“I’m not friends with backstabbers.”
Those five words appeared to bring a 15-year friendship between supermodels Joan Smalls and Candice Swanepoel to an abrupt end. At the center of the speculation is NFL great Tom Brady.
The 49-year-old former quarterback, who divorced model Gisele Bündchen in 2022, is now reportedly linked to one of her fellow Victoria’s Secret Angels, Swanepoel. Smalls, meanwhile, has previously been rumored to have had a connection with Brady.
The longtime friends’ relationship appears to have unraveled, with Smalls seemingly taking aim online at women who disregard “girl code.”
Brady, however, is said to want no role in the dispute.
“Tom wants absolutely no part of the feud between Candice and Joan, and he feels like he’s getting caught in the crossfire of a situation that really has nothing to do with him,” an insider told Our News Outlet.
Joan Smalls appeared to end her 15-year friendship with fellow model Candice Swanepoel in a pointed social-media exchange
An insider said Brady feels caught in the middle of the reported dispute between Smalls and Swanepoel
“Whatever tension exists between the two of them is their business, and he doesn’t think it’s fair that he’s being dragged into the drama.”
Smalls and Swanepoel, both 38, were once virtually inseparable. As recently as last August, they appeared together in an Anne Klein campaign, prompting Smalls to write: “Doing it alongside my best friend, Candice, makes it even more meaningful.”
Yet when the pair walked the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway this month, they were not spotted together, fueling questions about the state of their friendship.
Fans soon began asking about the apparent rift in the comments section of Smalls’ Instagram. One user wrote on an October 20 post: “You are not friend[s] anymore with Candice?”
Smalls appeared to respond with the now widely shared remark about “backstabbers.” In another comment, which has since been deleted but circulated online, she offered a fuller explanation.
“There is no girl code with some people. And the disrespect and carelessness in how they treat you is so unimaginable. 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!!!”
She appeared to address the speculation again after Just Jared posted about the alleged fallout on Instagram. Smalls commented: “Two words: SUMMER HOUSE! That’ll explain everything.”
The cryptic reference seemed to invoke the well-known dispute involving reality stars Ciara Miller and Amanda Batula, whose friendship reportedly collapsed after Batula began secretly dating Miller’s former partner and fellow cast member, West Wilson.
On Wednesday, Smalls added another pointed message to her Instagram Story: “This Halloween I’m dressing up as accountability. Apparently that’s the scariest f***ing thing some people can face.”
Smalls and Swanepoel have been close friends for years, but were not seen together at this month’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
In comments that were later deleted, Smalls appeared to answer a fan asking whether she and Swanepoel were still friends
Smalls referenced “SUMMER HOUSE” beneath a Just Jared post about the reported feud
Brady, meanwhile, has done little to quiet the speculation surrounding his personal life.
Since his 2022 divorce from 46-year-old Bündchen, the 49-year-old Super Bowl champion has been linked to several high-profile women, including model Irina Shayk, reality star Brooks Nader, actress Sofia Vergara and influencer Alix Earle.
The insider suggested Brady’s casual approach to dating is deliberate.
“Since Gisele, Tom has kept his distance from falling in love and has instead had flings or hookups because his kids and his job are what is important to him,” the source said. “He knows relationships come and go, but family and football are forever, and he isn’t interested in heartache.”
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That reportedly leaves him even less interested in celebrity disputes.
“Tom doesn’t see how he fits into any of it,” the source said. “The last thing he wants is to get caught up in what he considers high school antics. He’s got kids of his own, and as far as he’s concerned, that kind of drama belongs in the schoolyard, not in his personal life.”
Smalls has largely kept her romantic life private since her reported relationship with billionaire heir Henry Junior Chalhoub, whom she was last photographed with in 2021.
Her rumored connection to Brady first emerged through an anonymous tip sent to celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi, which claimed the pair had “dated on and off.”
If there was a romance, the insider suggested Brady is unlikely to discuss it publicly.
“Tom and Joan know each other and have been friendly in the past, but if it ever got romantic, Tom hasn’t talked about it,” the source said.
After years in the public eye, Brady is also familiar with the way rumors can quickly spread.
“He’s not naive enough to think he can stop every rumor or accusation,” the source said. “But that doesn’t mean he’s going to sit back and accept being blamed for something he doesn’t believe he has anything to do with.”
The source added: “Tom would rather keep his distance, let Candice and Joan sort out whatever issues they have between themselves, and refuse to give the situation more oxygen than it deserves.”
As for Brady and Swanepoel, the reported romance is still in its early stages, with speculation about the pair surfacing only this week. Their alleged relationship has nevertheless begun under unusually intense scrutiny.
The insider said Brady “enjoys being known as the bachelor”
Since divorcing 46-year-old Bündchen in 2022, Brady has been linked to several prominent women
Brady shares Benjamin, 16, and Vivian, 13, with Bündchen, and has son Jack, 19, with former partner Bridget Moynahan
According to the insider, Brady and Swanepoel have been seeing each other for “a few months” and are “having a good time together.” However, the source claimed Swanepoel “seems to want something more serious than Tom.”
“Candice is definitely the one who has been more eager to get this relationship out there, while Tom is happy to enjoy what they have without putting too much of a label on it.”
The two appear to have plenty in common. Both live in Miami, both are raising children with former partners and both are accustomed to life in the spotlight.
Brady shares Benjamin, 16, and Vivian, 13, with Bündchen, as well as son Jack, 19, with former partner Bridget Moynahan. Swanepoel has two sons, Anaca, ten, and Ariel, eight, with former fiancé Hermann Nicoli. The couple split in 2018 after more than a decade together.
Even so, Brady is reportedly in no hurry to make his relationship with Swanepoel official. His reluctance to define the romance may, in fact, be adding to the intrigue.
“He’s not going to broadcast it anytime soon because he enjoys being known as the bachelor,” the source said.
“His relationship mindset only makes the women he does hook up with want him more because they want to attain what might be unattainable,” the insider claimed.
For now, Brady appears to be embracing single life. Between his Fox broadcasting career and family responsibilities, he has plenty competing for his attention.
“His priority is his career, and the idea of settling into a committed relationship just isn’t at the top of his to-do list,” the insider said, adding that Brady prefers to maintain “a little mystery around his personal life.”
Still, the source acknowledged that his outlook could “change down the road.”
Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for Swanepoel, Brady and Smalls for comment.
