These days, succeeding as a star isn’t just about looking good in a bikini — although it doesn’t hurt. Brooks Nader has that part covered, but what sets her apart is the charm and humor that have made her more than just a Sports Illustrated knockout who was once reportedly linked to Tom Brady. (She’s staying mum on that.)
She won over viewers on last year’s Dancing With the Stars, and now she’s baring it all on her new Freeform reality show, Love Thy Nader (Tuesdays, 9 and 10 p.m.; all episodes streaming on Hulu). The series follows Brooks and her three equally stunning sisters — Mary Holland, 26, Grace Ann, 25, and Sarah Jane, 23 — as they move in together in New York City. It’s heavy on sibling spats, romantic drama (Brooks broke up with boyfriend Gleb Savchenko while filming) and plenty of outrageous fun.
The bombshell, 28, is relatively new to this whole celebrity thing, but she’s showing strong signs of nailing it. Us sat down with her to learn her rules for winning at life in the spotlight.
Be Authentic. It Pays Off, Literally!
Brooks Nader TIZIANO DA SILVA
Part of Brooks’ appeal is that she proves over and over that even supermodels are human. For example: She grabbed headlines in July when she posted a photo of her pristine white skirt at Wimbledon, marked with an obvious period stain.
Some celebs — especially women famous for and dependent on a flawless image — might have called in a favor to have couture delivered courtside, or at least discreetly tied a jacket around their waist. Not Brooks. She embraced it. “I thought in that moment, I can either cry and go home feeling bad for myself or just keep the skirt on and own it,” she tells Us. “I was like, It is what it is. It happens to everyone. People were commenting that it happened during their wedding or at graduation or at prom, and we’re just girls at the end of the day. We’ve all been there, so I’m glad that people resonated with that.”
Being so relatable had other unforeseen perks: She ended up landing a brand partnership with Kotex!
Work Hard and Do What Modeling Legends Tell You
Brooks has broken through in part because she’s a workhorse — and that’s something she’s now trying to model for her sisters as two of them embark on their own modeling careers.
“I think I’ve taught them the value of hard work and showing up on time with a smile on your face,” she tells Us. “If you’re on a photo shoot and it’s negative 2 degrees in Antarctica, which I’ve been on, don’t let them know you’re cold. Just suck it up and do the job. If you don’t, someone else will. There’s someone else waiting right behind you. You’re blessed and fortunate to be in the position, so you’d better act like it.”
Brooks credits some of her work ethic to icon Christie Brinkley, who selected her at an open call to appear in Sports Illustrated. When Brooks asked Brinkley for advice on making it, the modeling legend told her it was all about being reliable and positive. “Just having a good attitude… is something that I really took to heart, and I’ve taken it with me for my 10 years in modeling,” Brooks says. “She’s one of the most positive people I’ve ever met.”
Stay Humble and Appreciate Your Adorable Parents
Brooks, Grace Ann, Sarah Jane and Mary Holland Nader Tiziano Da Silva
Brooks traded life in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the big city, but she’s a Southern girl at heart — and by keeping her family close, she never forgets that. Her parents, dad Breaux and mom Holland, have a strong presence in Love Thy Nader, and it’s immediately clear where the Nader women get their charm and their looks.
Brooks tells Us their parents are their biggest supporters, and her dad is convinced he can hack the viewing stats by putting Love Thy Nader on in every room of the house. “I go, ‘Daddy, I don’t think three TVs is going to move the needle on season 2,’” she says. “He’s like, ‘Well, no, of course it will. And your grandparents down the street — they’ve got three TVs. They’re going to have it rolling on a loop all the time.’ They’re just so excited and cute and sweet about it.”
The Nader sisters are ready for some lights, cameras and action on a brand-new reality show. After Hulu confirmed Brooks, Sarah Jane, Grace Ann and Mary Holland Nader will be starring in a brand-new reality show titled Love Thy Nader, the sisters gave Us Weekly a sneak peek into what the cameras will be capturing. […]
Embrace Change — And Let The Cameras Bear Witness
She might be only in her 20s, but Brooks has already been through a lot, including a recent divorce from businessman Billy Naire, whom she married in 2019. “I feel like a divorcée loser some days, because I’m the old hag that’s 28 [and] divorced,” she admits.
Still, she’s happy to roll with the punches on TV as long as she has her support network around her. During the show’s production, “I was going through a lot of change,” she says. “The cameras were rolling at the perfect time to capture all the things that unfolded. I think the moral of the story is how sisters come together during hard times and happy times, and just stick together.”
Don’t Take Life Too Seriously (or Get Pregnant by a Fish)
Brooks looks like she means business (witness her launch a clothing collab in episode 2), so she’s excited to show people what a goofball she is. “I feel like on social media, it’s so hard to tell someone’s personality,” she says. “When you’re filming a reality show, [the cameras are] there the whole time, so they catch everything. People will be surprised at how I don’t take life too seriously… and maybe how psychotic and silly I am.”
Yup, despite — or perhaps because of — her conservative upbringing, the model has a seriously outrageous sense of humor, something her sisters share. On the show, when she tries out a salmon-sperm skin treatment in an, erm, intimate area, she shrieks, “Are you sure I can’t get pregnant by a salmon?!” Good news: You can’t!
Make Decisions Based on One Person’s Opinion: Your Own!
Brooks Nader Tiziano Da Silva
Brooks is no stranger to controversy: After her sisters outed her on social media for taking Ozempic, critics came out of the woodwork. That didn’t stop her from being transparent. “I was kind of sick of being at cocktail parties or fashion events where someone I knew six months prior had lost a random 80 pounds,” she says. “I’m like, ‘You look amazing,’ and they’re like, ‘Oh, I just started working out.’ I didn’t love everyone lying about it. I had a weight loss, and why lie? So I was like, ‘I’m on Ozempic!’”
She adds, “If you want to do something to make you feel more beautiful, you should do it. No hate on you if you want a nose job or a boob job. Just do it. Who cares?”
Brooks Nader and her sisters participated in a viral TikTok trend over the holiday weekend — and spilled some major tea on each other. In the video, Nader, 27, and sisters Grace Ann, Mary Holland and Sarah Jane run around a pool while calling each other a “suspect” before sharing various secrets about each person. […]
Cultivate Strong Relationships With Family, and Listen to Their Boy Advice
The Nader sisters fight, sometimes physically — “There’s been a lot of weave and hair extensions pulled out on the floor in our apartment,” Brooks reveals — but they are tight.
Being close in age means they’ve always shared everything, so moving in together for the show felt natural. “We grew up on top of each other, and I think that’s carried all the way through,” Brooks tells Us. “No matter how our jobs or lifestyles changed, we’re just as thick as thieves. When I’m not with them, I feel like I’m missing a child or something.”
And none of them take for granted the fact that they get to spend so much quality time with one another as adults now, living and working together. “We’ve been telling each other we need to really enjoy this,” Brooks says, “because hopefully we’re all going to get married and move in with a husband and have kids and do whatever. So this is a cherished time that we’re loving right now.”
Of course, sometimes that closeness can get a little suffocating. Everyone is “in everyone’s business at all times,” she says. “If it’s me responding to an ex or someone they don’t approve of, they’re gonna find out in five seconds, and it’s gonna be a whole thing. You can’t get away with anything.”
That’s a story that plays out on Love Thy Nader, as Brooks goes from being completely besotted with boyfriend Savchenko, whom she met when they partnered on Dancing With the Stars, to finding out he cheated on her (which he denies). It doesn’t surprise her sisters, who think Brooks is prone to toxic relationships. Sarah Jane even contemplates hiring a private investigator to dig up dirt on the dance pro.
Learn From Your Mistakes — But Be Careful Whom You Gossip With
This is one the Nader women are still working on. “There’s been a couple times when I’ve told my sister something, and she’s told someone, and it’s been leaked,” Brooks reveals. “We’re all sitting there going, ‘How did they find this out?’ And Grace Ann is like, ‘Oh, so I was talking to this guy, and I didn’t realize he worked for blank until later, and I told him everything.’ So we’re learning as a family.”
Engage With Your Audience… Just Not Too Much
With 1.7 million Instagram followers — a number that’s sure to grow with Love Thy Nader — there’s no way Brooks can reply to every DM or comment, but she does still reap the benefits of being accessible on social media. “It’s the new way of dating, I guess!” she tells Us. “People slide in. I actually didn’t know about the requests box until recently.”
If you get a response, know that you might be dealing with one of the other Nader siblings, since she sometimes lets them loose on her in-box. “I’ll give them a little fun playtime on my phone!” she admits.
As the sisters open themselves up to scrutiny on reality TV, they do have lessons to learn about how best to engage with potential lovers and haters. “I don’t read really mean comments,” Brooks says. “And I’m trying to teach my sisters that ignorance is bliss. I used to really take it to heart and change things about myself based on comments, but my mom always says, ‘Hurt people hurt people,’ so that’s what you’ve got to remember.”
There’s one social media platform where you won’t find Brooks: OnlyFans! “Hard pass,” she says. “I would never consider OnlyFans, no matter how much money. Never.”
Have Fun With Fame — It’s What You Always Wanted
What’s the point of being famous if you don’t enjoy it? Brooks admits she’s wanted to be a star for a very long time.
“I was really enthralled by that whole world of Hollywood, the glitz and the glam, the red carpets,” she says. “And I wasn’t around it at all growing up. I remember being in grocery stores and my mom freaking out because I was missing, but I was in the corner with all the tabloids, reading through and thinking it was so cool. I feel like I kind of manifested it from a young age.”
Brooks Nader is single and ready to mingle with a new man — or woman. “Maybe it’s Mr., maybe it’s Mrs., I don’t even know. Who knows?” Nader, 28, shared with Entertainment Tonight in an interview published Friday, May 16. “My sister keeps telling me I gotta switch teams. She’s over me with the guys.” […]
Fellow Louisiana native Britney Spears was a big source of inspiration for the young Nader girls — Spears grew up in Kentwood, close to Baton Rouge. “I was so enamored of her,” Brooks says. “To think she grew up right around the corner. It just told me, ‘Oh, my gosh, you can do it, too.’ It meant it was possible to live in L.A. or work in this industry. She was definitely up there for us.”
Brooks even admits that sometimes her quest for fame has meant letting photographers know where she is — but only if she’s got a ’fit she wants to show off. “If you look good in your outfit, do it!” she says. “Who cares? I think it’s awesome. I think everyone has done that at one point.”
It’s that kind of radical honesty that Brooks and her family hope will draw in viewers; in the meantime, they’re just enjoying their lives. “My sisters and I only just started traveling internationally — the best gift I ever got was a passport. There’s so much to see out there, and we’re taking our parents along now. They’re loving life. It’s so cute to see them experience Europe or the Bahamas or wherever for the first time. It’s epic.”
