What happened to Kate Upton?

From Addison Rae to Emily Ratajkowski, many stars move seamlessly from TikTok, YouTube, or modeling into other entertainment careers. Kate Upton is another example. But while she still has over 6 million Instagram followers, we might not have heard much about her recently.

After appearing in several Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues (several years before Martha Stewart did), Upton started acting and became a household name. Nude pictures of Upton were also made public in 2014, and people often focused on that instead of her talent or personality, which is always frustrating. So, what has Upton been doing?

What is going on in Kate Upton’s career?

While Upton’s main job isn’t acting, she recently starred in the comedy Sweet Dreams, which was released in April 2024. This was her first role in several years. Although she has appeared on reality shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, Project Runway, and Lip Sync Battle, those episodes aired in 2017 and 2018.

Sure, it’s definitely fun to see celebs pop in and out of these types of shows, but it’s even more compelling to watch them dive into a meatier TV or movie role. Sweet Dreams starred Johnny Knoxville as Morris, who is attending rehab and starts coaching softball. But while Upton’s character, Kat, is a talented athlete who becomes a member of Morris’s team, it’s not the most memorable part. The film has a 69% Rotten Tomatoes rating and mixed reviews, with some loving Knoxville’s emotional performance, and others noting that the movie starts well, then sags in the middle (a common problem).

In the past, Upton starred in the 2014 rom-com The Other Woman, followed by 2017’s The Layover. She also played Sister Bernice in The Three Stooges comedy that was released in 2012.

Upton seems to do a little bit of everything these days, which must be fun. She hosted the Hulu competition series Dress My Tour where designers hope to work for those in the music industry. She is also the co-owner of Vosa Spirits, which sells cocktails in cans. In an interview with Fashion Week Daily, she shared that this felt like a great idea because “Modeling is marketing.” She explained that since the company is in her home state of Michigan, she wanted to be part of it.

What should fans know about Kate Upton’s personal life?

Although it seems like celebs live in either NYC or L.A. (or, the total opposite, on a peaceful rural farm), Upton doesn’t call one place home. She told Fashion Week Daily that she lives in New York, Florida, and Houston.

Upton also has an adorable daughter named Genevieve, who was born in November 2018. She married Justin Verlander, the Houston Astros pitcher, in 2017. Upton was interviewed on the podcast Chicks in the Office and explained “Being a baseball wife is absolutely insane” because “this schedule is wild.”

While she might post on Instagram a lot, the star isn’t as public as she used to be, which is why fans have been so curious about her. As Upton told Editorialist.com, “I want to be enjoying my life, enjoying my family, not constantly trying to take the perfect picture.” She also said, “My relationship with fame hasn’t always been an easy road.” 

Now in her early 30s, her days are likely filled with the thrilling and stressful moments of parenthood and career highlights, and she’s busy and happy.