The Valley stars went from meeting at a wedding to starring on a reality show together!
Former Vanderpump Rules star Kristen Doute and Luke Broderick’s whirlwind romance surprised Bravoholics everywhere given how their timeline was the definition of fast and furiously in love.
And though the beginning of the reality star couple’s love story didn’t play out in front of cameras (*le sigh*), we practically have a PhD in all things Bravo (and admittedly binged season 1 of The Valley in record time), so dw—we’ve got ya covered with everything you need to know about these ’em. Let’s get into it, shall we?
June 2022
Luke and Kristen first crossed paths in June 2022 at Vanderpump Rules alum Rachael O’Brien and Greg Hunter’s wedding. And, yes, in a literal storybook twist, Kristen served as a bridesmaid while her now-boyfriend was a groomsman. Truly, you can’t make this up. 🥺❤️
In the first episode of The Valley, which aired in March 2024, Kristen gave more context about her and Luke’s meet-cute—including the fact that they were initially introduced just two weeks after the reality star’s split from ex Alex Menache. “I thought, ‘He’s sweet, he’s kind, he’s funny.’ Then we had sex behind a tent, and the rest is history,” the reality television star hilariously recalled.
August 2022
Luke was Kristen’s date to Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay’s Mexico nuptials to Brock Davies. In-ter-est-ing!!!!
November 2022
Kristen and Luke became ~Insta official~ in November 2022 after the reality star posted a buncha snaps from their Halloween together.
December 2022
Just a few weeks after low-key breaking the internet with the above post ^^, Kristen finally revealed she was, in fact, dating Luke (who at that point was just the co-host of her podcast Sex, Love, and What Else Matters).
“Luke and I are f*cking dating, you guys,” she announced during the December 21 episode. “And all of my friends who have listened to our podcast were like, ‘Yeah, it sounds really obvious.'”
“I battled with being your person,” she continued during the honest convo. “I love you so much, but just the thought of being someone’s girlfriend again just kind of threw me through a loop because I want to be a wife and I want to be a mother…I was so tired of being a girlfriend for a couple of years and then having sh*t fall apart, to be honest.”
That same month, Kristen posted this sweet carousel of pics alongside the caption, “He’s my babe.”
January 2023
The couple welcomed the new year with a buncha sweet Insta tributes to each other, starting with the Vanderpump Rules alum’s vacation recap:
Luke, for his part, penned the following reflection on social media: “A lot changed for me in 2022. The best part was @kristendoute coming into my life. We’ve had a lot of adventures and fun already and I can’t wait for what’s next! Love you babe 😘.”
March 2023
Luke celebrated International Women’s Day by gushing about his girlfriend on social media:
Later that month, Kristen let fans in on the couple’s day playing golf:
April 2023
The reality star penned a sweet post in honor of Luke’s bday alongside the caption, “We had too much fun on 4/24 so your bday post is coming late, my little ♉️! i love you @luke__broderick 💖 you’re my bff, my teammate, & the kewlist dude i know. sex & love, bb.. because, what else matters? 😘 #midwestisbest.”
July 2023
The cute couple celebrated the Fourth of July in style. ❤️
October 2023
During an episode of their podcast, Kristen and Luke revealed they’re trying to have a baby. “A couple of months ago, Luke and I talked about the fact that we are in a very committed relationship, I did go to my OBGYN and we got all good news on that front,” Kristen began before adding, “So whenever we are ready to start trying, so far it looks good.”
“When we had that appointment in August with my doctor, he essentially said that everything looked good and when we were ready to start trying to just give it a few months because of my age. Obviously, I think a lot of people know that a geriatric pregnancy is actually over 35 and I am now 40. He recommended that as someone who has not frozen their eggs or done anything for us to give it a real fair shot during our ovulation time,” she continued.
“If nothing happens in up to three or four months—normally he would give someone a year—but because of my age he wanted a conversation before then. We are still good right now. No stress, no worries.”
November 2023
Sadly, the exciting news Kristen shared was short-lived. “I only feel comfortable talking about this because I know so many friends of mine have gone through this,” she began during the November 26, 2023 episode of her podcast. “I know so many women have been through this. And it’s really f*cking terrifying because you always think, What’s wrong, what did I do wrong? Could I have done something different?“
“The only silver lining, the fact that we’ve now been digesting this for the last four or five days, is that I know once Luke and I are past this, we can try again. And we were very lucky and very fortunate that we got pregnant so quickly. We were so, so lucky because it could have gone a different way for me at my age,” she added.
“It sucks to be where we are right now, but we’ve got to try to focus on the positive side of things,” Luke chimed before supportively noting, “I just know that I have to be your rock here, and I want to. I want to be there with you, for you. And help get over these sad times, and get back to more happy times, because I know it won’t be that far off.”
“It’s coming, we will accomplish it, and we’ll be an awesome, happy family someday,” he continued.
February 2024
Kristen posted a roundup of birthday vacation snaps from her time in Hawaii with Luke:
March 2024
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Luke discussed his decision to join The Valley with the outlet and mused, “Here is the deal—this was discussed prior to us dating, making it official, that if we make it a thing, I have to agree to be on camera…So I am following through with my side of the deal.”
Kristen, for her part, added, “And my side of the deal is when we become parents, when the baby or the child is of school age, we no longer live in proper L.A.”
May 2024
In a truly exciting update, Kristen revealed that she and Luke were “back on the train trying [for a baby] and fingers crossed. We’re doing right every month exactly how we should be doing it. So yeah, we’re just hopeful.”
Aaaaaand that’s pretty much everything we know about these two! Wishing Kristen and Luke all the best!
