Tom Brady’s Age Gap With Alix Earle Draws Heavy Criticism But Close Friend Dave Portnoy Comes To the Rescue

It’s barely been a day in 2026, and Tom Brady has already begun dominating the headlines.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion has found himself at the centre of the internet after being spotted getting cozy with Alix Earle, a 25-year-old influencer, during a New Year’s Eve party in St. Barths.

Videos obtained by multiple outlets showed the 48-year-old chatting, laughing, dancing, and sharing close moments with Earle throughout the night. In one clip, Earle is seen leaning in to whisper in Tom Brady’s ear while rubbing her hand on his back.

While neither party has confirmed a relationship, the chatter among netizens about the linkup is in full force and at the center of their discussion is the duo’s age gap. Brady and Earle are 23 years apart, and that difference has dominated discourse far more than the setting, the timing, or even the GOAT’s cryptic Instagram posts that have followed.

Within hours, many fans and critics have flooded timelines debating whether the pairing was harmless New Year’s Eve fun or something deeper. Some questioned the optics of a recently divorced sports icon linking up with a woman nearly half his age. Others brushed it off as two single adults enjoying a night out.

But as the two sides clashed online with their perspective, one of the loudest voices to jump to Tom Brady’s defense was Dave Portnoy, who addressed the age-gap backlash head-on.

“I’m seeing a lot of negative Nancy’s commenting on the 23 year age gap between Brady and Alix Earle,” Portnoy wrote on X. “Unbiased I say let them live! Age is just a number. And if you could pull Alix Earle at almost 50 you would,” he added.

That said, many fans weren’t fans of the Barstool Founder’s “age is just a number” stance in dating. “If ‘age is just a number’ was true, Alix Earle would still be dating guys her own age. Let’s not pretend power dynamics and societal pressures don’t exist,” argued one. “Still weird when someone dates someone who could be their daughter’s age,” added another.

The rest, meanwhile, found no issues with Portnoy’s words. “Only depressed older single women are mad about this,” joked one. “Why are we still even concerned with age gaps,” chimed in another.

For now, what’s clear is that Tom Brady and Alix Earle are not official, not confirmed, and not pretending otherwise. They were seen enjoying a night out — nothing more, nothing less. So whether this turns into something lasting or fades as a New Year’s Eve footnote, that remains to be seen.