Kevin and Kristin Richardson (2024)

Kevin Scott and Kristin Kay (Willits) Richardson are the first Backstreet Boys couple. They have been married for 24 years. They were dating for eight years after getting together in Jun 1992. After six months of engagement, they married on 17th Jun 2000. They have two children, Mason Frey, 17, & Maxwell Haze, 11.

First Met[]

Kevin and Kristin's love story began in a truly unique way. Their paths crossed at Disney World in June 1992, where they were both performers. Kristin, a talented dancer with a bubbly personality and a love for adventure, played various roles, including the iconic Snow White in 'The Lion King' Show. Kevin, equally versatile but more reserved, portrayed characters like the charming Aladdin and the dashing Prince Eric. In the bustling employee cafeteria, Kevin's eyes were inexplicably drawn to her amidst the whirl of activity. He was captivated by her infectious laughter and her zest for life, and he couldn't resist asking her out.

Kevin's first encounter with Kristin was a moment that would shape their future. 'She entered the cafeteria,' Richardson shared with PEOPLE last November, 'and it was as if a spotlight had been switched on. She was seated with her friends, and a mutual friend approached me, saying, 'You should introduce yourself to her. She's interested.' So, she had been noticing me. He gave me the go-ahead, aware of my shyness. I wasn't the type to approach women easily. But I decided to take a chance and introduce myself. 'Hi, I'm Kevin. I've seen you around, and I think you're amazing.' A few days later, I mustered the courage, despite my shyness, to ask for her number and if she'd like to go out.'I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime. Maybe we could grab a coffee?' This was a significant moment for Kevin, a testament to his unwavering determination to pursue love, and he fondly reminisced about it.

First date[]

On the fateful day of September 6th, 1992, Kevin and Kristin embarked on their first date at the Bubble Room in Orlando, a place known for its romantic setting. 'One of our first few dates was on the chain lakes in Orlando. We had a heart-pounding, exhilarating time, creating memories that would last a lifetime. After that, I was immediately captivated, but it was game over when I saw you slalom.' This date marked the inception of a journey brimming with profound love, a love that would grow and deepen with each passing day, a memory they would forever hold close to their hearts.

Engagement[]

"There's a peace knowing you've got somebody who will love you no matter how many records you sell." -Kevin Richardson

Backstage in Kansas City, Mo., last November 18, during the pop quintet's Millennium tour, Richardson took aside his girlfriend's father, Kristin Willits, and revealed his heartfelt desire. Kevin, a man deeply in love with Kristin, respectfully expressed his wish to marry her. "He turned to me and asked, 'May I speak to you privately?'" John Willits recalled. "'I'd like to ask your daughter's hand in marriage.' "He asked my permission to ask Kristin to marry him," "I told him I'd be honored." John Willits recalled. "I said that would be fine. That was the first time in my history, in my family, I found out first what was happening. So I thanked him for that."

Then, shortly before Christmas, Kevin, 28, took her to the Florida bed-and-breakfast in Orlando, where he first told her he loved her and popped the question. "We were going from Kentucky to Kansas, where her family lives, for Christmas," says Kevin. "I was like, 'We've gotta go to Orlando'--I have a house there--'I've got some Christmas presents there.' So we went, and we went to a place on the beach where I first told her I loved her." When Kevin popped the question, he said, "She was over the moon! She thought I got [the ring] out of a gumball machine!" It was a natural rock, a testament to their unique love story. The joy and surprise in her eyes were priceless, and in that moment, they knew their love was indeed one of a kind.

Wedding[]

"I want all my friends and family to be there, so I'll probably be traditional: I won't jet off and do it in private: It'll be up to my bride. I'll go along with whatever type of wedding she wants."- Kevin

"She's very shy, so I've tried to shelter her from the spotlight as much as possible."- Kevin

Kevin Richardson goes from Backstreet Boy to married man, tying the knot with longtime squeeze Kristin Willits.

Are you sitting down, BSB fans?

Kevin Richardson is officially off the market.

Kevin takes a bride

OK, we got A.J. wrong (and please stop emailing us). But It's official: Kevin Richardson is a married man. Fans of one tall, dark-haired, and steel-eyed Estill County Backstreet Boy must have felt a psychic twinge this weekend, as the group's Kevin Richardson has felt the marriage bug bite, and on Saturday, June 17, he did something about it. According to MTV News, much to the heartache of his millions of fans, the Backstreet Boy with the best facial hair in rock has taken an important step into manhood by tying the knot with his long-time girlfriend, actress/dancer Kristin Willits this past weekend at the Cathedral Domain in Lexington, Ky. The other Backstreet Boys were in attendance, a testament to the couple's impact on their fans and shared journey.

"They're two good people," Kevin's brother Tim Richardson told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "Remove all the glamour, and he's a Backstreet Boy -- that they're in the entertainment industry -- they're just two people who love each other," Richardson announced his engagement to Willits earlier this year on Valentine's Day. The same day, his cousin and bandmate Littrell said he was engaged to actress Leighanne Wallace to MTV News earlier this year. However, there's no word yet on when Littrell will travel down the aisle.

"We've been through a lot together, but she knew me when I was a Ninja Turtle," Richardson shared with MTV in February, reflecting on their shared history. "I met her in the cafeteria at Walt Disney World. We were both working there. She was a dancer. She's been on Broadway and done lots of things. Being in the business, she definitely has an appreciation for it. You need somebody that can understand a lot." This shared understanding and history have undoubtedly played a significant role in their relationship.

Richardson and Willits have been on a journey of love for eight years, a testament to their enduring bond that has withstood the test of time and the attention of their devoted fans.

Next up is Brian Littrell, who announced his engagement to actress Leighanne Wallace in February. Brian, however, did not say when the happy day would be. Kevin, also Brian's cousin, told MTV a date had been set but declined to discuss the matter further.

As for A.J., VH1.com is still deluged with emails explaining that he is not marrying Amanda Latona. A.J.'s mother and other Backstreeters have denied the story initially reported in the New York Post. Before the Backstreet Boys, the 11 million-selling album Millennium, and the legions of teenage fans' screaming, Kevin Richardson was just a guy in a Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle suit. On a break from his gig at Orlando's Disney-MGM Studios theme park in 1992, he met Kristin Willits, a dancer with the park's Beauty and the Beast show, in the employee cafeteria. "It's great he became what he is," Willits's mom, Susan Patton, 55, said in February. "But we know him when he was a Ninja Turtle."

On June 17, in a private ceremony held outside Lexington, Ky., Richardson's hometown, the oldest Backstreet Boy, 28, tied the knot with Willits, 29, an aspiring actress. The intimate affair was attended by close family and friends, making it an extraordinary and exclusive event. "It was a beautiful wedding," says the bride's father, John Willits, 56, a chiropractor divorced from Patton. "It was unique."

After years of navigating separate lives on the road, the couple finally reached their destination- the altar. Richardson, with the Backstreet Boys and Willits at various theme parks and as a backup dancer with Cher, persevered for each other. "They stuck it out for each other," said Kristin's sister Tina Huet, 34. "I'm glad they were able to make it." The singer proposed last December after asking her father's permission, marking a significant milestone in their journey to marriage.

"They were made for each other," said John Willits. "They're both old-fashioned, big-hearted. They've both done very well."

"He's a super-nice guy and made my daughter very happy," said Susan Patton of Richardson.

Richardson had been dating Willits, a dancer, for "seven years, off and on," he told MTV in February.

Fans who took the news of Richardson's and Littrell's engagements hard were coming to grips with yesterday's new announcement.

"Really?!?" said Clare Boyd, 13, a freshman at Lafayette. "Oh, every time I think about that, I want to cry."

Why?

"Because I was going to marry Brian. ..."

But Kevin's the one who got married.

"I know, but I was gonna marry Brian, and then if Brian didn't work out, I was gonna marry Kevin," she said, only partly joking. "But I guess Nick's still single, so. ..."

Calming herself down ("I just get all fluttery when I think about this"), Boyd came to this conclusion: "Well, I'm happy for him, I guess. ... I think all the girls are disappointed, but the true fans are going to be happy for him."

Nonetheless, Through the grapevine, she has heard "that Kristin Willits is nice."

Kevin's brother, Tim Richardson, can verify that love, not career, is essential to these two."You want them to have a solid, committed marriage. That's the most important thing to them right now," he said. "Because when all the fame is gone, they will have each other."

The Backstreet Boys' Kevin Richardson, named "Sexiest Pop Star" by "People" magazine last November 28, closed the deal on his eight-year relationship and married his fiancée Kristin Willits, 29, on Saturday, June 17, 2000. It was NOT in a church. Instead, their outside union took place outside Estill County in Kevin's hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, in Lee County, Kentucky, on top of a mountain, just outside of a church camp (which had once belonged to Kevin's late father, Jerald Richardson) - Cathedral Domain. The small, private ceremony was held at Estill County Cathedral Domain, outside on a cliff by the church. The event was kept secret and had zero turnouts from the paparazzi. No helicopters even circled the area attempting to grab that exclusive front page pic. Tim Richardson confirmed Wednesday that it was a "beautiful, simple ceremony," free of paparazzi and circling helicopters. However, rain reports that day didn't damper the guests' spirits or the happy couple. However, the other guys did not stand for Kevin. Instead, Both of Richardson's brothers had memorable roles on Kevin's wedding day: Kevin and his best men, one of them being Kevin's brother, Jerald Richardson Jr., was his best man, and his other brother, Tim, Tim Richardson performed the ceremony service for them (Tim is a priest.). This wedding was huge, massive, unique, and one of the most beautiful. There was an old-fashioned Romeo-and-Juliet-type theme, and Kevin and Kristin dressed the wedding party accordingly. Jill (last name unknown) was one of two of Kristin's friends who acted as her bridesmaids at her simple yet elegant wedding. It looked like Robin Hood and Lady [Marian] married in a forest. Richardson's cousin and fellow Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell, who announced his engagement earlier this year, was among the estimated 150 to 200 guests. It was an affair for mostly Only close friends and relatives, along with Kevin's fellow Backstreet Boys Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, and AJ McLean, who attended their wedding ceremony service.

The ceremony started a half-hour late because Nick was LATE, and in shorts, as he missed his flight and charter a private single prop engine plane and the airport had lost his luggage! Kristin was wearing a lovely, simple, yet elegant beige gown, and all the girls were barefoot, walking down on her way to the altar. The aisle was a trail of red rose petals. Her hair was in with a small braid of hair and pretty flowers in her hair. All the men in the wedding party, including the groom, wore Versace suits and Gucci sandals, which can be seen in the pictures from that day. Kristin's twin nephews were the ring-bearers, and her 1.5-year-old niece was the flower girl. Being so young, she needed help getting down the aisle from her daddy.

The couple met while employed at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. According to the other BSB members, Kevin cried a lot at the wedding. He and the boys were supposed to sing an acapella song at the wedding but could not complete the task due to Kevin's tears and emotions. Howie revealed that Kevin had bawled his eyes out at his wedding earlier this month. To further Kev's embarrassment, Howie added that the band, all of whom attended the touching ceremony, would have performed an acapella number had it not been for the choked-up state of the groom. 'Kevin was crying too much,' explained Howie, 'He's a very emotional guy,' before deciding to get in on the 'new man act' by adding, 'All of us were very emotional there. He's like a brother.' Kevin cried throughout the ceremony, exchanging vows. An actress from One Life To Live also read and talked about real love. At the reception, the couple hired 3 Jazz musicians for entertainment.

Their wedding song was "Faithfully" by Journey. AJ and Kevin had a deep, emotional conversation at the reception.

Then, after the wedding reception, the newlyweds hopped on a plane to take off for a romantic/private honeymoon in Italy, having just under two weeks together before Kevin had to go to the studio. So, they rented a sailboat and sailed up the Italian coast, stopping in places such as the Capri Islands, where they spent part of the first night of their honeymoon at Anema E. Core Club in Capri. They danced to a local band before entertaining the locals themselves - Kevin played the bongos and sang. In contrast, Kristin danced away on the dance floor & at the Dolce and Gabbana fashion show in Milan, Milan, etc. After that, they disappear and reportedly spend the next three days behind locked doors. "We went on a honeymoon. We went to Italy, and I ate a lot of pasta and olives, and I gained about ten pounds...," Kevin said about their honeymoon. Then, on August 25, they had a private party to celebrate their wedding (in California). Kevin said throughout the ceremony that he could feel his dad's presence everywhere. The newlywed couple is expected to have a more public celebration later this year in Los Angeles.

"Our wedding day was the easiest, most low-stress day of my life," says Richardson, who married his wife, Kristin, in June 2000. How exactly was everything so seamless in retrospect? "Because I had never been more certain about anything in my life," he remarks.

Trivia[]

• They dated on and off for about seven or eight years on the down-low before they took their romance public
• Growing up in Lexington, KY, the state didn't have an NFL team to root for (still don’t), but Kevin rooted for his favorite players growing up such Tony Dorsett, Howie Long, Joe Montana and Marcus Allen... two of them Joe Montana and Marcus Allen, who were drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1992 and 1993. So when Kristin and Kevin started dating in 1992, he went to his first Kansas City Chiefs Game with her family. She was from Overland Park, KC, growing up going to the Chiefs games with her family; her dad was a Chiefs’ ticket holder. She’s running around there in the 1970s at Arrowhead (Stadium) growing up as a kid with her older brother and sister. Since then, Kevin is a proud Chiefs fan, all thanks to Kristin
• Kevin and Kristin have shared a lot in common other than performing, their zodiac signs start with L and that both their names and states start with K:
  • They're both the baby of their families: Kristin has a older brother, Brad, and older sister, Tina while Kevin has two older brothers, Tim and Jerald Jr, though his parents Ann, homemaker, and Jerald Sr., an outdoorsman, military veteran, a construction worker, a fireman, a camp manager and handyman, were high school sweethearts and had been together until his death and then her recent death while Kristin's parents John Willits, a chiropractor, and Susan Patton, a car dealership, are divorced since she was . They wanted to expand their family with 3 kids but had fertility struggles
  • They were the most popular kids in school: Kevin became involved in various school activities and extracurriculars, being a dedicated student who hard at all subjects and got good average grades, and being the only boy in both choir and the football team, was captain of the Estill Engineers (even wore number 32), participating in the school theater, was a member of the school's drama club, sang in chorus, also a member of the chess club, Spanish club and participated in various school plays such as Bye Bye Birdie and Barefoot in the Park at Estill County High School (1985-1989), where he was voted "Most Popular", "Best Dressed", "Best Dancer", "Best Look" and "Best Looking" while Kristin, known by her friends as fun and funny, real vivacious, real bubbly and friendly to everybody, didn't care who they were and was very popular, yet never stuck up, was co-captain, main choreographer and leader of the the Cougarettes gymnastics team, as well as participating as a member of the school's Cougar Classic Drill team, member of the cheerleading squad and participated as staff of her school paper, The Northwest Passage, and secretary of the Homecoming Committee where she was 1st runner-up for homecoming queen her senior year at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School (1984-1988)
  • They both trained in dance: Kevin took dance as a kid by dancing with his mom before becoming a ballroom instructor in 1990 however Kristin started her first dance class in her teens when she was a high school sophom*ore at age 15, but adored every minute of it and it was just a short time before she was working and training hard to catch up
  • They have a love for horses: Kevin has been riding horses since he was 4 starting at 4H while Kristin started horseback riding when she was little also . Kevin even bought a farm outside Lexington to keep in touch with his central Kentucky roots one summer. The property has a historic house that he and Kristin hope to restore. Kristin says she cannot wait for the home to be ready because she wants to buy a horse. "I already have a name picked out: Bohemian Earth."
  • They have a love for music: kevin started learning how to play the piano by ear when he was 9 years old and got his first keyboard when he was a high school freshman and it was just a short time before he was entertaining in restaurants and at weddings in a band called Paradise, which did cover Bobby Brown and Journey, sang in his church's choir since he was a child and was a part of his community and high school theater while Kristin was being fascinated with Madonna, always looking and dressed like her, but was the total opposite of "Material Girl" in high school, even worked at Worlds of Fun as a dancer and singer in the variety shows before worked at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, during the summers in college while attending Oklahoma City University After transferring from the University of Kansas for a semester once graduating from high school and prior to telling her dad she wanted to study dance
  • They’re really shy: kevin was pretty shy around girls until kristin, who is very shy when it comes to the Hollywood glamour, came around
• Even after their previous relationships or in kevin’s case, engagement, he and Kristin weren’t looking for another serious relationship until three months later
• turns out Kristin is Czechoslovakian through her grandmother while kevin is of 44.1% English, 19.7% Irish-Italian, Scottish, some German and Indian descent, but Along with the other Backstreet Boys, Richardson took a DNA test and revealed that he is 19.7% Scottish, Welsh, and 36.2% North and West European
• The first time they worked together was one of the Backstreet Boys' earliest videos "I'll Never Break Your Heart" where Kristin was featured as extra. She was visiting Kevin in Snowbird, Utah when they needed more extras, and the director asked her if she would be in the video. Their second was when she was one of the dancers at the American Music Awards in 1999
• Kevin wrote "Back To Your Heart" especially for Kristin when they "broke up" in 1996 before getting back to together permanently in late 1997/early 1998
• Their first appearance together was at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards premiered on September 9, 1999

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