David Foster, 68, and Katharine McPhee, 34, engaged: A timeline of their May-December romance
Although singer-actress Katharine McPhee’s engagement to music producer David Foster might seem sudden, it’s not. The two have know each other since she was a contestant on American Idol, and he was already a successful producer in his 50s.
Foster made one of several appearances as a mentor on the singing-competition show during an episode that aired in April 2006, when McPhee sang “I Have Nothing,” a hit for Whitney Houston co-written by Foster. He and McPhee, who finished as runner-up, obviously hit it off, because they returned to the Idol stage to perform together two seasons later, and McPhee was one of the artists who sang for Foster at a 2008 PBS concert honoring his storied career. He worked with her on songs too.
But rumors of their romance didn’t really surface until last year, when they were regularly seen by each other’s side. Even after that, McPhee, now 34, and Foster, now 68, denied their relationship for months. They confirmed it only in May, two months before today’s news that they’re engaged.
Here’s a breakdown of the pair’s romance since they were first spotted out together.
May 12, 2017: McPhee and Foster are seen dining together at celeb hot spot Nobu in Malibu, Calif. — and it’s beyond a friendly dinner. “David and Katharine were very intimate during their dinner,” a source tells E! News. “David was seen grabbing Katharine’s face and kissing her cheek several times. Katharine was doing the same to David’s face and they were acting as if they were a couple.”
Sept. 19, 2017: Foster’s daughter, Erin Foster, who’s a year older than McPhee, makes headlines for posting an image on Snapchat of McPhee at a Grammy Museum Gala tribute to him. She captioned it, “Excited about my new step mom.” Erin Foster also shared a clip of McPhee performing with her dad onstage in a clip she titled, “my parents.”
Early November 2017: Even though the signs say McPhee has coupled up with Foster, she insists that they’re not dating in the December 2017 issue of Health magazine. “We’re very close friends, and we’ve been friends for a long time,” she says in the accompanying interview. “I’m really, really fond of him, and I think he’s an incredible person. I’ve known him since I was 21 years old, you know? He produced my first single. So he’s been really good to me. People can say whatever they want.” McPhee insists that she’s “pretty single” and that she hasn’t had any “super serious” relationships since splitting with her Scorpion co-star Elyes Gable in 2016.
Nov. 30, 2017: McPhee and Foster are photographed kissing — a full-on smooch — after a lunch date in Beverly Hills. Such paparazzi photos undermine McPhee’s repeated claims that she and Foster are nothing more than friends. The two also pose for pap pics together at industry events and compliment each other in interviews.
May 8, 2018: McPhee confirms that she and Foster are a couple when they attend the Met Gala — one of the biggest events of the year for celeb-spotting — together. And McPhee is feeling confident about their decision to make their love public, as she tells Entertainment Tonight that she and Foster are “having a nice date night” at the fashionable event.
July 3, 2018: Less than two months after stepping out together for the first time, McPhee and Foster are engaged. She happily shares the news that he’s proposed to her during a European vacation they took together.
A post shared by Katharine McPhee (@katharinemcphee) on Jul 3, 2018 at 10:37am PDT
She looks pretty happy in another photo that she acknowledges was taken by Foster.
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