Gisele Bundchen says she prefers the term 'bonus mom' to 'stepmom'
Gisele Bundchen says she doesn’t like to be called a “stepmom.”
The 39-year-old supermodel and wife of New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady, opened up in an Instagram Q&A session Thursday, explaining that she prefers the term “bonus mom.”
When a viewer, a stepmom herself, asked, “How does it feel being a stepmom?” Bundchen answered, "I don’t like the word stepmom — I use the [words] ‘bonus mom’ because I feel like it’s a blessing in my life. I feel so lucky that I got to have an extra, wonderful little angel in my life.”
Bundchen is the “bonus mom” to Brady and actress Bridget Moynahan’s 12-year-old son Jack (whose full name is John Edward Thomas Moynahan). In 2007, when Moynahan was pregnant with their son, the pair had already broken up and Brady, 42, was dating Bundchen. Of the media attention, Moynahan, 48, told People, “I would have cars following me, and men hiding in the bushes outside my house,” she said. “As a new mother, you want to just protect your child. That kind of attention felt like a threat.”
In 2018, Bunchen also admitted to People that their family arrangement wasn’t easy. “It wasn’t the ideal situation for anyone — there’s no manual to prepare you for that,” she said. “But I’m so grateful for [Bridget]. I know this was hard, but I couldn’t imagine my life without [Jack]. I call him my bonus child.”
Brady and Bundchen wed in 2009 and welcomed two children of their own: Benjamin, 10, and Vivian, 7. Moynahan married businessman Andrew Frankel in 2015.
All three parents are often applauded for setting a positive example for their children. In 2011, Moynahan reportedly told More magazine, “I never made a comment about Gisele or Tom publicly.” She added, “I have a relationship with these people on a daily basis. I’m raising a child, and it’s public. The media creates these dramas, and that’s not what’s happening in my life.”
“My son has two loving parents and an extended family, whether it’s cousins or stepmothers or boyfriends,” she said. “My son is surrounded by love.” And after the 2015 Super Bowl, Gisele, Brady and their children, including Jack took the field while Moynahan tweeted, “Congratulations to the @Patriots! Sweet #4.”
During the Thursday Q&A, Bundchen also detailed how she and Brady keep their relationship alive, naming mutual admiration, patience and transparency.
“What I try to do is to keep the communication current and clear and loving,” Bündchen said. “I think sometimes we talk about things that happened last year or last month and we can keep holding resentment. And I think that doesn’t serve any good. So I think it’s important in a relationship to accept what is. We all make mistakes...”
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