From Sports Illustrated swimsuit covers to World Series wins, Kate Upton and Justin Verlander are each other’s biggest supporters.
The model and the Houston Astros pitcher first met in 2012 during a commercial shoot. After a few years of dating, Verlander proposed to Upton in 2016 and the couple tied the knot on Nov. 4, 2017 — just days after the baseball pro won the World Series.
The following year, Upton and Verlander welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Genevieve. Now, the pair are frequently seen supporting each other in their respective careers, whether it’s celebrating Upton’s PEOPLE’s Sexiest Woman of the Year award or watching Verlander play baseball. The family of three even made a rare red carpet appearance at the MLB All-Stars Red Carpet Show in July 2022.
From their first chance meeting to raising daughter Genevieve together, here’s everything to know about Kate Upton and Justin Verlander’s relationship.
2012: Kate Upton and Justin Verlander meet on the set of a video game commercial
Upton didn’t know she was meeting her future husband when she filmed a commercial for Major League Baseball 2K12 with Verlander in 2013. During the commercial, the model had to turn away Verlander when he tried to sneak into an exclusive club while wearing a disguise.
January 2013: Kate Upton and Justin Verlander go on a New Year’s vacation to St. Thomas
The following January, several outlets reported that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and the MLB star were seen together in St. Thomas.
However, during an interview with Fox News 2 the next month, Upton denied the dating rumors and said, “Actually, I’m single right now,” per E! Online.
June 2013: Kate Upton starts dating Maksim Chmerkovskiy
After putting romance rumors with Verlander to rest, Upton began dating Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy in June 2013. The dancer celebrated Upton’s birthday with an intimate dinner in N.Y.C on June 10, and the pair were seen holding hands in the city in September.
However, by December, a source told PEOPLE that they had split.
January 31, 2014: Kate Upton and Justin Verlander are spotted getting cozy again
Upton and Verlander posed for photos at the 2014 GQ Super Bowl Party in N.Y.C., showing that they were back on. Fans had speculated for months that they were a couple again, thanks to their frequent Twitter interactions and her multiple appearances at his baseball games in Detroit.
May 17, 2014: Kate Upton posts a photo with Justin Verlander on Instagram
In May 2014, Upton posted a black-and-white photo of her and Verlander at Fenway Park, captioned, “Thanks for showing us around the #greenmonster #fenwaypark.”
December 18, 2014: Kate Upton jokes with Justin Verlander about winning PEOPLE’s Sexiest Woman of the Year
Upton took home the statuette for PEOPLE’s Sexiest Woman at the first-ever PEOPLE Magazine Awards, giving a funny speech that included a shout-out to her boyfriend, Verlander.
“Um, you’re welcome, Justin,” she said.
Spring 2016: Justin Verlander proposes to Kate Upton
Verlander quietly proposed to Upton before the start of the 2016 baseball season. Although the couple wouldn’t announce the news for another month.
May 2, 2016: Kate Upton shows off her custom engagement ring on the Met Gala red carpet
Upton sparkled on the red carpet at the 2016 Met Gala, wearing a glittery, sequined Topshop gown. But her most eye-catching accessory was her new diamond engagement ring from Verlander.
“I’m really excited, he asked me right before the season started so we’ve been keeping it on the down low for quite a while,” she told E! News of her engagement to Verlander. “So I’m excited to finally be able to share it with the world!”
Verlander worked with jeweler Anita Ko to create a custom engagement ring, putting a unique twist on the single solitaire by setting the center stone inside delicate “swags” of pavé diamonds on a diamond-encrusted band.
“Justin and I collaborated on creating the most perfect one-of-a-kind ring that is rare and of exceptional quality, just like their love,” Ko told PEOPLE.
February 15, 2017: Justin Verlander congratulates Kate Upton on her third Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover
After Upton landed her third Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover in 2017 (which actually included three different covers!), Verlander tweeted his support for his supermodel fiancée, acknowledging how lucky he was to have her.
“Congrats to my amazing fiancée @KateUpton on being named to the #siswim17 cover! You’re so incredible! #luckyman #happyvalentinesday #thrice,” he wrote.
Verlander didn’t stop there. He went on to share a video from the cover model’s shoot on Twitter and posted a photo of the covers on Instagram.
February 17, 2017: Kate Upton talks about her future with Justin Verlander
Speaking to PEOPLE Now, Upton opened up on her wedding plans and more, saying, “We are getting married, but it’s really hard. Everyone’s always like, invite whoever you want, do whatever you want, don’t feel bad about it, but you feel bad!”
She also seemed conflicted about choosing the honeymoon destination.
