Sophia Culpo Shades Ex Braxton Berrios’ With Zach Bryan Comparison
Sophia Culpo has entered the chat without saying a word.
In the wake of Alix Earle’s recent interview with Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia in which the BFFs podcast host recounted her breakup with Zach Bryan, the Culpo Sisters alum raised eyebrows with a TikTok that suggested there were parallels in her relationship with Braxton—who is now dating Alix.
Sophia responded to TikToker Stephanie Tleiji saying that “Braxton was technically Sophia Culpo’s Zach Bryan” in a Dec. 14 TikTok in which she wordlessly sips a glass of wine, places her sunglasses on her head, leans into the camera and raises her glass for a cheers.
Weeks after Zach, 28, announced he and Brianna, 25, had broken up, she alleged the year-long relationship had been emotionally abusive. In addition to sharing on her Barstool Sports podcast that he tried to offer her a $12 million NDA which she didn’t sign, she also explained in her interview with Alix that he had cheated on her for the whole relationship. (Zach hasn’t addressed the allegations and his reps did not respond to E! News’ previous request for comment.)
“I didn’t know he was cheating on me the whole time,” Brianna explained on the Hot Mess podcast’s Dec. 13 episode. “I kind of brushed over that because the cheating was the most normal part for me.”
“I was like, ‘Okay, this is crazy.’ Then I had all these girls DMing me. Then I have receipts and receipts of people telling me,” Brianna went on. “If I knew he was cheating on me, it would’ve been easier for me to leave.”
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
As for Sophia, she and Braxton Berrios broke up in the winter of 2023 amid accusations that he cheated on her around the same time he was first linked to Alix. The Miami Dolphins player and TikToker have both denied that there was any overlap between their romance and Braxton’s relationship with Sophia.
The 28-year-old—who has been dating lawyer Michael Stevens for over a year now—has since opened up about their relationship and claimed that “a lot of trust was broken” during their time together.
In fact, it was her sister, Olivia Culpo, who first alerted her to Braxton’s alleged infidelity during a Super Bowl party in February 2023.
“Technically, first I found out from Olivia because she was there. She calls me and she’s like ‘I’m so sorry I want you to hear this from me, he’s cheating on you,'” Sophia recalled that September on sister Aurora Culpo‘s Barely Filtered podcast. “I just remember my stomach drops. I want to throw up … and then I call him and I go, ‘Was there anything you want to tell me?’ I never heard this tone in his voice, [and he said], ‘No.’”
She continued, “We had a long conversation and one of the last things I will never forget him saying to me was: ‘I wouldn’t go forward with that story because that’s not how I remember it.'”
Indeed, Braxton has maintained his side of the story, claiming that there was no cheating involved. “It had nothing to do with anything else,” he said on Instagram in June 2023. “It had nothing to do with anybody else for that matter.”
Alix echoed those sentiments months later.
“When I was reading these comments, I was bawling my eyes out to my friends and they were like, ‘Hello, Alix, this stuff normally does not get to you,'” she said on Call Her Daddy in September 2023. “I spent my childhood basically thinking that this is the worst thing you could do to another human, so why the f–k would I do that? No, they were not together.”
Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify
Despite their differing accounts of what happened, that same month Sophia revealed that she went so far as to reach out directly to Alix amid overwhelming online speculation about the timelines of their respective relationships with the NFL player.
“I was like, ‘Hey, I just wanna say I’m really sorry that this is turning into girl vs. girl,'” she said on Barely Filtered. “‘You don’t owe me anything, he was the only person that had loyalty to me.'”
According to her, Alix “agreed” with her sentiments.
As Sophia shared, “We were like, ‘This needs to stop. This is so not helping anybody.’ And at the end of the day, I just wanna move forward.”
Keep reading for a look back at Sophia and Braxton’s romance.
Michael Simon
Big Night Out
Braxton Berrios and Sophia Culpo celebrate the premiere of her show The Culpo Sisters with VIDE at The Highlight Room NYC at Moxy Lower East Side.
James Rudman
Summer Nights
Sophia and Braxton attend Palm Tree Music Festival 2022 produced by Palm Tree Crew and Uncommon Entertainment in West Hampton Beach, New York.
Picture Perfect
Whether they’re traveling the world or snuggling at home in New York, Sophia and Braxton love spending quality time together.
Red Carpet Pros
The couple joins DeuxMoi and celebrates the holidays with STUDS at Lavan541 in New York City.
Best Teammates
“Braxton is one of the most dependable and loyal people—let alone man—in my life,” Sophia gushed to E! News. “He is extremely organized. He is so organized.”
Not Your Average BF
“He truly is so much more than what you think you would get from an athlete or a 25-year-old boy in general,” Sophia shared.
Family Bond
It’s not rare to find the couple hanging out with Sophia’s sister Olivia Culpo and her NFL boyfriend Christian McCaffrey. “My sister and I are very lucky that our boyfriends genuinely get along,” Sophia shared. “They’re both great people…I’m just really happy that they connected on a friend level because nothing is more fun than hanging out with your sister and your significant other and knowing that everybody genuinely wants to be there. Nobody is getting dragged to a double date they don’t want to go on. Everyone is genuinely good friends. We have a great time together.”
Couple Goals
During a recent “Beacation,” Sophia and Braxton couldn’t help but soak up the sun.
Turn Down for What?!
“To my favorite dance partner,” Sophia previously wrote on Instagram. “Nothing melts my heart more than seeing how much you care about your family and friends, especially your little brothers who look up to you for all the right reasons.”
Cute Couple Alert
“My plus 1 ended up sticking,” Braxton wrote on Instagram while enjoying a visit to the Alfond Inn in Florida.
Friends First
“You make me belly laugh more than I thought possible and never fail to make me smile,” Sophia previously shared on Instagram.
