Joan Smalls and Candice Swanepoel are at the centre of speculation over an alleged falling-out after fans noticed the long-time friends were not pictured together at the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and no longer appeared to be following one another on social media.
Both models took part in the show, but their apparent lack of interaction prompted questions about the state of their friendship. Smalls is also understood to have seen comments from followers asking whether the pair were still close.
Screengrabs circulating online appear to show replies allegedly written by Smalls about Swanepoel. However, the comments were reportedly deleted and their authenticity could not be verified.
What the alleged comments said
One purported exchange began with a fan asking: “You are not friend[s] anymore with Candice?” The alleged response from Smalls read: “I’m not friends with backstabbers.”
A second comment attributed to Smalls referred to a breakdown in a friendship without naming Swanepoel directly. It read: “There is no girl code with some people. And the disrespect and carelessness in how they treat you is so unimaginable. There’s no going back. Some people lack humility and moral compass. And the way they gaslight, lie and minimize your feelings is the worst slap in the face after 15 [years of] friendship. Not a sorry said or written. Onwards and upwards!!!”
The posts have been shared on social media, including the anonymous celebrity tips account DeuxMoi, but there has been no confirmation that the comments came from Smalls.
Fans first raised the issue after observing that the models had not posed together during the Victoria’s Secret event. More than 60 replies were left beneath one post asking whether the pair were “ok” and why no photograph of them together had been seen that year.
Smalls did reply within that discussion, although the response concerned another person’s comment on the photograph rather than directly answering the question about Swanepoel. The models have not publicly explained the apparent change in their relationship.
