How David Foster Gets Along With Former Stepdaughters Gigi And Bella Hadid
Music producer David Foster was with former "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Yolanda Hadid for nine years and married to her for four of those. Yolanda and Foster announced their split in December 2015, and there was speculation that "RHOBH" was a big reason why Foster and Yolanda divorced.
Although there's no confirmation that this also played a part in why the couple split, an insider told E! News there were difficulties with the stepfamilies: "David has daughters of his own and there were issues with the families blending. Bringing two sets of children together wasn't always easy. At one point, Yolanda was close to David's daughters, but things have changed." But what is Foster's relationship like with his stepchildren?
He was the stepfather to Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, and Anwar Hadid. While speaking with DailyMailTV in 2017, Foster explained that he was still in touch with Bella and Gigi. He told the outlet, "I mean divorce puts a strain on everybody, yeah but Gigi and Bella are doing amazing and they're so busy that I don't talk to them much but we do text, yeah we're still good." At the time, Foster also said things were amicable between him and his ex-wife Yolanda, despite the way he was portrayed in her memoir.
Foster was a supportive stepdad, even post-divorce
A few weeks after Yolanda Hadid filed for divorce in January 2016, David Foster supported Bella Hadid and Gigi Hadid by attending their modeling gigs. Foster shared Instagram posts for Gigi and Bella, including the hashtag "#proudstepdad" with both. He also posted a photo of the models giving him kisses on the cheek.
There was reportedly some drama in the family when Yolanda published her memoir "Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease" in 2017. It was reported Bella and Gigi were "infuriated" because of the book's content. According to OK! Magazine (via Reality Blurb), an insider said, "The girls don't understand why their mom would air all the family's dirty laundry," referring to details shared about Foster and their biological father, Mohamed Hadid. The source said some of the things in the book were things Bella and Gigi weren't aware of, " ... and they feel heartbroken and embarrassed."
A source told OK! Magazine Gigi and Foster were close even after the divorce, and that she, " ... sees him as one of her biggest supporters. She can't just forget how good he's been to her over the years and that's why she's not ready to turn on him, even though Yolanda is guilt-tripping her over it." The insider didn't discuss Bella and Foster's relationship, but they claimed she felt her mother needed to move forward instead of focusing on the past.
Bella and Foster hugged at the 2018 Met Gala
Some of the things Yolanda Hadid wrote in her book about David Foster may be inaccurate, according to his documentary (via People). But no matter what's true, Yolanda took her divorce from Foster especially hard. After being Yolanda Foster, she legally changed her name back to "Yolanda Hadid" in 2018 (via TMZ). That same year, Foster and Bella Hadid proved there was no bad blood between them. Bella crossed paths with Foster and his then-girlfriend, now-wife Katharine McPhee on the Met Gala carpet. According to E! News, Bella and Foster seemed happy to see each other. Their short but nice interaction included air kisses and a hug.
Despite the nice moment between former stepfather and stepdaughter, an insider told People that Yolanda and David had no contact anymore: "They don't talk to each other but don't have a reason to." An insider also explained to the outlet that, unlike Foster's relationship to the Hadid children, Yolanda didn't have much of a relationship with his children, since they were older and not living at home (Foster's daughters have made their feelings about Yolanda clear — and they are critical). An insider in 2015 told Page Six that Foster and his daughters were likely jealous that Yolanda's daughters were more successful. However, it's unclear if that's true, especially since Foster was historically supportive of Bella and Gigi.