Katharine McPhee and David Foster have a love story worth singing about.
The couple, who knew each other for more than a decade before their friendship took a romantic turn, have defended their relationship — and their age gap — on multiple occasions.
During a 2019 cruise ship performance, McPhee told haters bashing the 34-year difference between them to “go f–k” themselves.
Three years later, Foster told People, “There [are] so many things that can bring a marriage down, and age difference is just one of them. … We think we have it pretty together.”
Despite continued backlash from social media trolls, the musical duo have shown themselves to be a dream team in raising their son, Rennie, collaborating on Christmas albums and more.
Revisit McPhee and Foster’s milestone moments below.
Nothing more than a mentor
McPhee was a contestant on Season 5 of “American Idol” when she met Foster, who was acting as a guest mentor.
At the time, the record producer said the aspiring singer had a “great, great future ahead of her.” He also nodded when fellow guest Andrea Bocelli pointed out how “nice, beautiful and young” the competitor was.
McPhee recalled the 2006 meeting on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” in 2022, saying, “We became friends, we worked together, he produced my first single, [‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow].'”
Purely platonic
McPhee was in a relationship with Nick Cokas during her time on the show, and the pair married in February 2008.
Not only did Foster attend the nuptials, but he accompanied his future wife on piano as she sang “Unforgettable.”
While the music executive was not married at the time, he would go on to wed his fourth wife, Yolanda Hadid, in 2011.
Love is in the air
After McPhee and Foster finalized their divorces from Cokas and Hadid, respectively, the longtime friends sparked dating rumors in 2017.
Speculation started when they attended the Grammy Museum’s annual gala together, going on to make headlines for sitting courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
McPhee played coy about their budding romance at the time, telling People, “I’m not doing anything wrong, so whether people think it’s true or false … there’s nothing bad happening in my life, so people can just say whatever they want.”
Sealed with a kiss
The couple seemingly confirmed their dating status with a smooch in November 2017.
Six months later, McPhee and Foster made their red carpet debut at the 2018 Met Gala, which the “Smash” alum referred to as a “nice date night” in an “Entertainment Tonight” interview.
The pair held hands while posing for pics at the May event.
He put a ring on it
The following month, McPhee told her Instagram followers that she was engaged by posting a text thread with a loved one.
“He did it at the top of this mountain in Anacapri,” the “Country Comfort” star wrote of the June 2018 proposal. “Totally dark only stars. Thankfully he didn’t push me off the cliff. He said it was one of the other and in the end he spared me.”
McPhee gave the first glimpse of her ring that July, writing via social media that the bling was “the last thing” she showed her father, Daniel, before his death.
“Now I’m ready to share with all of you what has been my sunshine amongst this painful loss,” she captioned a selfie. “So today we’re celebrating life and not forgetting love.”
By that time, McPhee had already gone to bat for her relationship in a “TED talk” tweet amid hateful comments.
“Y’all should be worrying more about registering to vote and midterm elections than who’s marrying me,” she wrote.
Wedding bells
McPhee and Foster walked down the aisle in London in June 2019.
“Exactly 13 years ago today my very first single, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, was released right after Idol,” the bride wrote via Instagram ahead of the 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.”
The actress stunned on her special day in a strapless Zac Posen gown.
Baby on the way
Although news broke in October 2020 that McPhee was expecting her and Foster’s first child together, his fifth, she waited two months to debut her baby bump.
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However, she did hint at her pregnancy via Instagram when she was gifted the makings of an Aperol Spritz.
“I won’t be drinking this anytime soon — wink, wink — but I’m very excited,” McPhee wrote in October 2020.
Welcome, Rennie
McPhee gave birth to a baby boy named Rennie in February 2021, waiting until the following month to reveal the little one’s name.
While the Broadway star and Foster hide their son’s face on social media, they often show off his drumming skills — and she told Jennifer Hudson in January 2023 that she “would love” to make the mini musician a big brother.
“We’re not, like, in any crazy rush, but I hope so because I love being a mom,” she gushed at the time. “I really love it.”
