Gisele Bündchen Ignores Tom Brady on Father’s Day, Publicly Takes Aim at New Partner Joaquim Valente in Tribute

Gisele Bündchen (45) stirred Hollywood by thoroughly passing over her ex-husband, Tom Brady (48), in an SNS post for the U.S. observance of Father’s Day. Instead of Brady, the father of her two children, Bündchen left a glowing tribute aimed only at Joaquim Valente, the jiu-jitsu instructor she is dating, formalizing a cold distance from her former husband.

■ No trace of the ex-husband… Father’s Day wishes for new partner Joaquim Valente

On June 21 (local time), Gisele Bündchen posted a large number of previously unreleased photos on her Instagram account showing her current partner, Joaquim Valente, spending a warm time with her two children—son Benjamin (16) and daughter Vivian (13)—on Sunday’s Father’s Day.

Along with the photos, Bündchen added a heavily intentional message of a pointed, biting note, saying, “Thank you to the father who appears in our lives and becomes the most devoted and warm father to our children,” and, “The unconditional love and patience you showed became the firmest lighthouse for my children. Joaquim, happy your first Father’s Day.”

What was shocking was that not a single line or even a single photo mentioned or offered congratulations to Tom Brady, the biological father who had the two children and maintained their marriage for 13 years, despite his status as an NFL legend.

■ Deepened feelings after the divorce… the result of the “jiu-jitsu scandal”?

Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady announced their official divorce in October 2022 after long-running reports of discord, a move that recorded one of the most expensive divorce settlements in Hollywood history. The reasons cited included Brady’s sudden reversal on retirement and neglect within the household, but immediately after the divorce, as Bündchen started dating Joaquim Valente—who was a private jiu-jitsu instructor for her children—at breakneck speed, some allegations of an affair surfaced.

At the time, close associates of Tom Brady told the media, “They firmly believe Brady and Valente’s relationship began before the divorce, and that led to a huge sense of betrayal and emotional wounds.”

As if proving that resentment, Bündchen’s move on this Father’s Day of completely erasing Brady effectively amounted to publicly declaring that he is no longer “the most important father” in her and her children’s lives.

■ Tom Brady’s bitter solo stand… netizens debate and speculate

Meanwhile, Tom Brady, who was thoroughly ignored by his ex-wife, on the same day shared on his own SNS that he spent Father’s Day peacefully by posting a photo taken with his biological father and his three children (including the eldest son Jack, whom he had with his ex-wife Bridget Moynahan). He left only a brief reflection: “Thank my three kids for making me a dad.”

Hollywood netizens, meanwhile, are continuing the heated back-and-forth, saying things like, “No matter how they divorced, it’s too much to treat Tom Brady—the children’s biological father and a world-famous sports hero—like he’s a transparent person,” and, “Joaquim Valente must be really good to the kids. The current happiness is what matters most.”