Kristin Cavallari Shares How Her Kids Feel About Her Age-Gap Romance With Her 24-Year-Old Beau
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Kristin Cavallari is smitten with a man 13 years her junior, and her three kids feel some type of way about him too.
The Laguna Beach alum, 37, dedicated Tuesday’s episode of her Let’s Be Honest podcast to the story of how her age-gap romance with 24-year-old TikTok star Mark Estes came to be. Cavallari “hard-launched” her new beau on Instagram in late February with a sweet photo captioned “He makes me happy 🤍,” and according to the former reality star, her kids — Camden, 11, Jaxon, 9, and Saylor, 8, whom she shares with ex-husband Jay Cutler, 40 — are quite happy with the new man in their lives as well.
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A Surprising Response
Cavallari gave her podcast listeners the full scoop on her relationship with Estes, including when he met her kids. “[Mark] is the real first guy I’d say they met,” she revealed before describing her sons’ excitement. “The boys were like, ‘Can I show you my room?’ He’s up there with my kids, seeing their rooms. My boys were so excited about him.” The Uncommon James founder added, “I think, more than anything, my kids are really excited for me. My kids really want to see me happy.”
For Cavallari’s eldest, the instant connection he felt with Estes hasn’t worn off. “After the first time meeting the kids, Camden was begging me for [Mark’s] number,” The Hills alum shared. She expressed her surprise at her son’s positive response to Estes, explaining, “Camden has very strong opinions about everyone I dated. He’s like, ‘I hate him,’ to a guy he’s never even met. He loves [Mark].”
Cavallari also shared that her beau did indeed share his number with her son and has been “texting [him] all day, every day since.” Pass judgment on their age difference all you want — the way Estes is bonding with Cavallari’s kids is more effort than many fathers put in, let alone a child-free man in his 20s.
Cavallari & Estes’ Relationship Timeline
Cavallari and Cutler were married for nearly seven years before announcing their split in 2020. Three years later during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, the former reality star admitted she opened her heart to dating again. “This is the first time in my life I’ve really dated,” Cavallari said. She added, “I’ve always had boyfriends, I got married very young, so I am just enjoying it.”
A few months later in September, Cavallari “stumbled upon” Estes’ “Montana Boyz” TikTok account, which he shares with his friends. She recalled thinking Estes was “the hottest guy [she’d] ever seen,” and a few weeks later, she unexpectedly received a message from the group’s account that said, “I love you.” Hell of a way to shoot your shot, but luckily for Estes, it would end up working.
While enjoying a night out drinking with friends in December, Cavallari messaged the Montana Boyz account again to figure out which of the three men she was in contact with. Upon learning that it had been Estes all along, she boldly responded, “Oh, good, you’re my favorite.”
“We just started talking from there,” the mom of three said before adding, “I still did not think anything would ever happen.” The couple met in person for the first time during a group night out in Nashville, during which Estes asked Cavallari to be his Valentine — which led to their first date on February 13.
“Release Your Inhibitions…”
“We went to dinner and it was very sweet,” Cavallari said of their romantic evening. She giddily added, “We were making out in my driveway. I felt like I was in high school and I walked in to my mom and Jaxon.” Just two weeks later, Cavallari made her relationship with Estes social media official.
Because women are held to different standards than men, the Uncommon James founder has of course been met with plenty of backlash and criticism for pursuing a relationship with a man 13 years her junior. “Me dating a 24-year-old is not something I was searching [for],” Cavallari asserted. “It’s not something I ever thought would happen. I understand what it looks like to the outside world [but] he’s not a typical 24-year-old,” she said.
These celebrity couples don't let their age difference shape their relationship. https://t.co/G4UEFcP7p3
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While she said “the age thing was a hang up” for her at first, she’s now “all in” with Estes. “When this news came out, it’s the first time in my entire life I 100 percent haven’t given a sh*t about what anybody thinks,” Cavallari reflected. “I know that I’m happy. I know how he really is. I know what this is.”
The Laguna Beach star added that she and Estes have “had a lot of conversations” about their age difference. “I’m following his lead on this,” Cavallari shared. “He’s in a place where he’s ready for a relationship. So here we f–king are.” She added, “This is the first time I’ve been excited about someone since my divorce.”
Cavallari is not the first celebrity, man or woman, to date a younger person. In fact, one of Hollywood’s most celebrated couples, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, have an 11-year age difference. Lively was 23 years old when she met a 34-year-old Reynolds, so Cavallari’s haters might want to get off of their misogynistic high horse when it comes to her newfound happiness with Estes. They’re both young, hot, and happy, and for that, we say three cheers.
Before you go, check out these celebrity moms who refuse to be shamed for sharing sexy photos.
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