'This is so cringe': David Foster's photo praising Katharine McPhee's post-baby body sparks backlash

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David Foster's latest post to social media hit the wrong note with some of his fans.

On Tuesday, the 72-year-old musician took to Instagram to share a photo of his wife, Katharine McPhee, sunbathing in a bikini. Foster praised the 37-year-old singer for looking fit and toned since welcoming their first child together, Rennie, in February 2021.

"What baby!" he captioned the photo for his more than 300,000 followers.

Unfortunately, Foster's remark quickly sparked a debate between commenters. Many found the gesture to be "out of touch" and accused him of "openly objectifying" his wife.

"I am sure she worked hard to get back in shape but why does this have to be a public comment or post?" one user commented. "It does more damage than good in my opinion!"

"Sometimes it's very obvious that you're from another era,'" someone else wrote, referencing Foster's age.

"There is so much wrong in this caption," someone chimed in.

Others cautioned Foster to reconsider making comments about his wife's body, especially since McPhee has been public about her struggles with bulimia,

"One should know to never compliment on the body of someone with an eating disorder. Good or bad," they wrote. "Shame you are married to her and don't even know that."

"Katharine has been so transparent about struggling with an eating disorder. Do you really think it's smart to objectify her like this and draw attention to her weight on social media? Do better," someone else echoed.

While many were in agreement that the post was "inappropriate," others defended Foster for his comment.

"People are so upset at him for sharing a picture of his beautiful wife in a bikini," one person wrote.

"He obviously meant it as a compliment," another said. "He loves her. Just be happy for them."

Earlier this year, McPhee appeared on Dr. Berlin's Informed Pregnancy Podcast and opened up about her relationship with food during her pregnancy.

"The biggest challenge for me through the pregnancy was really the body issue stuff just suddenly came up in a way that hadn’t been present in a long time," she said.

McPhee added that while she "felt stable" for the last five years, things changed during the first trimester of her pregnancy.

"I was really ravenous the first trimester," she said. "The food hunger would come on so quickly and in your brain you're like 'Is this the eating disorder version of me or is this actually my body?'"

With the help of a therapist throughout her pregnancy, McPhee was ultimately able to overcome her eating disorder fears.

"I look in the mirror and I’m like, 'Ya my legs, my thighs, my arms are a little bit thicker,' but I’m OK with it. I’m really OK with it and I'm proud of myself," she said.

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