (@katharinefoster)
Over the course of her pregnancy, McPhee posted several selfies featuring her baby bump, posing at times in both all-blue and all-pink outfits.
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February 2021: The pair had their first child together.
In February 2021, McPhee gave birth to her and Foster's first son, People reported. Later in March, McPhee revealed that their son was named Rennie David Foster during an interview on the "Today" show with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, saying that Foster would probably "kill" her for revealing the name.
A post shared by Katharine McPhee Foster (@katharinefoster)
McPhee told Kotb and Hager that she and Foster didn't have a name picked out when she went into labor. In a family text chain, Foster's sister suggested a family name, Ren, that had belonged to his great-grandfather and great-uncle.
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December 2021: McPhee defended Foster after he made comments about her post-baby body.
In December, Foster posted a photo on Instagram of McPhee wearing a bikini, captioning it, "What baby!"
A post shared by Katharine McPhee Foster (@katharinefoster)
His caption drew criticism, with some commenters saying that Foster was "out of touch" and objectifying his wife's body, Yahoo! Life reported.
As Insider previously reported, McPhee defended her husband in a subsequent Instagram post, calling the backlash against him "so dumb."
"I cannot with this overly sensitive society right now," McPhee wrote. "But as Taylor Swift said haters gonna hate."
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