Fans have questioned the friendship between supermodels Candice Swanepoel and Joan Smalls after the pair stopped following each other on Instagram, according to a Daily Mail Showbiz report published on 23 October 2026.
The speculation grew when Deuxmoi reported that Smalls had replied to a fan asking whether she was still friends with Swanepoel, allegedly writing: "I'm not friends with backstabbers." That comment and another, which allegedly said Swanepoel had not followed "girl code", have since been deleted. Just Jared published a screenshot of a longer alleged message describing being gaslit after 15 years of friendship. The Daily Mail has not verified these posts, and the report contains no direct quote from either model about the situation.
The report says the two have been best friends for more than a decade and were often seen together at events. They both walked the 2026 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, though the report notes no photos of them interacting there. They also fronted an Anne Klein campaign together last year, when Smalls described working alongside Swanepoel as meaningful.
The Daily Mail says it has contacted both women for comment. On the available evidence, what is established is an unfollow and some deleted posts. The reasons for any change in the friendship are not known, and screenshots of removed comments are difficult to authenticate. A friendship's end rarely needs a public explanation, and until either model speaks, readers should treat the feud as a rumour rather than a confirmed development.
This story is based on a public report by Daily Mail Showbiz. Its status here is rumour; that label does not turn a claim into a confirmed fact.
Read the original report