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 generated a lot of buzz even before it took place, due to the implications of a show like that of the Puerto Rican artist in a United States under the presidency of Donald Trump. On February 8, 128 million people (in the United States alone) watched the performance live, analyzing every detail to praise or criticize it. And days later, it’s still generating discussion. In general, the expectations of both sides were met. For those aligned with the Republican president, it was an affront to American values, while for many Americans, it was a powerful message of diversity and inclusion. This was reflected in the atmosphere of Bad Bunny’s La Casita, where Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, and Karol G were seen dancing. What many didn’t understand was the presence of Alix Earle, a 25-year-old influencer from New Jersey who, at first glance, seems to have no connection 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 connection to Alix Earle is David Grutman, a powerful Miami nightlife entrepreneur who danced alongside the influencer at La Casita during the Super Bowl halftime show. Grutman has close business and personal relationships with celebrities like Pharrell Williams, with whom he owns two restaurants and a hotel; and David Beckham, who frequently uses his most exclusive venues for events related to his soccer team, Inter Miami. Bad Bunny has also seized the opportunity to partner with the millionaire: they are co-owners of Gekkō, a luxurious Japanese-inspired steakhouse that opened in 2022 in the city’s financial district.

In 2023, Grutman decided to diversify his businesses beyond hospitality and founded the production company DGN Studios in collaboration with Evan Rosenfeld. This is where the thread begins to lead to Earle. The content creator, daughter of a New Jersey construction magnate, started dabbling 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 said in 2023 on the radio program The Howard Stern Show. However, the influencer found the key to popularity in 2022 by openly sharing her daily struggle 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 explained in late January 2025 in an interview with Número Netherlands.

The unfiltered, makeup-free Alix Earle was far more convincing than the glamorous Alix Earle, earning her a loyal and ever-growing community of followers. The brands she promotes sell out quickly, and the media is already referring to this surge in popularity 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 said in 2024.

Grutman, who has a history of successful business ventures, has found his next big thing in Earle. The mogul is working on the upcoming reality show that the influencer — who already has experience in the format after her appearance on the last season of Dancing with the Stars — will star in for Netflix, produced under his DGN Studios banner. Grutman recently signed a global deal with the platform to develop and produce shows about entertainment, food, sports, and lifestyle, and Earle’s project is one of his most significant television ventures 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 generating the most buzz about Earle’s Super Bowl appearance is her alleged flirtation with Tom Brady. The former quarterback and the influencer were seen and filmed being affectionate at a private party after the game, dancing, laughing, and holding each other around the waist. A source told People magazine on Monday that they are dating, but neither has confirmed — or denied — the relationship. Rumors of a possible romance between them began on January 1, 2026, after they were spotted having fun at a New Year’s Eve party at an exclusive 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 wrote in his Instagram Stories the following day. He shared the text over an image of two monks holding hands, but users and media interpreted it as a reference to the influencer.

If the romance is real, and not just another marketing strategy by the content creator, Brady would join the list of athletes on Earle’s dating history. In 2022, she briefly dated 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 breakup in December 2025, two weeks before she was linked 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 said in another post that she was still “very sad” about the breakup, but also “very fresh and full of emotions.”

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