When Kristin Cavallari announced her new relationship with Mark Estes back in February, she was met with an onslaught of commentary surrounding the pair's age gap, from fans who doubted that the duo had anything in common.
However, two months later, Kristin and Mark are proving the haters wrong and still going strong. In fact, the Laguna Beach and The Hills alum, 37, recently revealed that she is considering having a baby with her 24-year-old boyfriend.
Speaking on her Let's Be Honest podcast, Kristin Cavallari admitted, 'I'm not actively thinking about it, but it's definitely in the back of my mind, is, you know, he wants to have a kid. I'm mulling it over.'
Kristin debuted her new relationship with TikTok's favourite cowboy Mark Estes back in February, posting a sweet Instagram snap of the two of them at a restaurant in Los Cabos, Mexico. ‘He makes me happy,' the caption read. And while some of Kristen’s fans were delighted that the reality TV legend has found love following her divorce, others took to the comments to slate her new relationship.
Pointing out the decade plus age gap between Kristin and Mark, one follower said, ‘She’s finally posting pics of her kids’ whilst another wrote, ‘What in the teenage boy is this?’
What is the age gap between Kristen Cavallari and Mark Estes?
For your information, the duo’s age gap is 12 years - a marked difference from her previous relationship, to NFL star Jay Cutler, who was three years her senior. Kristin was married to Cutler for nine years until their divorce in 2022 and shares three children with him: sons Camden, 11, and Jaxon, nine, and daughter Saylor, eight.
But who is Kristin Cavallari’s new boyfriend Mark Estes? Born in October 1999, Mark, 24, graduated from Montana State University and works part-time as a model. He also has a clothing line called Belmont Acres, which he started with friends.
He's probably best known for his podcast Montana Boyz which he hosts alongside Kaleb Campbell Winterburn and Kade Wilcox. The trio also have a TikTok account of the same name, videos on which regularly go viral.
Luckily, it’s clear that Kristin and Mark are completely unfazed by the commentary surrounding their new relationship.
Taking to TikTok, Kristin Cavallari hit back at the commentary using an iconic audio from her The Hills days. The star lip synced to the audio, ‘So what are you going to do about it? Are you going to arrest me? Are you going to give me a ticket?’ while posting the caption: ‘When they’re all up in arms that I’m dating a 24 year old. Andddd?’
Frankly, we must ask, why are people feeling the need to make pointed remarks at Kristin’s decision to date a younger man in the first place?
When 49 year old Bradley Cooper and 28 year old Gigi Hadid revealed that they were in a relationship in October, no one batted an eyelid. The only difference this time, is that Kristin – a woman – is the older of the two and society really doesn’t like to see a woman enjoying herself and exploring her sexual agency, let alone a mother of three. Apparently when you become a mum, you must instantly assume the role of caregiver and completely denounce your sexual side.
Kristin is clearly a woman who knows her own mind, so much so that she was reportedly the one who decided to file for divorce from Jay Cutler. In fact, she recently shared, ‘The scariest thing that I've ever done is get a divorce, but it's been the best thing that I've ever done and that has really jump-started my journey on self-love and figuring out who I am now’.
Following her separation announcement, Kirstin was linked to comedian Jeff Dye and country singer Chase Rice, then was accused of dating a ‘slew of men’. Once again, sexism reigns supreme - who keeps track of all the women men date when they divorce?
As one of Kristen’s followers put it, ‘So let me get this straight... Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, Vincent Cassel and many more famous men can have girlfriends that are AT LEAST 20 years younger than them and no one bats an eyelid, but when a women goes out with a younger man everyone is outraged??????
‘They are both adults and it's no one else's business. As long as they're happy and they're not hurting anyone, what's the problem? I think what I find the most shocking that the majority of these comments are from women.’
According to Kristen’s Instagram post in which she debuted Mark as her boyfriend, the 24 year old makes her very happy. And what’s wrong with that?
Daisy Hall is a News and Entertainment writer on Grazia, specialising in TV and film meaning that you can count on Daisy for the latest (and best) recommendations.