Kate Emily Pearson is the daughter of Rebecca and Jack Pearson. Her twin brother is Kevin and her adopted brother is Randall Pearson. Kate struggles with her eating habits and body image, as a child she was teased by her so-called friends. Jack gave her "the Number Two" in The Big Three and "Katie Girl" nicknames. Her mother Rebecca nicknamed her "Bug." Coming from a family with a love of football, she is also a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
History[]
Baby/Toddler Kate[]
August 31, 1980: Jack Pearson’s 36th birthday and Rebecca goes into labor. While celebrating her husband's birthday, Rebecca's water breaks, and the couple immediately proceeded to the hospital. Rebecca births the first triplet, Kevin. Immediately, she enters a distressed state and the OB-GYN immediately takes her into surgery. Her daughter Kate was born and Rebecca entered recovery; however, the third triplet, Kyle, was stillborn as a result of the umbilical cord wrapping around his neck. Jack finds baby Randall in need of a family.
Kate would only sleep beside Kevin.
Big Three’s first birthday. Jack and Rebecca are having trouble dealing with their grief over losing Kyle a year ago, so they pay Dr. K a visit and beg him for advice. He gives a speech about wrapping tragedy and joy together.
The Pearsons officially adopt Randall.
Kate loves fireflies, Rebecca gives her the nickname “Bug.”
The Big Three get their big-kid beds.
Child Kate[]
The Pearsons buy a shiny new Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
Jack visits Little Kate at school. Little Kate knows something is up with her dad, so she grabs his face. Jack talks to her about marrying the luckiest guy in the world and that he’ll be there
The Pearsons attend a school talent show. Little Kate is so intimidated by her mother’s talent, she gives up singing without even trying.
July 1988: There’s a heat wave in Pittsburgh, and the Pearsons meet Yvette. The gang heads to the local pool. The kids there make fun of Kate, Jack cheers up by giving her his T-shirt. Randall makes friends with some of the other black kids at the pool. Kevin is ignored by Jack and Rebecca, and almost drowns. He yells at Jack, and apologize to Kevin.
Jack’s dad dies. It happens while Jack is off on a camping trip with the boys. Rebecca and Kate head to the nursing home, where Rebecca meets her father-in-law, Stanley, for the first time. They reach Jack before Stanley passes, but he wants nothing to do with his dad. Rebecca has to tell Stanley that Jack isn’t coming — she also mentions that Jack is a great father, despite what Stanley did to him.
The Pearson Thanksgiving traditions begin.
December 24, 1989: Kate needs an appendectomy.
August 31, 1990: The Big Three celebrate the big 1-0. Rebecca and Jack throw a big party for Big Three . Kate has some issues with her friends so Jack cheers Kate up with voguing.
October 31, 1990: Kate holds Billy Palmer’s hand while Jack accompany her and Kevin to trick and treating.
Winter 1990-91: The Big Three get the chicken pox and Rebecca outs her mother as a racist.
Pearson Pizza is invented! Jack feels off after meeting with Nicky. He gets angry with Kate and Randall, but after Jack and the kids do a sequin fight.
May 16, 1992: The kids beat Jack at his own gift-giving game. The Big Three throw their parents an anniversary party complete with a meteor shower.
The Big Three go to their first school dance.
The Pearsons go to the cabin for the first time. Randall gets his glasses and reads with Rebecca. Jack tries Kate lose weight by excercise, after they eat ice cream. Kevin feels like the fifth wheel of the family whole day. At night he goes to his parents room, and finds his siblings there and there is no room left. So Kevin sleeps at the floor, when Rebecca wakes up, she sleep next to Kevin.
The Pool sequel. Pearsons go to the pool ahead of seventh grade. Kevin makes fun of Ranndall in front of his frineds. Kevin wonders if he’s a good person and Jack teaches Kevin about the Pearson men being “complicated”. Rebecca faces the fact that her kids are growing up and want nothing to do with her. Kate gets her first kiss by Stewart when popular girls try to prank her.
Fall 1993: The Pearsons bury a time capsule at the cabin. Kate buries a game of MASH, Kevin buries a picture of him and Sophie, Randall picks a puzzle piece, Jack makes a recording about how much he loves Rebecca, and Rebecca secretly buries a sketch Jack drew of his dream house to build near the cabin.
Little Kate gets dumped by Stewart. She listens to New Kids on the Block to get over her heartache, as we all do.
The Pearsons spend the day in NYC.
1994 as eighth graders,Kate experience puberty. Kate thinks Stewart wants to get back together, but he's only interested in their school project; Rebecca encourages her to follow her heart.
Teen Kate[]
Rebecca and Jack decide to separate. The couple has a discussion with their children, in a diner, about them needing time apart. Kate doesn't react to this news well, and Kevin tries to comfort her. Jack asks Randall to give him and Rebecca time alone. After Rebecca and the kids go to a movie.
Rebecca and Jack decide not to separate. Jack admits that he’s an alcoholic to his kids.
Jack and Rebecca find a stray dog outside of their home.
Jack convinces Kate become a singer and she gets an audition to Berkeley
Rebecca discovers Kate secretly wants to go to Berklee School of Music for singing. Jack films while Kate is singing.
Kevin shatters his knee and his dream.
Jack’s last Thanksgiving.
Family mall trip. Kate and Rebecca go to buy a dress. Kate has barely eaten anything other than baby carrots for over a year, and she finally becomes slim, but she doesn't feel comfortable in her own skin because she misses the fat. Leaves store without buying a dress Randall asks Allison out with a Magic 8-Ball, Kevin realizes the sacrifices Jack has made for him, and Rebecca and Jack forget to pick up batteries for the smoke detectors in the house.
January 25, 1998: Super Bowl XXXII Jack and Rebecca spend the day getting shamed by a surly Kevin, ignored by Randall who skips the game to take Allison to see Titanic (and get his first kiss!), and Jack reminds his daughter that she is the most beautiful girl in the world. Kevin goes with Sophie, and Kate to her friends. Rebecca and Jack spend time alone. Then Jack places a red dish towel next to a faulty slow cooker and the Pearson house goes up in flames while the family is sleeping.
January 26, 1998: The Pearson house burns down … and Jack dies. Jack runs through fire to get Rebecca, Randall, and Kate safely out of the house and Kate begs Jack to save the family dog and Jack goes back into the house and this gives Kate immense guilt for the rest of her life.. He saves Louie the Dog and some family mementos. It looks like he’s fine, but he goes to the hospital to get his burns checked out, and never leaves. While Rebecca is on the phone in the waiting room, Jack Pearson has a heart attack due to smoke inhalation complications and dies. Kevin doesnt know anything, so Kate goes to tell him everything.
January 31, 1998: The Pearsons honor Jack exactly how he would’ve wanted. Rebecca gets a visit from Dr. K. Rebecca takes the kids to The Tree to scatter Jack’s ashes, and then she tells them that Jack had bought them all tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert for that night.
Everyone is so sad. Rebecca can barely function, Kate is eating her feelings, Kevin is drinking his, and Randall has to hold the family together. Miguel makes good on his promise to look after Jack’s family, but not even he can fix Randall having to deal with his girlfriend’s racist father. Randall decides to defer going to Howard even though it is his greatest dream.
May 1998: The Big Three graduate! Kate has no college plans, she’s mad at Kevin for going to NYC to be an actor, Rebecca’s crying outside of school gymnasiums, and Randall is a valedictorian. Rebecca — at Miguel’s insistence — starts grief counseling.
Kate gets a job at a record store and meets Marc.
Rebecca and Kate move out into a new home. The first dinner party, celebrating Kevin and Sophie, the newlyweds, is sort of a disaster. Rebecca mess up the dinner. Marc shows up unannounced. The evening is saved when Miguel gives Rebecca a nice speech about being patient with her grief and Rebecca turns the evening around.
Marc turns out to be emotionally abusive and toxic. Rebecca feels something’s wrong with Kate. She and the Pearson boys go after Kate to the Cabin. Rebecca kicks Marc out.
Rebecca, Randall, and Beth head to New York for Kevin’s acting showcase.Kate is alone at home and finds out that she is pregnant.
After learning she is pregnant, 19 year old Kate decides to get an abortion. She initially plans to tell the father, ex-boyfriend Marc, about the pregnancy, but quickly decides against it. She terminates her pregnancy without telling anyone.
20s[]
October 31, 2008: Tess Pearson is born.
Kate and Kevin decide it’s time to get their lives together. For Kate that means she’s going to stop sleeping with married men, eating fast food while sitting outside the old Pearson house, and move to Los Angeles to live with her brother. Kevin is going to join an improv group.
30s before 36th birthday[]
36th birthday/Present[]
August 31, 2016: Big Three 36th birthday Kate decides to finally lose the "damn weight". So to help her reach her goal, she joins a support group. In the support she meets Toby and they instantly connect by their shared humor. Kate insist that she can only be with Toby if he is serious about lose his weight too, which Toby accepts and they begin their relationship.
She is a personal assistant to Kevin, but when Kevin quits from The Manny and he decides to move to New York, Toby convinces her to stay in L.A. Kevin fires her and she decides to pursue her dream to become a singer.
Kate introduces Toby to Jack’s ashes. The three of them watch the Steelers game together. Kate won’t say much about her father’s death.
Kate gets a new job Kate takes a job assisting a woman who runs charities or something of the sort.
November 24, 2016 Kate dumps Toby and decides to get gastric bypass surgery. Toby giving up on his diet is too much temptation for Kate to handle at the moment. She needs to focus on herself, so she kicks him to the curb.She goes to Randall’s. After a not-so-near-death experience on a plane, Kate decides life is too short and she wants to start living her best life immediately.
Randall discovers that Rebecca and William knew each other. When Randall goes to William’s apartment to grab some music recordings that are part of his birth father’s Thanksgiving traditions, he happens upon Rebecca’s letter, which reveals her decision to never tell Randall about William. Randall confronts Rebecca at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
The big three goes to the family’s cabin.
December 24, 2016: Toby collapses in Randall’s living room. Toby flies out to New Jersey to try and win back Kate with a very lovely speech, but hours later he collapses to the floor.
Kate and Toby get engaged. After Toby makes it through a second heart surgery, Kate unloads all of her feelings on the guy, assuming he is asleep. He’s not. He hears everything she says, including that part about wanting to marry him. He’d marry the hell out of her, too.
Kate puts gastric bypass surgery on hold and goes to fat camp.While in an aerobic drumming class Kate has an emotional breakthrough and realizes that her weight issues are very much tied to the death of her father and her inability to deal with her grief and guilt.
Toby tells Kate they should slow down their marriage plans. He doesn’t think they should be getting married if she can’t openly talk about her father’s death with him.
Kate (almost) opens up about Jack’s death. William’s memorial brings on another swell of emotions for Kate regarding Jack’s death. It’s Randall who encourages her to finally deal with her grief by talking about it with the people she loves … including Toby.
After Kevin's play, she can finally tell Toby what happened to Jack, Kate tells Toby that she has such a hard time talking about Jack’s death because it was all her fault.
August 31, 2017 Kate develops the confidence to finally go on singing auditions. Kate chickens out of her first auditions because she sees her competition are all skinny girls. She returns later and she sings the beginning of her ballad beautifully until she is cut off. She starts to leave but then tells the director that she refuses to be ignored because of her weight. The director makes the backup singer sing in front of Kate, and Kate realizes that even the backup singer is better than her. The director explains that it's not about her weight, it's about talent. This is a victory for Kate.
Pearson clan attends a very special taping of The Manny in Los Angeles. Kate has her first real singing gig. She sings “Landslide” as Rebecca looks on with pride. Rebecca is the last person Kate wants to see in the crowd, and afterward she fights with her mother.
Kate is pregnant. Toby does a Flashdance routine in a coffee shop to a Hootie and the Blowfish song.
After a nice chat with Urn Jack, Toby decides that skipping the big wedding is exactly the opposite of what Kate really wants. He re-proposes to her
Kate has a miscarriage. It bonds Kate and Rebecca together. The pain also makes Kate stronger — she’s not going to let this break her or her relationship with Toby. Finally, Kate and Toby decide they want to try again once they’re ready.
The Pearsons have an intense family therapy session. Kevin wants Rebecca to admit that Randall is her favorite and he goads her until she breaks down and tells him that it was easier to love Randall. The revelation brings the Big Three closer, and helps to heal Kevin and Rebecca’s relationship.
Kate and Madison become friends and go wedding dress shopping.
Kate adopts a dog for her and Toby. The dog is named Audio.
February 4, 2018: Super Bowl LII Kate almost loses the only video she has of her father.
Vegas, baby. The Big Three and their people head to Vegas for Kate and Toby’s bachelorette and bachelor parties. Kate and Beth bond. Kevin finds out that his movie may change his life. Randall can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong with Deja.
Kate’s wedding. The wedding is coordinated by Kevin and Randall. Before Kate can walk down the aisle at the family cabin in her gorgeous dress, she has something to do: She needs to let go of Jack, at least a little bit. She goes out into the woods and sits on the tree stump she used to share with her dad, and tells him she needs to make room for Toby. She finally spreads Jack’s remaining ashes, and then Kevin and Randall walk her down the aisle. Rebecca and Kate discuss their issues head-on. Kevin uses his toast time to get himself, Kate, Randall, and Rebecca to finally release that deep breath is feels like they’ve been holding in since Jack died.
September 2018 Kate and Toby are successful with IVF. There are several setbacks and Toby makes the boneheaded decision to quit his antidepressants cold turkey in hopes of upping his sperm count. Toby falls back into a depression, but Kate ends up pregnant and their relationship is stronger than ever.
Thanksgiving 2018 Tess comes out to Kate but makes it clear she isn’t ready to tell her parents.
Kate decides to go back to college.
Kate and Toby learn they’re having a boy.
The Pearsons go on a road trip to find their long-lost uncle. Although not a complete disaster, it doesn’t go well. Nicky is finally able to tell them the story of what really happened in Vietnam, although, he discovers, he’ll never be able to tell his brother. Rebecca gets to meet Jack’s brother. But Nicky is an alcoholic and very depressed and doesn’t want any help from Jack’s kids. Kevin tries to persuade him otherwise, but he cant.
Kate graduates. But then goes into premature labor at only 28 weeks while in the car with her drunk brother. The family find out about Kevin’s relapse.
March 2019 Baby Jack Pearson Damon is born. After a long, excruciating wait Kate gives birth to baby Jack. He has a long road ahead of him, which scares the hell out of Toby, but Kate is all over it. Rebecca and Miguel decide to move to Los Angeles to help Kate.
August 31 2019 Baby Jack is diagnosed as blind. Kate is dealing with the guilt because of Jack's blindness caused by premature birth. She also learns how to raise her blind son.
Toby gets secretly super into CrossFit. As if this dude could be any more annoying, now he’s CrossFit Toby. He’s losing a ton of weight, while Kate is stress-eating, and it’s all causing a rift in their marriage.
Kate meets her neighbor, Gregory. He is recovering from a stroke, and she begins to go on walks around the block with him and Baby Jack.
Randall and Kevin send Kate and Baby Jack a gift. It’s their family piano.
Baby Jack eats his first solid food while Toby is off working.
Thanksgiving 2019: The Pearsons descend on Philadelphia, drama ensues. Shauna comes to see Deja, which upsets Beth, but it ends up bringing Deja and Beth closer together. Kevin helps Tess come out to her classmates. Kate discovers that Toby is complaining about her to his CrossFit friends, especially someone named LadyKryptonite. After Nicky realizes Jack didn’t completely erase him from his life once, when he hears Randall tell the “So Long, Marianne” story. Nicky tells the story of his and Jack’s perfect Thanksgiving and introduces the tradition of Thanksgiving Shrimp. Rebecca, after leaving all day to see a movie, confides to Randall that he was right and she needs to see a doctor, but to keep it between them.
Kate throws Toby a Margaritaville-themed birthday party, their marriage falls apart. At this party Kate learns Lady Kryptonite kissed her husband and Toby admits that their son makes him sad.
Kate, Rebecca, and Baby Jack attend a retreat for families with blind children. Rebecca gives Kate sage marriage advice, tells her daughter about her diagnosis, and Rebecca and Kate duet to Alanis Morrisette’s “Ironic” at karaoke night.
The Big Three head to the family cabin to have feelings together. Here, Kevin learns the truth about Rebecca, Randall realizes he really needs therapy, and they listen to Jack’s tape after they unearth their time capsule. Kevin also takes the drawing of Jack’s dream house and makes some plans.
Kate and Toby makes up.
Randall calls a “code red” sibling video chat. He’s found a nine-month long Alzheimer’s clinical trial in St. Louis and he wants everyone on board with making Rebecca go.
March 2020 Baby Jack’s first birthday. Rebecca tells everyone her news about the clinical trial, Kevin figures out it was Randall who made her change her mind. Beth makes Rebecca and her kids go out while Randall and Kevin fight. The two brothers say pretty much the most awful things you could think of and completely sever their relationship.
After visiting the NICU on Jack’s birthday, and Toby seeing how meaningful it is to have siblings via the Pearsons, Mr. and Mrs. Damon decide they’d like to give Jack a sibling. They’re going to start the adoption process.
Kevin tells Kate about Madison’s pregnancy.
August 2020: The Big Three turn 40 For their birthday, Kate, Kevin, and their families drive to the cabin, where Rebecca and Miguel are quarantined. Madison fears for the babies after a fall. Concerned for a missing Rebecca, Kate is unable to reach Kevin and calls Randall, who drives to the cabin, arriving after police escort Rebecca home. Randall identifies a drug interaction that caused Rebecca's episode. Kate admits she does not know how to talk to Randall about social justice, and he tells her he is "exhausted."
Toby advises a despairing Miguel to take things "one day at a time," as Toby does with his own depression. When Rebecca suggests planting an apple tree sapling, Miguel instead gets apple seeds, committing to living each day with her. An adoption agency identifies a potential baby for Kate and Toby.
Kate and Toby meet birth mom Ellie, a young, widowed mother, now pregnant by a one-night stand. They hit it off. Toby and Kate find a happy medium between his apprehension and her excitement.
Kate accompanies Ellie to her ultrasound. Ellie tells Kate she considered an abortion and is confident about the adoption. The conversation evokes a past experience Kate kept secret from her family; Kate tells Toby that after her breakup with Marc, she learned she was pregnant and about the abortion.
Kate decides to travel to San Diego to confront an adult Marc; she relinquishes his treatment of her and leaves.
Future[]
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Toby Damon[]
She is married to Toby Damon.
Philip[]
Familial[]
Kevin Pearson[]
She is really close to Kevin because of their twin bond. They finishes each other sentences.
Friendships[]
Madison Simons[]
Kate met Madison met in a support group. At first Kate disliked Madison, because she didn't understand why she was in the support group due to not knowing about Madison's bulimia. Madison took Kate for wedding dress shopping, when Kate told in group that she was nervous about finding the right wedding dress for her size. At the shop Kate realized that Madison had bulimia. When Kate confronted Madison, she blew her off and left Kate in the parking lot. Later that day Madison called Kate panicky because she fainted. Kate went to her house and found Madison with bleeding head at the floor in her bathroom. Kate helped her and Madison told some truth about her bulimia. After that they become friends. Madison organized her bachelorette party at Vegas. She came for Kate's wedding at the Cabin. She was in the hospital for Jack's birth. Kate was angry when Madison slept with Kevin. But later Madison apologized to Kate and they made up.
Professional[]
Career[]
Notes and Trivia[]
- The art hanging in Kate's living room is the same as the art hanging in Jules' living room in the show, Cougar Town (2009).
- She shares a birthday with her brothers and her father.
- The fitness class with green drumsticks (ripstix) Kate takes part in is a real fitness class called Pound-Rockout.
- The character, Kate, is loosely based on the show creator, Dan Fogelman's sister. "Kate is loosely based off of Dan's sister and their relationship, where he was very successful as a writer and she was struggling with some issues."
- Kate wasn't originally written as a singer. But, "when the producers found out Chrissy Metz could sing, they immediately had to put that in. She sang live on-set twice, they recorded it, and that’s what you saw on television.”
Gallery[]
Episodic[]
Episode Stills[]
Quotes[]
"It’s always gonna be about the weight for me, Toby. It’s been my story ever since I was a little girl. And every moment that I’m not thinking about it, I’m thinking about it. Like, will this chair hold me? Will this dress fit me? And if I ever get pregnant, would will anyone ever notice? It’s just at the core of who I am, it’s just deep inside, and eight tequila shots can only mask that for a couple hours."- Kate Pearson (The Big Three)
"I'm a thirty-seven-year-old woman. And I shouldn't need to be pushed or coddled. Not by a man, not by my husband, not by my brother, not by anyone!" -Kate Pearson (A Manny-Splendored Thing)
"Do I have issues? Yes. But deep down, I'm awesome!" -Kate Pearson (Jack Pearson's Son)
Appearances[]
| This Is Us | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 episodes | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||||||||||
| Season 2 episodes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season 3 episodes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season 4 episodes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season 5 episodes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season 6 episodes |