This Is Why Yolanda Hadid And David Foster Divorced
Yolanda Hadid got married to David Foster in 2011. The couple had a family like the one on "The Brady Bunch," as Hadid is mother to Gigi, Bella, and Anwar from her previous marriage and Foster is a dad of five to daughters: Sara, Erin, Amy, Allison, and Jordan from previous marriages. Most of their children were grown up by the time the two got together, and Hadid and Foster's relationship was smooth sailing for a while.
When Hadid signed on to be a part of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," the couple appeared to be the perfect match. Their Bravo show pushed the opposites attract narrative. So, when Hadid and Foster decided to get a divorce, fans and cast members alike were shocked by the news. The Grammy-winning music producer and former model, however, were leading different lifestyles, and the foundation of their marriage seemed to have crumbled once their differences became overwhelming.
Yolanda Hadid was blindsided by her breakup with David Foster
While David Foster may have seen the divorce coming, Yolanda Hadid is adamant that she didn't. As Radar Online recounted, in her memoir "Believe Me: My Battle With the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease," Hadid details how the couple took in a Lakers game and a romantic dinner for two to celebrate Foster's birthday. However, the following morning, she reportedly found the music producer in a foul mood. On the phone, he told her, "'We need to talk' ... in a tone so cold that shivers run through my body," according to Hadid. When pressed to explain what was going on, Foster allegedly admitted, "I can't do this anymore," adding, "But we'll discuss it tonight."
He reportedly ignored her for the rest of the day, and, when Foster finally arrived back, the two immediately started fighting, Hadid shared. Their anniversary was just a few weeks later, and Hadid said she tried one last time to reach out, admitting in the book that she still loved him. Unfortunately, she said Foster came back to their shared home only to get clothes, they fought again, and he told her it was over because her "sick card is up." She left a few weeks later, after reportedly receiving a letter from his lawyer about their legal separation.
David Foster hated being on RHOBH
Yolanda Hadid signed on to be on the cast of "RHOBH" in 2010, just a year before she and David Foster got married. Although she loved being on the show, Foster wasn't nearly as happy about the decision, despite making just a few appearances. In September 2019, he told the Los Angeles Times, "The Beverly Hills Housewives was just kind of a nightmare for me and something that I really wish I hadn't been part of."
The show tends to focus on drama rather than the cast members' careers, and that didn't sit well with Foster. "I wanted to say, 'I've got 16 Grammys, b****!' But I didn't," he told the outlet, after he started to be labeled as a "RHOBH" husband.
Although he hated being on the show, Hadid was dependent on the income. In her memoir "Believe Me: My Battle With the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease," she stated that Foster insisted on keeping their finances separate because money had fueled fights with his previous wives (via Entertainment Tonight). "Of course, he doesn't want to provide for my children. That's [my ex-husband's] job and my job and exactly the reason why I am very driven to keep working," she said of her decision to be on "RHOBH."
Yolanda Hadid thought her Lyme disease played a big role in her divorce from David Foster
Yolanda Hadid was unsure of when she contracted Lyme disease, but her symptoms started to become overwhelming a year into her marriage with David Foster. In her memoir, the former model said she believed her diagnosis and subsequent illness took a toll on her marriage, as reported by Entertainment Tonight.
When news broke of Hadid and Foster's split, a source told Page Six that the music producer felt like "everything revolves around her and her illness." They added, "It's become the biggest narrative of her show." Another source told Us Weekly at the time, "David and his family think Yolanda just loves the attention of being sick. They believe she's exaggerating her condition. And they point out that she's never gotten a legit diagnosis or a second or third opinion."
Foster, however, refuted the claims and told Us Weekly in a statement, "I have always had and continue to have the utmost respect and love for Yolanda, which is why it is so frustrating to see headlines questioning her chronic debilitating illness."
David Foster hinted that he and Yolanda Hadid had issues
Following the release of Yolanda Hadid's book, "Believe Me," David Foster admitted to Entertainment Tonight that, first off, he hadn't read it. Regardless the music producer argued the most important takeaway from the whole experience is, "She seems to be doing great. She's healthy and living back east and happy and her kids are doing great, so it's good." Foster did take a moment to reiterate that their breakup had nothing to do with the "RHOBH" star falling ill, however. "We just always did our best," he said of their life after Hadid had gotten ill.
Again encouraging everybody to just focus on Hadid's health, he advised, "The main thing is that she's ... in remission. She worked really hard at it and now she's reaping the rewards of that." Still, Foster also took the opportunity to hint at underlying problems in the relationship for good measure. "We had some other issues as well," he shared, somewhat vaguely.
David Foster acknowledges he probably behaved badly
Yolanda Hadid documented her ex-husband's alleged coldness, reported ability to seemingly turn his feelings off at a moment's notice, and the way in which he allegedly decided their relationship was over and simply shared the news with her without warning in depth in "Believe Me." Shockingly, however, David Foster himself might not disagree with her recollection of events. Rolling Stone noted that in his documentary, "David Foster: Off the Record," the Grammy winner acknowledged that he probably did behave badly during their nine years together — as well as in every other relationship he's been in.
The celebrated music producer admitted simply (via Page Six), "Anyone that calls me an a**hole for the things I've done, I think they're probably right." Foster then went on to opine, "I think I have been an a**hole a lot," describing himself as a "runner" who leaves relationships once things get difficult.
David Foster will "never" reveal why he and Yolanda Hadid really split
In the Netflix documentary "David Foster: Off the Record," the award-winning music producer goes on the record about many of his failings in life, particularly when it comes to the women he's been with. When it comes to his marriage to Yolanda Hadid, David Foster makes it clear once again that the breakdown of it had nothing to do with her diagnosis. "How can I leave a sick woman?" he stated firmly, as People reported. "The fact of the matter is that was not the reason I left."
Fans looking for some closure will find themselves wanting, however, as the music producer refuses to disclose what the actual reason was, simply referring obliquely to a "different reason" that "had nothing to do with her being sick." The celebrated producer promised those watching at home he "will never disclose" why the relationship ultimately came to an end. It's an interesting admission considering Foster claimed he was willing to open himself up like never before for the documentary and was refusing to censor the director's vision for it.
Yolanda Hadid and David Foster had very different lifestyles
Over time, the couple's opposite nature became too much. Yolanda Hadid stayed home most of the time due to Lyme disease, whereas David Foster traveled a lot because of his job as a musician. Hadid opened up about their differences in lifestyle during an episode of "Dr. Oz" (via Us Weekly). "At the end of the day, David never changed, I changed. Unfortunately, these are the cards that life dealt me," she said. "It wasn't by choice. But I'm not the woman I used to be and I probably will never be again." She continued, "My focus, my energy goes to trying to get well, trying to make a difference, trying to find a cure for my children ... and David's life is really traveling, going to concerts, loud music. And I mean, I couldn't, I can barely listen to the radio."
Hadid added, "The patient suffers, but the caretakers suffer too. Because life doesn't only change for us, it changes for the person next to you." Their marriage would later crumble reportedly because of these differences, and they split in 2015. Their divorce was finalized in 2017, as noted by Entertainment Tonight.
Did Katharine McPhee shed light on Yolanda Hadid and David Foster's divorce?
Following his split from Yolanda Hadid, David Foster got together with singer and actress Katharine McPhee, who is over 30 years his junior. The happy couple welcomed their first child together, a son, in February 2021, as reported by People. They originally met in 2006, while McPhee was competing on "American Idol" and the superstar music producer was mentoring contestants. The couple later got hitched in June 2019. Despite having known each other for quite a while, the "Waitress" star admitted Foster can still be reluctant to open up to her.
As Page Six shared, while appearing in the 2020 documentary "David Foster: Off the Record," McPhee revealed there are moments when she wonders, "God, does he have any empathy at all?" The "American Idol" alum explained, "He's so good at disguising what he feels. He just wants everything to be OK at all times and if it's not, he's gone." McPhee said she sometimes has to plead with Foster to see where she's coming from, but the producer apparently often shuts down.
While McPhee wasn't discussing Foster's relationship with Hadid, what she said could shed some light on why Hadid and Foster couldn't make things work.