Everything We Know About Katie Bates' Fiancé, Gospel Singer Travis Clark

The last few months have been full of surprises for the Bates family. In January, Josie, Whitney, and Tori Bates all announced their pregnancies, and the following month, Alyssa Bates Webster and her husband John Webster welcomed their first child. 

But recently, reports suggested that another Bates family member has reason to celebrate. Katie Bates and her boyfriend have been courting for the past year, and it looks like they’ve officially decided to take their relationship to the next level. But is Katie Bates engaged? And, if so, who is her new fiance?

On April 8, Katie Bates and her now fiancé Travis Clark announced that they were engaged to be married after a year of courting. In a statement to People, Katie shared, "We are beyond excited to announce we're engaged!”

The statement continued, "A lot of prayer has gone into this decision, along with plenty of anticipation and celebration! We're so thankful to our family and friends who helped make this day possible! There's no way to describe the magical ambiance of the setting overlooking the beach at Key West. It was perfect in every way!"

According to reports, Travis proposed to Katie at the Reach Key West resort in Florida in front of both of their parents. Katie revealed, “Travis really pulled a huge surprise when he announced that we would be traveling to Key West, along with both sets of parents.”

She added, “We had a day full of activities on the island, including a sunset cruise, a conch train tour of the island, and a sand sculpting class. But of course, my favorite details revolve around all that Travis did to make the proposal so special."

Along with hiring a professional florist and photographer, Travis also went the extra mile by writing his one-day wife a special song. She continued, “But the most meaningful and sentimental part was the special song that he wrote for this occasion. He played his guitar and sang it right before he popped the question, and it was an easy question to answer because I have fallen in love with my best friend!"

For Travis, who deemed the day as a total success, the most memorable part of the day was when his soon-to-be bride said yes. He shared, "The highlight of it all was that she said yes! I have been waiting for and planning for this day, and now I feel like God has answered my prayer! Now, I'm just looking forward to God directing our futures together."

20-year-old Travis Clark is a member of the Clark Family, a gospel music group from New Jersey. In a 2019 interview, Travis explained, “There are five people in my family. Four of us travel and sing with our three cousins, and my mom runs the sound system.”

In his chat with Absolutely Gospel, Travis also opened up about how his family’s music group came to be. He shared, “My dad along with his brother and sister group up, and their dad started a church, which made them automatically become the special music. So they got older and kept singing, had kids, and we’ve been doing it ever since.”  

Along with singing, Travis also plays the cello, piano, and guitar and seems to live a fairly active lifestyle, but he disclosed that he previously experienced heart problems as a teenager.

Bringing Up Bates airs on UPtv on Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST.