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Dylan Sprouse Was Barbara Palvin's Loudest Fan at Victoria's Secret, and His New Girl-Dad Update Is Even Cuter

The former Suite Life star cheered his wife through the 2026 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show just six weeks after she gave birth. Then the new parents shared the sweetest updates about their baby girl.

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Key facts

  • Who: Dylan Sprouse, 34, and his wife, model Barbara Palvin, 33 (Us Weekly)
  • What: Palvin walked the 2026 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show six weeks after giving birth to their first child, a daughter, while Sprouse cheered from the front row (Us Weekly)
  • When and where: Sunday, Oct. 18, at Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles (Us Weekly)
  • The sweet part: Palvin told People he "was meant to be a girl dad," and Sprouse told E! News their baby is "laughing at my jokes" (People, E! News)

Fact-checked by the House of Grey News Desk, sources linked below.

Barbara Palvin on the red carpet at Cannes in 2025, beside the headline: 'He was meant to be a girl dad,' says Barbara, and their daughter is already laughing at his jokes
Barbara Palvin at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Martin Kraft / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Card by House of Grey. Full credits below.

Some husbands clap politely from the front row. Dylan Sprouse kept jumping out of his seat.

Barbara Palvin walked the 2026 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles, just six weeks after giving birth to the couple's first child, a daughter, Us Weekly reports. Sprouse, 34, sat in the front row and stood up from his chair again and again to cheer her on, filming her as she walked, according to Us Weekly.

E! News on X: Barbara Palvin blows a kiss to Dylan Sprouse as she walks the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

The No. 1 fan in the front row

If you saw our full Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2026 recap, you know Palvin's return was one of the big moments of the night. Her husband was clearly the proudest person in the building.

On his Instagram Stories, Sprouse wrote, "Proud of my missus, jumping right into the vs fashion show post birth. Built different," according to People.

On the pink carpet, he told Wildmen podcaster Zanna Roberts Rassi that Palvin, 33, had been working "hard as heck" to get ready, People reports. "She was practicing her walk last night. I told her she looked great … it looked natural," he said, per Us Weekly.

He also admitted she keeps him guessing. "She doesn't tell me the order of things or how it goes down. She surprises me kind of," Sprouse said, according to People. "Sometimes I see her looks, like I've seen her looks before, but I'm really excited to see what it's going to be this year."

E! News on YouTube: "Barbara Palvin is Dylan Sprouse's angel at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show." Watch on YouTube: Barbara Palvin is Dylan Sprouse’s angel at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. 🥹❤️ (E! News)

I'm extremely proud of my wife. I'm excited to see what happens.

— Dylan Sprouse, as quoted by E! News

"Where does it come from?"

Talking to E! News at the show, Sprouse was honest about new-parent life. "I'm a tired guy all the time, and obviously having a newborn makes you more tired," he said. "Barbara's just up and in super mom mode, and now she's walking the show. I'm like, 'Where does it come from?'"

E! News on X: Dylan Sprouse talks about how proud he is of Barbara Palvin for walking the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show six weeks postpartum.

"Some people are just better than other people," he added. "I'm extremely proud of my wife. I'm excited to see what happens."

This is very on brand for him, by the way. People notes Sprouse went viral in 2024 for bringing giant cardboard cutouts of the couple's pets to the show.

The twist: the girl-dad era has officially begun

Here's the part that melted us. Backstage, Palvin told People that motherhood is "a ride, like a fun one, but also scary. It's like a roller coaster." Then she gave her husband the sweetest compliment.

Barbara Palvin smiling at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Barbara Palvin at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025. Photo: Martin Kraft / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

"Dylan's great," she said, according to People. "He always wanted to be a dad, and I think he's amazing as a girl dad. I think he was meant to be a girl dad. He didn't know it before, but he was meant to be one." She added, "We're both learning. It's a big adjustment. We're trying our best."

Sprouse, meanwhile, is already celebrating the small wins. "Her eyesight's clearing up, and so she's starting to recognize faces a lot more," he told E! News. "She's smiling and laughing at my jokes, which is all a dad can really dream of."

He told People his daughter has already "laughed" at his jokes, adding, "So, I'm officially in, dude." And he has a hope for how she turns out: "Thankfully she's got Barbara's beautiful blue eyes. Dude, they're huge too. If all goes right, she's got my sense of humor and everything else from Barbara."

Close-up of Barbara Palvin with her hair pulled back at Cannes in 2016
Barbara Palvin at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. Photo: Georges Biard / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

What surprised him most about fatherhood? "How desensitized I am now to bodily fluids," he joked to E! News. "That's just having a baby, I guess."

A quick timeline

  • July 2023: Sprouse and Palvin marry, per Us Weekly.
  • Sept. 7, 2026: Their daughter is born, according to Us Weekly.
  • Sept. 29: They share the news in a joint Instagram post captioned "We took Labor Day literally this year," wearing matching L.A. Dodgers gear, Us Weekly reports.
  • Oct. 8: Palvin celebrates her first birthday as a mom, per People.
  • Oct. 18: Palvin walks the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, with her biggest fan up front.

Six weeks into parenthood, they're tired, they're learning and they are clearly having the best time. We love this family.

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FAQ

When did Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse have their baby?

Their daughter was born on Sept. 7, and the couple shared the news in a joint Instagram post on Sept. 29, according to Us Weekly.

How soon after giving birth did Barbara Palvin walk the Victoria's Secret show?

Six weeks. She walked the 2026 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Sunday, Oct. 18, in Los Angeles, according to Us Weekly and People.

What did Barbara Palvin say about Dylan Sprouse as a dad?

She told People backstage, "I think he's amazing as a girl dad, I think he was meant to be a girl dad. He didn't know it before, but he was meant to be one."

How long have Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin been married?

They married in July 2023, according to Us Weekly.

How we fact-checked this

Every fact, figure and quote in this story was checked against the 3 sources linked below (People, E! News, Us Weekly). Quotes appear as those sources reported them, anything unconfirmed is labeled as such, and the photos are Creative Commons licensed and credited.

Sources

Photo credits

Our story card adapts these photos (cropping, color and added text). Because a source photo is licensed CC BY-SA, the adapted card is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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