Here's How Much Gisele Bundchen Is Actually Worth
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POV: You are a teenager working hard to become a model. After landing some of your initial gigs, people tell you your face is not pretty enough to grace magazine covers. An awful feeling, isn't it? That is what happened when a 14-year-old Gisele Bündchen was beginning her modeling career. These days, she has an estimated fortune of $400 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
"I remember some people telling me my nose was too big or my eyes were too small," Bündchen recalled of her early days in fashion in a 2016 interview with People. "... It made me feel insecure." Disheartened, she poured her heart out to her parents, explaining, "I told my dad, and he said, 'Next time, tell them, I have a big nose and that comes with a big personality.'" That advice was all Bündchen needed to hear: She may not have fit the industry's beauty ideal back in the day, but nothing could stop the Brazilian stunner from reigning supreme.
Bündchen's road to being a supermodel was laden with rejections and sometimes uncomfortable situations. While her career-changing moment came in 1998 when the 18-year-old secured a place in Alexander McQueen's "Golden Shower" runway show, she almost convinced herself to skip it because she was required to go topless. Luckily, a makeup artist painted a white top on a teary-eyed Bündchen so she would feel confident enough to walk the runway. In the years to follow, Gisele Bündchen would make millions as one of the most sought-after models.
Gisele Bundchen was raised in a middle-class home
Gisele Bündchen was born into a middle-class family on July 20, 1980 in Horizontina, a rural town in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She has a twin sister, Patricia Nonnenmacher Bündchen, who is a few minutes younger than her. Gisele's father, Valdir Bündchen, worked several jobs, including construction work and teaching self-awareness classes. Her mother, Vania Nonnenmacher Bündchen, worked as a bank clerk. Although they made enough money to give their six daughters a comfortable life, every penny counted.
"I grew up in a house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, for eight people," Gisele revealed in a 2009 interview with Vanity Fair. Growing up, she looked up to her doting mom, while her dad was mostly away for work. "My father was more the philosophical person; my mother was the realist," the model explained. Meanwhile, as a sister, Gisele was loving, protective, and wore clothes that were handed down by her older sisters. "She was very brave, and she was always trying to protect her sisters — something like, 'Don't mess with my sisters or you'll have to deal with me!'" twin Patricia recalled.
For her part, Gisele said, "My sisters were my best friends, always. It was a great life, and obviously, it made me know who I am." If given a choice, Gisele noted that she would do it all over again without changing a thing about her upbringing.
The aspiring volleyball player made bank as a model
Gisele Bündchen had an ordinary childhood, but she was no ordinary child. Growing up among five sisters, she felt like she was not beautiful, but the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed youngster wasn't one to shy away from attention. "I was extremely hyper when I was a kid, like bouncing off the walls," she told Vanity Fair. Not only was Bündchen peppy, but she was also the tallest person in her class, and confessed, "Especially at that age, you think you're the weirdest thing that ever walked on earth." Capitalizing on her so-called "Olive Oyl" stature and athletic tendencies, she played volleyball in school and eventually became the team's captain.
Bündchen would have even become a professional volleyball player, but life — or rather, a guy from Elite modeling agency — had other plans. When she was 14 years old, her mother urged her to take a modeling class to correct her posture, and she eventually had a chance to visit Sao Paulo. While she was eating a burger at a mall, the scout asked if she'd considered working in fashion. "I had never seen fashion magazines and I told my mom I didn't want to be a model," Bündchen admitted to Vanity Fair in 2004.
But months later, she was enrolled in a modeling contest. A career full of her signature "horse walk" and fashion editorials awaited Bündchen, who steadily became the highest-paid supermodel from 2002 to 2016, with an estimated annual earning of $30.5 million by the end of that reign.
Gisele Bundchen has collaborated with top brands
After walking in Alexander McQueen's "Golden Shower" runway show, Gisele Bündchen's career rocketed. But fashion's soaring fascination with the Brazilian beauty would have been short-lived if it wasn't for her famous work ethic. "I've always been a hard worker, never late for a job in my life. Really, ask anyone," she told The New York Times in 2016. Meanwhile, as designer Anna Sui has said about the model, "Gisele has that effervescence only certain girls have, an energy you look for that is really rare."
According to Celebrity Net Worth, 2000 saw Gisele famously seal a contract with Victoria's Secret worth $25 million. With numerous contracts with high-fashion brands, she eventually became scarce on runways. She was the face of each Dolce & Gabbana campaign between 1998 and 2003, and also promoted their popular "The One" fragrance three years later. Forbes reported that Bündchen also made a whopping $47 million by collaborating with Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Carolina Herrera in 2013 alone. The outlet further noted that several Brazilian brands that collaborated with her had made approximately $1 billion annually. "Her face is well known; her name is recognized. No other girl occurs to me that people in the street would recognize," legendary model Claudia Schiffer was quoted as saying of Bündchen, adding, "She sells."
By 2016, Guinness World Record listed Bündchen as the richest supermodel in the world. Hey, not too shabby for someone who admittedly didn't want to be a model in the first place!
This wealthy star loves to give back
One of the most influential fashion icons in the world, Gisele Bündchen is deeply passionate about philanthropy. The model supports many charities and foundations, including Zero Hunger, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, UNDP, WWF, and David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, per Look to the Stars. She is also a vocal advocate for those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Africa and supported them in 2006 by promoting the American Express (RED) Card, which donated a portion of all the financial transactions to the patients. Staying true to her roots, Bündchen has also uplifted Brazilian charities and causes. In 2003, she supported Brazil's Zero Hunger Program by donating a whopping $150,000. Five years later, she launched the Projeto Agua Limpia in Rio Grande do Sul.
"We take nothing with us, so what truly matters is what we leave behind," Bündchen, a global goodwill ambassador for UNEP, wrote of why environment conservation matters in Vogue. Having grown up appreciating nature, she has passed on her passion for environmental conservation to her kids: "I have shown them videos of whales being found in the ocean with plastic inside their bellies. Like me, they've become sensitive to these things. It's important they understand how nature works. Once they feel the magic of nature, they're going to love it and as a result, they'll protect it."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bündchen and husband Tom Brady donated 10 million meals to Feeding America. The model also made donations to some Brazilian organizations at the time to help provide essential supplies to the elderly and kids.
The Bundchen-Brady household's combined net worth
When Gisele Bündchen married Tom Brady in February 2009, they became one of the most powerful (and glamorous!) couples in the world. Joining the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham on the list of the world's richest celebrity couples, Bündchen and Brady boast a combined net worth of $650 million, per Celebrity Net Worth's estimations.
The NFL superstar asked his uber-successful girlfriend of two years to marry him in January 2009. The model said the proposal, which took place in her apartment, was one of the most romantic gestures Brady had ever made for her. A month later, they said their "I dos" — though their nuptials weren't the multi-million-dollar affair one might expect. "We planned it in like ten days, and it was perfect," Brady told GQ about their Santa Monica nuptials. These two decided to keep it low-key with only their parents and the quarterback's son, John, in attendance (he'd welcomed the then-toddler with his ex, actor-model Bridget Moynahan, two years prior). Brady added, "We went back to the house and I barbecued aged New York strips. We had champagne, a cake, some ice cream. It was a great night."
A second intimate wedding followed — this time with 40 guests — in a ceremony held in Bündchen's lavish Costa Rica home. So, why did they continue to keep things so private and out of the limelight? "The thing about it is, the day's for you," Brady explained. "... It's about what you and your wife need for that day."
The married pair have an eye for investment
We now know how impressive Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady's bank accounts are, but what keeps them wealthy is their knack for investing. After Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following his 20-year run with the New England Patriots, he and his wife bought a luxurious $17 million abode on Indian Creek Island, Miami. Per the New York Post, the Brady-Bündchens lived in a $75,000 per month rental in Davis Islands, Tampa, before buying their new home. The big move to the Sunshine State came after Bündchen and Brady sold their Massachusetts mansion for an estimated $8 million in profits. Not too shabby.
But that was not the only profitable sale for the married pair, who have also owned millions of dollars worth of properties in Montana, New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles. In 2014, the couple gained $8 million after Dr. Dre purchased their Brentwood mansion for $40 million. In 2018, they made another $2.25 million when they sold their One Madison condominium in New York City for $13.95 million. One of their most profitable sales happened in 2020, when Bündchen and her man earned $11.3 million after selling their 6,539-square-foot Tribeca condo.
In a move that will add more zeros to their already impressive, combined net worth, Brady struck a 10-year deal with Fox Sports in May 2022, by the end of which he is to be $375 million richer. The previous year, he and Bündchen also partnered up with the cryptocurrency firm FTX and took equity stakes.
Gisele Bundchen is also an author
Gisele Bündchen wears many feathers in her cap — one of which, it turns out, is actually a quill. The supermodel released her memoir "Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life" in 2018, in which Bündchen detailed her life in the way editorials could never, showing the world what it took to become who she is today. "If something was useful for you, and it helped you, you naturally want to share it because if you see others struggling, you're like, 'I want to help them,'" she told Vogue about how readers who find her stories relatable might find it inspiring. Soon after its release, it made it to The New York Times bestseller list.
Bündchen's "Lessons" was a hit, no doubt, but her coffee table book "Gisele" made the most headlines. With a hefty price tag of $700, all of the 1,000 copies of this limited-edition book completely sold out within less than 24 hours before even hitting the market in 2015. The 536-page tome featured hand-picked pictures of the model throughout her glorious career of two decades.
It turns out that Bündchen won't be putting down the pen anytime soon. When she first decided to write "Lessons," people thought she would also write a book of her recipes. The time was ripe for Bündchen when she signed a deal with UTA in March 2022 to publish a cookbook. Set for a 2024 release, it will feature a bunch of recipes that are not only Gisele-approved healthy but also delicious.
This supermodel has acting credits too
"I would never want to be one of those girls who is 30, and modeling is all they know how to do," Gisele Bündchen once told Vanity Fair. Indeed, she wanted to do so much more — and acting just happened to be one of those things. While she reportedly turned down a role in 2000's "Charlie's Angels" because the busy bee simply couldn't make time for it, she did appear in 2004's "Taxi," an American remake of the hit French comedy.
"At the beginning, I was not sure, but I read the script and thought it was funny and [knew] I wouldn't have the responsibility of carrying the movie," she admitted at the time (via Vogue). The Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah led movie was panned by critics and grossed around $68 million worldwide. However, Bündchen made another appearance in the iconic "The Devil Wears Prada" — which banked $326,073,155 internationally — and interestingly, it was a chance opportunity.
Writer Aline Brosh McKenna happened to be on the same flight as Bündchen, and she explained to her how she was getting some models to act in her movie. Thinking she would have to play a model, Bündchen initially refused, but then McKenna offered to write a part specially for her. "It was Meryl Streep, [who] I think is the best actress of all time. It was Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway; all of them [are] incredible. ... So I was like, 'Okay, I hope I don't screw this up!'" she told British Vogue.
Gisele Bundchen launched her own beauty and fashion lines
As you may have guessed at this point, modeling was never really the end goal for Gisele Bündchen. "I come from a simple family," she told Vanity Fair, "and for me getting into modeling was a chance to make money and create a business."
With that mindset, the star partnered with Brazil's largest shoemaker, Grendene, to create her own line of flip-flops called Ipanema Gisele Bündchen in the mid-2000s. The flip-flops were created with durability and affordability in mind, and the annual revenue from the sales has so far been close to $1 million. In collaboration with the brand, she also donates a percentage of profits to various environmental organizations that work toward things like water conservation in the Amazon Rainforest. The former Victoria's Secret Angel has also dabbled in the lingerie market. In 2011, Bündchen collaborated with Hope, which is one of the largest lingerie manufacturers in Brazil, to launch her Gisele Bündchen Intimates lingerie line.
In 2010, Bündchen launched Sejaa, an eco-friendly skincare line developed specifically for young girls. "I wanted to teach girls to love themselves and take care of their bodies. What is the first thing you see every morning? Your face! What do you put every day on your face? Cream!" she explained of the motive behind creating the brand to Vogue, noting that from the packaging to the ingredients, the star wanted everything to be organic. Bündchen added, "I have made the simplest, purest cream — an everyday cream — but it comes with an affirmation."