Who is Alix Earle, and what was she doing at Bad Bunny’s La Casita?

Bad Bunny and his Super Bowl halftime show had already sparked widespread attention prior to the event, given the significance of a Puerto Rican artist performing in the United States during Donald Trump’s presidency. On February 8, 128 million people (in the United States alone) tuned in live to watch the performance, scrutinizing every moment to either applaud or condemn it—and even days later, the conversation continues. Overall, both sides felt their expectations were fulfilled: for supporters of the Republican president, it felt like a betrayal of American ideals, while for many others, it stood as a bold statement of diversity and inclusion. This tension was visible in the crowd at Bad Bunny’s La Casita, where Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, and Karol G were spotted dancing. What puzzled many was the presence of Alix Earle, a 25-year-old influencer from New Jersey who, on the surface, appears unrelated to the artist.

“You’ve never used your platform or your voice for the messages Bad Bunny conveys. This is unbelievable and undeserved,” said one user on a video Earle shared on her TikTok profile — where she has 8.3 million followers — to summarize her Super Bowl experience. “So you’re no longer a MAGA?” “An example of loving Latin culture but not Latinos,” added others who also found her presence hypocritical. Earle simply responded to the first comment, adding a heart emoji: “Yes, I have used them, and being invited to do this was an incredible and very special experience.” The question is: why was she invited?

Bad Bunny’s link to Alix Earle is David Grutman, a prominent Miami nightlife mogul who danced with the influencer at La Casita during the Super Bowl halftime show. Grutman maintains tight personal and professional ties with celebrities such as Pharrell Williams, with whom he co-owns two restaurants and a hotel; and David Beckham, who regularly hosts events for his soccer team, Inter Miami, at his most exclusive venues. Bad Bunny has also capitalized on the connection by becoming a co-owner with the millionaire of Gekkō, a high-end Japanese-inspired steakhouse that launched in 2022 in the city’s financial district.

In 2023, Grutman chose to expand his ventures past hospitality and launched DGN Studios alongside Evan Rosenfeld. It’s here that the trail starts pointing toward Earle. The content creator, daughter of a New Jersey construction tycoon, began experimenting on TikTok in 2020. “When I started, I had no idea. I was trying to be perfect. I thought that was the way to do it,” she remarked in 2023 on the radio show The Howard Stern Show. Yet, the influencer discovered her path to fame in 2022 by candidly documenting her ongoing battle with severe cystic acne. “I decided to open up about it, and that one choice changed everything. It was the moment I stopped just posting and started connecting, building a community that valued honesty and support,” she detailed in late January 2025 during an interview with Número Netherlands.

The unfiltered, barefaced Alix Earle proved far more compelling than her polished, glamorous counterpart, winning her a devoted and steadily expanding base of followers. The brands she endorses sell out rapidly, and the media has already labeled this rise in fame as the “Alix Earle effect.” “Alix has not only built a solid network of followers who trust her recommendations, but she has also created a community through her podcast, Hot Mess, where she talks from her bed about her life, covering topics ranging from battling acne to friendship breakdowns,” Vista Magazine noted in 2024.

Grutman, known for his track record of successful business endeavors, has set his sights on Earle for his next major project. The entrepreneur is developing a new reality series featuring the influencer—whose familiarity with the format stems from her participation in the most recent season of Dancing with the Stars—for Netflix, under his DGN Studios label. Grutman recently secured a global agreement with the platform to create and produce content centered on entertainment, food, sports, and lifestyle, with Earle’s show standing as one of his most ambitious television initiatives to date.

“I share so much of my life on social media, and people think they know everything about me and my family, but honestly, there’s still so much more,” Earle said in a statement when she shared the news of the reality show — still without a title or official release date. “We’re so excited that the series has found a home on Netflix. At its core, it’s about our fun, loving, and sometimes chaotic modern family, and how we always have each other’s backs,” she explained. Taking her with him to Bad Bunny’s La Casita and sharing content together on social media seems to be part of Grutman’s strategy to build anticipation for the reality show and begin introducing the influencer to a global audience.

Tom Brady’s new girlfriend?

However, what’s sparking the most talk about Earle’s Super Bowl appearance is her rumored flirtation with Tom Brady. The ex-quarterback and the influencer were photographed and videotaped being intimate at a private gathering after the game, dancing, laughing, and wrapped in each other’s arms. One source told People magazine on Monday that they’re now dating, though neither has confirmed—or denied—the connection. Speculation about a potential romance between them started on January 1, 2026, after they were seen enjoying themselves at a New Year’s Eve party at a high-end nightclub in St. Barts. “People are not beautiful because of how they look or talk. They are beautiful because of how they love, care for, and treat others,” Brady posted in his Instagram Stories the next day. He shared the message alongside a photo of two monks clasping hands, but fans and outlets took it as a nod to the influencer.

If the romance is genuine, and not merely another ploy by the content creator, Brady would be added to Earle’s list of romantic partners. In 2022, she briefly saw baseball player Tyler Wade, and in 2023, she confirmed her relationship with Braxton Berrios, an NFL wide receiver for The Houston Texans. She announced their split in December 2025, just two weeks before being connected to Brady. “Braxton and I are no longer together. We’ve been in a long-distance relationship since June, basically, and haven’t seen each other very often. It’s been really hard for me,” she tearfully shared in a video for her millions of TikTok followers. On February 5, three days before dancing in front of half the world at Bad Bunny’s La Casita, she posted that she was still “very sad” about the breakup, but also “very fresh and full of emotions.”

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