David Foster under fire for calling wife Katharine McPhee 'fat' on 'American Idol' in resurfaced video

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Social media users have taken offense over an old clip of David Foster dancing with his wife Katharine McPhee and joking that she was "fat" during her 'American Idol' days. The clip soon went viral.

Fans draw attention to the fact that McPhee — who has battled bulimia — has previously struggled with disordered eating, and this is not the first time Foster has made comments about her appearance, per People.

David Foster called wife Katharine McPhee 'fat' in resurfaced video

The video — originally shared on TikTok in March 2023 — which captured the couple's first concert together, went viral and has since sparked a ton of reaction flicks.

The outrage-inducing clip was captured during a musical performance of the couple's act where McPhee, 40, described how she first met Foster, 74, in 2006 while appearing on the fifth season of 'American Idol.'

In a dismissive moment on stage in the performance footage, the singer and actress — who finished second that season — said that she was "a little chubby" when Foster first met her.

A picture of McPhee during her time as an 'American Idol' contestant appears on the background screen.

"You may not know that we met 17, almost 18 years ago, when I was a little chubby and cheerful contestant on American Idol," the singer said, waving to older photos of herself from the 2006 episode.

Foster blatantly replied, "Oh yeah. You were fat."

"I was a little chubby, OK?" the mom-of-one confessed. Retaliating against her husband, McPhee said, "David's had a few too many potato chips himself" at the time.

The video stunned a lot of people, and some pointed out that Foster's unpleasant comments might have caused his four divorces; he was married to Linda Thompson, Yolanda Hadid, Rebecca Dyer, and BJ Cook until he married McPhee in 2019, per OK! Magazine.

David Foster's remarks about Katharine McPhee spark online backlash

The video stunned several social media users as one wrote on X, "No wonder he made Four wives leave him already. This one will leave too."

A second X user seethed, "And just after AMerican Idol she did an interview where she confirmed that she had been suffering from bulimia for years, even during American Idol. Which he would have known. Before he said that."

"That guy creeps me out. He seems very cold and awful," exclaimed another one.

Another wrote, "Wow. That's not good. I remember her on #Idol, she was gorgeous. Comments like that from a husband is very damaging. I know that first hand, he is now an ex."

Another fan wrote on TikTok, "That’s so bad. Especially in front of so many people. I want to cry for her," per the New York Post.

"This made my heart hurt. This beautiful girl was NEVER fat. You don’t call your wife fat. As a joke or serious," wrote another one.

Another added, "If he can say that in front of a crowd, imagine the insensitivity comments in private 😳😳Yolanda’s comments make a bit of sense now," referring to Foster’s ex-wife, Yolanda Hadid.

Katharine McPhee earlier revealed she struggled with bulimia

Shortly after her time on 'American Idol' ended in 2006, McPhee disclosed that she had previously battled bulimia. But she decided to get treatment for the illness after winning a seat on the TV show.

The former 'Masked Singer' member has revealed to People that, at one point in her bulimia battle, she was pushing herself to vomit up to seven times a day, comparing it to "putting a sledgehammer to your vocal cords."

McPhee went to the Eating Disorder Center of California in Los Angeles for treatment, where she underwent group and individual therapy six days a week for three months.

But her struggles with eating disorders did not end there. Per Daily Mail, McPhee experienced new food problems throughout her pregnancy with Rennie David, her and Foster's first child together, who is now three years old.

In an interview with 'Dr. Berlin's Informed Pregnancy,' she expressed concern that the tremendous cravings and hunger she was experiencing throughout her pregnancy might be the same want to binge eat that she had experienced during her worst bouts of bulimia.

McPhee did, however, disclose that she had started visiting the psychiatrist from her 'American Idol' days again, and they had told her that it was typical for bulimic women to relapse if they became pregnant.

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