It's hard to believe that Kate Upton was virtually unknown three years ago, considering she's everywhere these days. The Michigan-born beauty, who blew up the Internet doing the Dougie at a Clippers game, has become one of the world's most in-demand models. Since 2011, she's covered every publication from Sports Illustrated to Vogue and debuted her first starring film role, in The Other Woman.
And get this: that all happened before her 22nd birthday, which she's celebrating today. In honor of her special day, here are 20 things you didn't know about Kate Upton.
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Upton's The Other Woman co-stars Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann revealed the three went skinny dipping at night when they were on location. They feared some hotel residents saw them.
Upton has two tattoos: a horseshoe on her wrist and a cross on the inside of her finger.
When Upton was shooting her GQ cover in 2012, she got kicked out of the Santa Monica pier after a wardrobe malfunction. She was on a ride when suddenly the the top half of her bathing suit fell down.
Her great-grandfather Frederick Upton co-founded Upton Machine in 1911, which would later become Whirlpool Corporation, a billion-dollar company.
According to high school classmates, Upton wasn't the most outgoing nor prettiest person in school. She allegedly never had a boyfriend through her four years of school.
In March of 2012, Upton attended a Oklahoma City Thunder game. In an NBC Sports report, the stats showed that there were 10% fewer made shots on her side of the court.
Upton is a champion equestrian. She rides for the American Paint Horse Association and won five national titles.
She is a die-hard New York Jets fan.
In 2008, Upton appeared at an open casting call for models and Elite Model Management signed her that day, right on the spot.
Sophia Neophitou, the model director of Victoria's Secret, said this about her: “We would never use Upton. She’s like a Page 3 girl. She’s like a footballer’s wife, with the too-blonde hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy.”
Upton's 2013 Sports Illustrated cover was the first fashion shoot in Antarctica.
She was the first model since Tyra Banks in '96 and '97 to appear on back-to-back Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition covers.
There was a limited edition Topps baseball card made for Upton in 2012. What's more, Upton gave up an article of her clothing that was cut up and sold in different baseball packs.
Upton landed two SI Swimsuit covers and one Vogue cover all before she was legally allowed to drink in the U.S.
She made her big screen debut in 2011's Tower Heist.
Upton's Zoo York commercial was banned due to its "bleeped profanity" and the sight of Upton's "erect nipple."
Upton shot scenes for the recent remake of the Three Stooges, but they were banned because the Catholic League was upset with her portrayal of a nun.
Similarly, her Carl's Jr. commercial, which aired during the Super Bowl, was banned for being too risqué.
Although she appeared in a commercial for Carl's Jr., Upton claims that she only eats food that swims or flies.
She had this to say about her envy for boobs in junior high: "[I] do know that when I was in junior high, I used to be made fun of for being flat-chested. Everyone would go, 'She's not pretty! She doesn't have boobs!' So I always had boob envy. And when finally I went through my growth spurt, and they appeared, and I just... I loved them."
