Alix Earle and Tom Brady’s PDA-filled New Year’s Eve had fans and celebrities alike freaking out over their potential age-gap romance.
“Alix and Tom were together the entire night on New Year’s Eve partying at a party hosted by Palm Tree Crew in St. Barths,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, January 2. “They met through mutual friends who were also in St. Barths and had an instant connection. There was a lot of chemistry between them.”
The pair were spotted on NYE getting cozy, with Earle placing her hand on Brady’s back and leaning in to whisper in his ear. Some fans thought they were dating after the interaction, but the insider told Us Earle wasn’t ready for “anything serious” in the romance department after her recent split from Braxton Berrios.
Fans, however, weren’t the only ones surprised by Earle and Brady’s newfound connection. Celebs like Bachelor Nation alum Jason Tartick and Bethenny Frankel shared their thoughts about the possible couple.
Scroll down to see which celebs have weighed in on Earle and Brady’s eyebrow-raising connection:
Jenna Bush Hager
“We have to talk about Alix Earle, she’s living her best life,” Jenna Bush Hager said during the Monday, January 5, episode of Today With Jenna & Friends.
When Page Six’s Danny Murphy and Evan Real suggested during the show’s “The Scoop” segment that Earle putting her hand on Brady’s back on vacation meant “this is my man, everybody step away,” Bush Hager wasn’t convinced.
“That could be friendly, no?” Bush Hager innocently asked, but the reporters both insisted it was more than a friendly touch.
Chicks in the Office
Maria Ciuffo and Francesca Mariano sounded off on Brady and Earle’s dance seen around the world during the Monday episode of their “Chicks in the Office” podcast, backing the former Dancing With the Stars contestant.
“Why are people so mad at both of them?” Ciuffo asked her cohost, noting that although she’s not Brady’s biggest “fan,” she was happy for the newly-single Earle. (Earle and NFL player Braxton Berrios split in December 2025 after two years together.)
Ciuffo explained, “I’m not going to knock a single girl on New Years Eve who’s in St. Barths getting her freaking freak on for flirting with Tom Brady who is flirting with her. … You do it for the story. You do it for the 5 a.m. debrief with Keleigh Teller and Nina Dobrev. You don’t do it to date Tom Brady, God no.”
Mariano was in complete agreement, pointing out that Earle was “young in St. Barths, flirting with the best football player of all time,” so yes, she should definitely “do it for the plot.”
Jason Tartick
During the Monday episode of his “Trading Secrets” podcast, Jason Tartick brought up Brady and it quickly turned to his holiday activities.
“You saw something about Tom Brady in the news this week?” his cohost David Arduin playfully asked.
Tartick replied, “Are you talking about Alix Earle? St. Barths seems wild, huh? It’s like Aspen or St. Barths. St. Barths New Year’s Eve … that’s like the big, big, big boy.”
Bethenny Frankel
After spending New Year’s in St. Barths with her teenage daughter, Bethenny Frankel got real about what it was like.
“Despite leaving early because of some heartbreaking news [of a friends death], dealing with a bacterial infection, and St. Barths being the Hunger Games of holiday socialization, I still found moments that really mattered,” the former Real Housewives of New York City star wrote via Instagram on Sunday, January 4. “I spent special time with friends and my love, Bryn, and rang in the new year in a way that felt genuinely meaningful, surrounded by good people.”
She added: “This trip reminded me of something I’ve always known but sometimes forget: it’s not about what you’re doing, it’s about who you’re with. And real happiness doesn’t come from the setting, the plans, or the noise, it comes from within.”
As part of her photo recap, Frankel shared a picture with Earle and her daughter, Bryn, as well as a video of Earle and Nina Dobrev dancing along with pal Glenn Powell.
Justin Sylvester
E! red carpet host Justin Sylvester joked about Earle and Brady during the 2026 Critics Choice Awards broadcast on Sunday.
“Welcome back to E! live from the Critics Choice Awards, where we are kicking off the 2026 awards show season. Do not forget that this is all leading up to the main event,” Sylvester said at the time. “And no, I’m not talking about Alix Earle’s DMs, I’m talking about the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards hosted by Chelsea Handler.”
Thomas “TJ” Earle
Alix’s dad, TJ Earle, poked fun at her romantic night with the retired quarterback via a Saturday, January 3, TikTok video.
“I actually got that jacket because I saw Tom Brady wearing one like that,” TJ joked in the clip to which his wife, Ashley Earle, replied, “Are you joking?” TJ added, “I swear to God.”
Ashley was shook, asking, “Are you serious? … You know what, honey, you just say the darndest things. How ironic is that.”
Alix Earle
The podcaster stirred the pot herself when she posted a NYE recap via Instagram on Sunday.
“Rumor has it we’re still dancing 🕺🕺 new friends, new memories, and new beginnings to start off the new year :)” Alix Earle captioned the upload, seemingly referring to the rumors surrounding her and Brady on the dance floor. “Words can’t describe how amazing this trip was, so grateful to @bgarlinghouse & @taragarlinghouse for hosting us & @managermyles for throwing the best nye party EVER!!!”
Keleigh Teller
After seeing Alix’s Instagram recap, Keleigh Teller, who was on the trip with husband Miles Teller, hinted that she was privy to all the details about what really went down on the getaway. “🥃💃🏻 love you, 5am debriefs forever,” Keleigh wrote in the comments section.
Jordan Rachel
Actress Jordan Rachel also commented on Alix’s Instagram upload, cheekily replying, “NFL man to NFL daddy,” in reference to her past dating Braxton Berrios and the influencer potentially leveling up to NFL legend Brady.
Ben Higgins
Ben Higgins shared his discomfort about Earle and Brady’s headline-making outing.
“Yeah but I think that’s like a thing now, I think it feels weird to me,” he said on his “Almost Famous” podcast. “It feels like a headline grabber any time that [it] comes out somebody is dating, I feel icky about it because I just don’t love the idea of spending time or dating someone strictly for the idea of a headline.”
The former Bachelor added that while he doesn’t know “enough” about Earle and Brady’s connection, he hopes it’s for the right reasons.
“I don’t know enough to make a judgement call other than if they are doing it because it is a headline then it feels like the cheapest way to objectify someone else,” he explained. “However, if they’re both agreeing to it and they’re still in St. Barths living their yacht life, go for it, Alix. Go for it, Tom.”
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