Tom Brady ushered in 2026 in St. Barts like a true A-lister: On New Year’s Eve, he partied with celebs like Glen Powell, Nina Dobrev and Miles Teller at the trendy Gyp Sea beach club, where he was also spotted flirting up a storm with influencer Alix Earle on the dance floor, then spent New Year’s Day lounging on a luxury yacht with Leonardo DiCaprio and friends.
Brady’s ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, appeared to wrap up 2025 more quietly — she shared photos on Instagram of the two kids she shares with Brady (son Benjamin, 16, and daughter Vivian, 13) and the baby boy she welcomed with new husband Joaquim Valente last January, along with shots of family dinners and the Costa Rican sunset. “This year brought deep lessons and profound growth,” the supermodel wrote, adding, “I’m grateful for these sacred moments that changed me in ways words can’t fully hold.”
The study in contrast speaks to how different the former couple’s lives have become since their October 2022 split following 13 years of marriage. Brady, 48, who became a commentator on Fox Sports in 2024, has embraced the bachelor life — he’s been linked to a number of Hollywood beauties, including Earle, 25, model Irina Shayk and Kim Kardashian, and has been letting loose at high-profile events like Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s star-studded summer wedding, Michael Rubin’s exclusive White Party in the Hamptons and the Fanatics Super Bowl LX bash on February 7, where he was seen getting cozy with Earle again. “Tom is genuinely enjoying this chapter,” says a source close to the former athlete. “He sees himself as a single dad who finally has some freedom and is enjoying his life without overthinking it.”
Bündchen, 45, is still modeling, “but for the most part, she’s happy being at home,” says a second source. She married jiu-jitsu trainer Valente, 38, in a low-key backyard ceremony at their $14.5 million mansion in Miami (Brady lives nearby in the exclusive Indian Creek enclave) in December. They spend a lot of time in their native Brazil as well as Costa Rica. “Gisele’s life now is much more private,” notes the source. “It’s more in line with who she is. It’s a life she dreamed of.” Adds a third source: “She always envisioned this slower-paced lifestyle for herself and her children, surrounded by nature and removed from ‘the business.’ She’s at peace.”
For years, the handsome NFL star (he has seven Super Bowl rings) and stunning catwalk queen (she was the highest-paid model for 14 years between 2007 and 2020) were a formidable Hollywood power couple. They seemed like the perfect family, with Bündchen and their children (as well as Brady’s son Jack, 18, from his previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynihan) celebrating Brady’s big wins on the football field and both stars often sharing sweet moments of their time together on Instagram.
Cracks began to show in 2020, after Brady told Howard Stern in an interview that Bündchen felt he’d been prioritizing his career over her and the kids. “She’s sitting there going, ‘Well, when are you going to do things for the house? When are you going to take the kids to school and do that?’” Brady revealed. “I had to, like, check myself. Because she’s like, ‘I have goals and dreams too.’”
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were
Brady’s decision to un-retire 40 days after he announced he was hanging up his football jersey was the final nail in the coffin. “Tom didn’t want to get divorced, and he was heartbroken about it, but he wasn’t ready to [wind down] the way Gisele wanted to,” says the third source, adding, “which is pretty evident now.” Bündchen, notes the third source, “felt so broken down by the emotional roller coaster of trying to make [her marriage] work, then realizing it was over and finally separating her family.”
The exes are on OK terms. “Tom and Gisele only communicate when it comes to the kids,” says the first source. “The dust has settled, but he tries not to meddle in her personal life. He hears things from the kids here and there, but tries to stay neutral. They have a good coparenting schedule.”
The third source says Brady and Bündchen live very separate lives. “Tom and Gisele shared some mutual friends from the time they were married, but she doesn’t really socialize with them anymore. Her life has really changed,” says the third source. “They share children and will always have that connection, but the divorce was not easy for either of them.” Brady addressed their split in a January 16 appearance on The Herd With Colin Cowherd, revealing it affected his ability to play football in his final season. “I had a lot of, you know, just a personal, family issue, and it was a challenge,” he explained. “It just took a lot out of me.”
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Bündchen isn’t keeping tabs on Brady’s love life. “Gisele doesn’t care about who Tom’s dating,” says the third source. “She’s all about letting go. As long as Tom’s making the kids a priority when he has them, she’s not concerned.”
The supermodel previously discussed the challenges of coparenting in a 2024 Harper’s Bazaar interview, noting that she sometimes “gets pushback” from the kids when it comes to things like making their beds “because now they’re in two different homes and there are two different ways.” She later told Robin Roberts in an ABC News special that “there’s easier days than others” when it comes to raising the kids with Brady, noting, “I can only control what I do.”
Bündchen and Valente have a lot of common ground. “They’re much more of a match than she was with Tom,” says the second source. (They met when Valente began teaching martial arts to her son Benjamin; she became his student in late 2021.) “Gisele works in a glamorous environment, but she isn’t a huge fan of the pomp and circumstance that come with stardom. She was longing for someone normal.” Adds the third source: “Gisele feels very supported by Joaquim. That was something that was missing at the end of her marriage to Tom.”
Gisele Bundchen and Joaquim Valente’s Relationship Timeline
They tied the knot in front of close friends and family in early December. “It was not a big blowout,” says the second source. “The ceremony was more symbolic and a natural evolution of their relationship. They are thriving, and she’s much happier than she was with Tom.” (The second source says Brady approves of Valente. “Tom thinks Joaquim is a good guy.”)
Brady and Earle “are hooking up,” says a source close to the Dancing With the Stars alum, but it’s not serious. Videos posted from the Super Bowl LX pre-party at Pier 48 in San Francisco show them dancing together with Brady’s hand on her behind. “It’s very much a ‘when we’re in the same city’ situation with no strings attached,” the source says. (Earle and Houston Texans player Braxton Berrios split after two years in December 2025.) “Alix is still spending a lot of time in L.A. and wants to stay single right now.” Still, adds the source, “[Tom] loves her energy. She’s keeping him young, and he’s enjoying it.”
Brady isn’t looking to settle down either. “Tom has expressed he has no interest in getting married,” says the first source. “His marriage drained him emotionally. He’s told friends it has been fun to be out and in the mix again.” During a January 29 appearance on the Today show, Brady’s former teammate Rob Gronkowski said Brady is “definitely” more fun as a bachelor. “Everyone is aware that Tom’s having a good time right now,” says the second source. In June 2024, Brady told Us he was enjoying his retirement and his time with his kids, adding, “I’m still young and I still love working and, yeah, life’s good.”
“Tom and Gisele grew apart,” adds the first source. “They are different people, and they have completely different lifestyles. It was a hard transition, but Tom has a rhythm and a routine down now. And he’s genuinely happy for Gisele.”
