Why did Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen divorce?
Why did Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen divorce? In a cover story for Vanity Fair in March 2023, Gisele gave the true reason why the two divorced. “Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart,” she says. “When I was 26 years old and he was 29 years old, we met, we wanted a family, we wanted things together. As time goes by, we realize that we just wanted different things, and now we have a choice to make. That doesn’t mean you don’t love the person. It just means that in order for you to be authentic and truly live the life that you want to live, you have to have somebody who can meet you in the middle, right? It’s a dance. It’s a balance.” She continued, “When you love someone, you don’t put them in a jail and say, ‘You have to live this life.’ You set them free to be who they are, and if you want to fly the same direction, then that’s amazing.”
She also clarified that the divorce wasn’t because of an ultimatum but because they simply grew apart. “That takes years to happen.” She called the characterizations that the media portrayed for her “very hurtful” and “the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.” She told the outlet that “everything” the media speculated about the marriage wasn’t true. Like how football impacted her marriage. “Wow, people really made it about that. “What’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle,” Bündchen said. “It’s not so black and white.”
“Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever,” she said. “If there’s one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it’s him, believe me. I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true. That’s what I want, really, from the bottom of my heart.”
A day after Gisele’s Vanity Fair cover story was released, Tom took to Instagram to share somewhat of a cryptic message, though we’re not sure it’s in response to his ex-wife’s statements on their relationship. “What is success? To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends,” the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson began. “To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; This is to have succeeded.”
A day before they filed for divorce, a source told Us Weekly on October 27, 2022, that Gisele gave Tom an ultimatum to choose their family or his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “Gisele told Tom either he leaves football to spend time with the family or she is gone for good,” the insider said. The source continued, “She doesn’t want him to continue to get injured and not be able to enjoy life in the future. She is doing it for her family.”
A week before the report, Tom confirmed at a press conference for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he doesn’t plan to retire from the NFL any time soon. “I love the sport, I love the teammates, and I want to go do a good job for this team like I always have,” he said. “So, no retirement in my future,” he said at the time. Tom also discussed how his NFL career has affected his personal life in an episode on the Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray podcast at the time. “The reality is, you can really only be authentic to yourself,” he said. “I almost look at like a football season like you’re going away on deployment in the military. And it’s like, ‘Man, here I go again. There’s only one way to do it.’” He continued, “Whenever you may say, ‘Oh man, I want to make sure I spend a little more time doing this,’ your competitiveness takes over. And as much as you want to have this playful balance with the work balance, you’re going to end up doing exactly what you’ve always done. Which is why you are who you are. You’re going to go, ‘How do I get it done?’ You know, ‘What do I got to do to get it done?’”
He also confirmed in another episode of the podcast at the time that he doesn’t plan to quit the NFL after the 2022 season. “I’ve never quit on anything in my life,” Tom said. “I made a commitment to this team and I love this team and I love this organization.” Tom acknowledged there “was a retirement in the past,” however, “there’s no immediate retirement” in his future. “I’ve had nothing but a great experience here,” he said. “I want to keep fighting as hard as I can and I’m always trying to do better. I’m always trying to work hard and I’m always trying to commit more to the things that are important to me. And this team is very important to me and I certainly want to be the best I can be for them.”
According to a report by TMZ on October 7, 2022, Gisele had threatened to divorce Tom for years before their official separation. The insider claimed that all the arguments were over the same topic: football. Another source told People on October 7, 2022, “[The problems] are 10 years old,” the insider said of the couple. “This has been going on forever. This is nothing new to either of them.” Another source also told People at the time that Gisele is “done” with Tom and doesn’t think their relationship can be “repaired.” “She is done with their marriage,” an insider close to the model said. “She was upset about it for a long time and it’s still difficult, but she feels like she needs to move on. She doesn’t believe that her marriage can be repaired.” The source continued, “She is just trying to figure out her life. She doesn’t have much contact with Tom.” Other sources told Page Six that the two have separated before and that Gisele consulted a divorce attorney in 2015. One source said, “Tom and Gisele have separated before. Every couple of years they have a big fight and she has left Tom before, but she always came back. They always worked through things, and Tom was hopeful they would do it again this time.”
News of issues in Tom and Gisele’s relationship started in September 2022 when Page Six reported the couple was in a “fight” over the NFL player’s decision to unretire from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2022. (Tom announced his retirement from the NFL after 22 years in February 2022 before reversing that decision less than two months later.) “Tom and Gisele are in a fight right now,” a source told Page Six in September 2022. The insider added that there have been a “series of heated arguments” since Tom’s unretirement. A second source explained that Gisele’s issue with Tom’s decision to unretire is the lack of time he’ll spend with their children: son Benjamin and daughter Vivian. Tom also shares son Jack with ex Bridget Moynahan. “There’s been trouble in the marriage over his decision to un-retire. Gisele has always been the one with the kids. They had agreed he would retire to focus on the family, then he changed his mind,” the insider said. A third source added, “They have a fiery relationship. Gisele is a bit hot-headed — she has that Brazilian heat!” The insider, however, added that Tom has always been a “family man,” regardless of if he’s in the NFL or not. “He’s such a doting dad, and very much a family man,” the source said.
The publication’s second source also claimed that Gisele has been working more—she’s currently the face of a new Burberry campaign—since Tom’s decision to unretire. “It’s almost like Gisele was like, ‘Well, if you’re going to keep playing, so will I,’” the insider said. “She’s resentful that Tom is still the football superstar.” A source also told People in September 2022 that Gisele was “frustrated” with Tom and had “been spending time away from” him. “Going back to Tampa after the retirement put a strain on the personal side of his life,” the source said. “Gisele is frustrated and sick of his career coming before their family, who has always supported him.” The magazine also reported that Tom and Gisele spending time apart from each other “has happened before” and that the two are “trying” to make their relationship work. “There is a point Gisele believes that enough is enough,” a second source said. “[She has] always been an amazing wife, totally supporting Tom and his career and bringing the kids aboard.
A third source told People that Gisele is “not a stay-at-home mom.” The insider continued, “She has been working all along. She’s in N.Y.C. right now working, and the kids are enrolled in school in Florida.” The source also reported that Tom and Gisele had a “happy summer together” before NFL season and Gisele threw Tom “a big birthday party in Italy.” “He already announced his return to football this spring, so friends don’t understand why she’s upset now,” the insider said. “They’ve been very private about what’s really going on,” the source added. A fourth source also claimed to People that Gisele’s opinion on Tom’s unretirement had changed closer to NFL season. “It feels very different this year than last year,” the insider said. “She was excited to be here, we saw her around.” A source also confirmed to Us Weekly in September 2022 that there was “tension” between Tom and Gisele after he unretired from the NFL. “Gisele was not happy when Tom un-retired from the NFL after such a short time,” the insider said. “There is tension between them.” The source added that Tom is “doing everything he can to make it up to” Gisele. “They’re working through things and trying to come out the other side,” the source said.
Page Six also reported in September 2022 that Gisele had moved out of her and Tom’s home in Tampa, Florida, and relocated to Costa Rica since their marital issues. “He’s very sad at the moment. Friends know they’ve had a serious disagreement this time,” a source said. “It seems that Gisele gets mad and says things like she’s leaving him, but in the past, they’ve always made up. But maybe this time it is more serious. He’s with the kids, and is just trying to be super dad.” Another source also told Page Six a week later that Gisele had returned to Florida, but hadn’t moved back in with Tom yet. “Gisele isn’t back with Tom,” the insider said. “She flew back to Florida to be with her kids but hasn’t been to their home in Tampa.” The source continued, “Tom is still hoping they can reconcile. Gisele has told him she’s leaving him before, and they always made up when she cooled down.”
