Joan Smalls has reportedly drawn a line with mutual friends over fellow model Candice Swanepoel’s rumored relationship with Tom Brady.
Speculation surrounding the romance emerged Saturday night, with reports claiming the NFL legend has been seeing Swanepoel for some time. Brady ended his marriage to Gisele Bündchen in October 2022.
The alleged relationship has reportedly caused tension within fashion circles, particularly because Swanepoel is said not to be the only Victoria’s Secret model linked to the former quarterback over the past year.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner has reportedly driven a wedge between ‘inseparable’ friends Smalls and Swanepoel, according to Page Six.
Smalls was reportedly involved with Brady on and off, while Swanepoel allegedly encouraged her friend to walk away from the relationship.
That reportedly changed when Swanepoel herself was linked to Brady, a turn of events that is said to have left Smalls deeply upset.
Tom Brady has reportedly been seeing supermodel Candice Swanepoel for some time
Swanepoel’s fellow model and longtime friend Joan Smalls is reportedly furious over the alleged romance
The apparent reversal is said to have prompted Smalls to tell friends connected to both models that they would have to choose a side, according to reports.
Smalls and Swanepoel have reportedly been close for 15 years and have shared countless runways during their successful modeling careers. But the alleged overlap in their relationships with Brady appears to have placed their friendship under serious strain.
Reports of a fallout between the two Victoria’s Secret models surfaced after celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi fueled speculation that the longtime friends were no longer on good terms.
Last week, followers noticed that Smalls and Swanepoel had apparently stopped following each other on Instagram, adding to the rumors.
‘You’re not friends anymore with Candice?’ one follower asked in the comments beneath a post on Smalls’ page.
DeuxMoi claimed that Smalls responded in a comment that was later deleted: ‘I’m not friends with backstabbers.’
In a separate comment that was also removed, Smalls appeared to accuse Swanepoel of violating ‘girl code.’
‘And the disrespect and carelessness in how they treat you is so unimaginable,’ she allegedly wrote, according to a screenshot published by Just Jared.
Smalls was also reportedly linked to the seven-time Super Bowl champion on and off
The two Victoria’s Secret models have shared a close friendship for more than a decade
‘There’s no going back. Some people lack humility and moral compass. And the way they gaslight, lie and minimize your feelings is the worst slap in the face after 15 years of friendship. Not a sorry said or written. Onwards and upwards!’
Our News Outlet contacted representatives for both Smalls and Swanepoel at the time but did not receive a response.
Both models appeared in the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, although they were not photographed interacting at the event.
They have previously modeled together, including teaming up to front a joint campaign for Anne Klein just last year.
However, while Smalls seemingly sees the relationship as a betrayal, Brady’s ex-wife, Bundchen, another former Victoria’s Secret angel, reportedly has no issues with her former husband’s new flame.
Bundchen, 46, reportedly does not view Swanepoel as breaking girl code as she sees no issue with her ex-husband’s new flame.
Bundchen does not view the relationship as a ‘betrayal,’ insiders familiar with the situation reportedly told TMZ.
While the two models have been supportive and friendly with one another throughout their careers, their professional relationship never developed into a close friendship, the sources added.
Gisele Bundchen, another Victoria’s Secret model, was married to Brady for 13 years
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They also reportedly have not been seen together in recent year, making suggestions of a feud over Brady a bit farfetched.
The models never walked Victoria’s Secret’s iconic runway shows at the same time as Bundchen retired from her contract in 2006 – one year before Swanepoel would make her debut.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion was married to Bundchen from 2009 until their divorce in 2022. A new book recently revealed the devastating untold story behind the end of their relationship.
The pair are parents to children Benjamin, 16, and Vivian, 13. Brady is also father to son Jack, 19, whom he welcomed with ex Bridget Moynahan.
Swanepoel had been in a long-term relationship with Brazilian model Hermann Nicoli after they first met in 2005.
She had been 17 at the time of meeting Nicoli, who was 23, as they both were pursuing their careers in the modelling industry.
After nearly a decade of dating, the former couple became engaged in 2015. But three years later, it was confirmed that the two had gone their separate ways.
