"I wanted to show young women that's not normal" - When Justin Verlander's wife Kate Upton explained why she opened up about facing sexual harassment

All-Star MLB pitcher Justin Verlander and his supermodel wife, Kate Upton, are arguably the most popular duo in baseball. But dealing with the fame often comes with its own trouble.

While Justin Verlander has built a Hall of Fame-worthy resume with his stellar record from the mound over the last two decades, his wife, Kate, was one of the most sought-after models after featuring in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2011.

However, Upton revealed the downside of fame in an interview with the Editorialist in April 2024. The supermodel and actress talked about her sexual harassment allegations against Guess co-founder Paul Marciano.

“I wanted to share my story to show young women that’s not normal,” Upton said to the Editorialist. “That treatment shouldn’t happen, and you can still find success and not be put in that position.”

Upton leveled the sexual misconduct allegations on Twitter in 2018, accusing Marciano of groping and forcibly kissing her during her teenage years. Several other models who worked for the American clothing company accused Marciano of misconduct after Upton's revelation.

Marciano and the clothing company denied the allegations. However, in 2023, Guess settled a lawsuit that alleged the company of taking the allegations lightly in their internal probe against Marciano in light of Kate Upton's accusation. Guess reportedly paid $30 million to settle the lawsuit and resolve the claims.

Justin Verlander's wife Kate Upton shares not being proud of some career choices

After appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the first time in 2011, Kate Upton took the modelling world by storm. She featured on the cover of the magazine in 2012 and 2013. She also landed movie roles in Tower Heist, The Other Woman and The Layover, among others.

Despite her rise to fame, Upton wasn't always sure about her career choices. In the same interview, she said:

“A lot of projects that I really am not proud of, or just are stupid, I had a gut feeling about. And I was either talked into it by an agent or I didn’t want to trust my instinct because I told myself I didn’t know enough about the subject.”

Kate Upton and Justin Verlander reportedly met during an ad shoot and started dating in 2014. The duo tied the knot in 2017 in Italy, a few days after the three-time Cy Young winner's first World Series title with the Houston Astros. Upton shares a daughter, born in 2018, with Verlander and is often seen cheering for her husband from the stands.