David Foster and his wife Katharine McPhee have put out a Christmas album. They’re doing a big promotional push for it because David and Katharine, despite being married and despite collaborating/mentoring being how their relationship began, rarely work together. So that’s their hook for this album, it’s such a rare treasure. They’re both also trying to sell the line that they’re ‘basically’ retired from song-writing/performing, so that makes this even more unique. Despite any feelings I have about the couple, I thought a holiday album from them sounded like it would good. But I listened to some of it on YouTube and it was overproduced.
While speaking to Yahoo Entertainment, David and Katharine addressed not only their careers, but their marriage, or rather the reaction to their 34-year age gap. Katharine claims the ‘hate’ has died down, or feels like it has. David said he thinks it’s because people are starting to view them like Celine Dion and her late husband René Angélil, who was 26-years Celine’s senior. At least that’s who he hopes we see them as.
At the moment, though, Foster and McPhee are content to mostly not mix business with pleasure and just focus on home life, celebrating the holidays with Rennie. McPhee is 34 years younger than Foster and is Foster’s fifth wife, but against all odds and despite rampant public skepticism, their union is going strong.
Perhaps that’s another reason for the couple not collaborating professionally since McPhee’s American Idol days: to not encourage any more hate from the all the doubters and gossipmongers out there. McPhee admits with a slight eyeroll, “Maybe some haters thought, you know, ‘Oh, this is this your opportunity to marry the guy who’s going make [you successful].’ … I mean, even if we were an age difference that made more sense to people, people would still have comments about the relationship.”
“It sort of feels, like for the most part, [the hate from fans] is over. It probably isn’t, but for the most part, it feels like it’s over. Maybe we just don’t look [at comments sections and tabloids] anymore,” says Foster.
“I mean, I just thinking about Celine and René,” Foster continues, referring to Celine Dion — with whom Foster has worked extensively — and her late husband and manager, René Angélil, who was 26 years Dion’s senior. (Dion and Angélil first met when Dion was age 12; they began dating when she was age 20.) “Their age difference was huge. And it was strange at first, but it got to the point where it was just ‘Celine and René.’ We hope that we are now getting to that point. There’s so many years that we’ve been together now that people are just going to think, ‘Oh yeah, it’s just Kat and Dave’ — and that’s the end of the story, we hope. And if not, screw them!”
I don’t know which angle to approach first. They all begin with “no,” but which to start with? First of all, I don’t think people did get past the Svengali aspect to Celine and René’s relationship. The fact that he entered her life when she was 12 still doesn’t sit well with me. However, I know she’s was genuinely heartbroken by his loss. I can feel sorry for the pain she’s feeling and still question whether it was a daddy-complex. Secondly, I think what David actually wants us to focus on is how much René did for Celine’s career. Yes Celine is phenomenally talented, but René catapulted her into superstardom. David has not been able to do the same for Katharine.
The whole interview was kind of silly. David and Katharine kept suggesting they were retired, even though they keep popping up on specials, competitions and albums. I assume because coming out of retirement to record an album makes more money. Katharine told us studios didn’t know how to promote her because she sang all genres so well. David suggested he had to come back for this album because we’d missed him. And then this Celine and René thing. I guess I should be glad they took a break from fear-mongering about being jumped walking down the street of Beverly Hills by senior-beating homeless folks. So, whatever, Kat and Dave. I don’t care about your age-gap. Maybe you could find a little compassion in that Christmas album of yours, though.
Photo credit: Instagram and Cover Images
Way to choose the worst example you could.
Celine and Rene never sat well with me either. They should steer clear of that comparison. People overlooked that situation because Celine was a successful singer.
@amybee – same. I was always uncomfortable by the grooming nature of the relationship.
I think maybe it’s also that people have a lot of love for Celine herself and the creep, Rene, has died. And now that she’s grown older, she has kids, and she’s alone, people don’t talk about -her- the same way. Because I’ve never once heard anybody in my life say that relationship was appropriate.
She’s wife #5. At his age she will probably be his last wife. Looks like they are playing the long game for the sake of their son. Whatever works for them.
Gross.
The leg photo made my mouth do the lemon thing.
100 percent. 🤮
BAAAAAAAAAAAARF
It made my throat do the gag thing.
This says it all. It’s gross. She’s a social climber cementing her status with a baby he will never see grow up, and he’s an old fool. I’ve asked before, but seriously, how do you convince someone to be your FIFTH WIFE?? Please tell me.
Easy!
1. Pick someone with serious issues.
2. Have lots of money
3. Offer to help her career
4. Seriously have like a LOT of money.
Mix well and season with social media posts. Done.
So he groomed Katherine from the age of 12 , with the help of her Mother? Why do people refuse to see the incredible ick factor of Céline and Renee? I’ve never understood how people normalized it.
No. Renee groomed Celine.I’m
That is the worst possible comparison lol. The majority of us do not find that relationship’s beginning remotely ethical. We simply acknowledge that, for all its moral qualms, they did deeply love each issue and were devoted to the end. For better or worse, Celine was happy with him, however deeply off-putting it was.
Katherine was well of age when she chose to marry this dude who had four wives behind him. We aren’t questioning the ethics. We’re questioning her taste lol.
Just wanted to add that I’ve been in LA for the week for work carrying around my purse and expensive laptop. Nobody’s laid a hand on me! Guess the streets aren’t THAT dangerous unless you’re in areas the police don’t give a shit about, ie poor.
Yeah and Celine and Rene are a very problematic example…yikes
I really dislike these two
Lol, even leaving aside the general ick of Celine and René, I’m sorry but Katharine McPhee is no Celine Dion. Ever.
The best they can come up with is Angelil and Dion?
that’s so telling on how they view their own relationship and power dynamic
I only know of David Foster from Real Housewives. I had heard his name before but the first time I remember seeing him was on RHOBH. He came across as so soooooo phony to me, and that’s saying something considering the show he was on. I’m not a fan of his. This current marriage feels phony too, and creepy, and oddly boring? Ick all around.
@ann On the show, he came across as full of himself. A woman has to cater to him, which is why he is 5 times married. This is Katherine’s second marriage and won’t be her last. I doubt this is either of their “great loves”.
Agree with all of this. Yolanda was constantly stroking his ego. Everyone was. It seemed like some kind of protocol to kiss David’s ass every time he made an appearance. It confused me because the man just isn’t that utterly fantastic and charming. All the swooning was lost on me.
“Katherine told us studios didn’t know how to promote her because she sang all genres so well”
Whatever helps you through your day honeybun.
LMAO
1. Creepy
2. You wish
These two are yuck.
I want to gripe about something kind of dumb though. The subhead on that people article: If I never see or hear the phrase ‘open up’ in reference to entertainers giving an interview again, it will be too soon.
McPhee has donated to the Trump campaign, so I think she has issues on top of the daddy complex. Wasn’t her first husband also much older?
I just googled it~ she was 23 when she met her first husband, who was 42.
She can sing and not hard to look at. She has all the best opportunity in the world. But she fail to launch as a great singer.
If he want to compare to Renee and Celine, he need to prepare to die I guess.
It’s not so much the age thing for me. It’s him. I cannot stand him. He betrayed so many wives and I think he is a horrible person.
Oh, that’s all right then. That makes it better. /s
I have never enjoyed her and the biggest problem with Smash was pretending she was anywhere close to being the equal of Megan Hilty.