Were David Spade and Kate Spade Related? Yes, But Many People Seem to Have Their Connection Wrong

The Gist:

• Actor David Spade rose to fame in the '90s after a six-year stint on Saturday Night Live.
• The late fashion designer Kate Spade, known for her namesake designer brand, took her life in June 2018.
• Years after her passing, there is still confusion about what her relationship was with David Spade.

Celebrities, they’re just like us — they have families! And just like how you may get thrown for a loop when you find out one of your friends has an insanely hot single cousin that they have not set you up (rude!), some of your favorite celebrities have unexpected ties to each other. Did you know Ashley Tisdale and Austin Butler are cousins? Britney Spears and Lance Bass are, too!

It’s hard to tell which public figures are related to each other when their last names aren’t the same. But on the other hand, having the same last name doesn’t always mean they’re from the same bloodline, as we’ve learned with Miley Cyrus and Avery Cyrus.

Anyway, let’s take a look at the relationship between actor and comedian David Spade, who you may know from Just Shoot Me!, Saturday Night Live, and Rules of Engagement, and the late fashion designer and icon Kate Spade.

They have the same last name, but hail from two very different worlds. Are they related? The verdict is below!

Yes, David Spade and the late Kate Spade are related. David was Kate's brother-in-law. You see, David's older brother Andy was married to Kate, whose surname is Brosnahan.

Kate and Andy met while both attending Arizona State University. Post-graduation, she moved to New York City and Andy followed her there in 1988. He supported her career as a designer and in 1993, he helped her launch her own line of accessories using her first name and his last name. While they weren't married at the time, they did tie the knot in 1994 and were together up until her death by suicide on June 5, 2018. However, it is believed that they had quietly separated a few months before that.

Although Kate may no longer be with us, fans are still putting together the pieces of her and David's connection.

On X, some users are falsely claiming that David and Kate were siblings or were married. This is incorrect. David is Kate's brother-in-law and Kate is David's sister-in-law.

While David and Kate had vastly different careers, they appeared to be very close. David, who is usually the purveyor of laughs, claimed that Kate was actually the one to crack him up.

"She was so sharp and quick on her feet. She could make me laugh so hard," he wrote on Instagram following the news of her passing.