Model Kaia Gerber has spoken publicly for the first time about her eating disorder and her family's complex private dynamics in Vogue magazine. The 24-year-old daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, 60, and businessman Rande Gerber opened up about growing up in one of America's most famous families.
Gerber, who is now one of the highest-paid models in the industry earning an estimated $5 million annually, detailed her own health struggles alongside the long battle her older brother, Presley Gerber, has faced with depression and drug addiction. Presley, 27, was arrested for driving under the influence and pleaded no contest to the charge in 2019, receiving three years of probation.
"When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone," Gerber said.
Growing Up in the Public Eye
Presley's troubles, which included getting a face tattoo reading "misunderstood" below his eye, made Gerber determined to adopt a quiet role at home. She said she was resolved to be the easy child so she would not compound her parents' difficulties.
"I started to self-identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help," Gerber told Vogue. "Because it felt like too much to have two children who were needing."
When Gerber moved into her own apartment in New York at the age of 17, she was too proud to phone her mother to ask how to turn on the dishwasher. "I never wanted to embarrass them," she said. "I never wanted to be that child coming in and ruining all the hard work they've done. I wasn't a partier in high school."
A family insider told the Daily Mail that Gerber and her brother are deeply bonded but processed the pressure of living in a picture-perfect family in very different ways. The source stated that Presley became a wild child whose distress was allowed to be visible and disruptive, while Gerber became extraordinarily self-contained, competent, and accommodating.
The insider added that Presley needed help constantly, while Gerber became overly controlled. Gerber clarified to Vogue that she does not resent her brother and is deeply proud of him, despite the enormous strain his behavior previously placed on her.
Her parents, described by the source as moral and family-focused, have long worried about the impact of fame and wealth on their children. Rande Gerber's tequila brand Casamigos, founded with George Clooney, was bought in 2017 by drinks company Diageo for $700 million.
Gerber acknowledged that her comments break her parents' preference to be very private. "There's only so much you can hide from the world," she said. "And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you're ashamed of them."
Acting Debut and Family History
Gerber is expanding her career into acting with her first starring role in the television drama series The Shards. The Ryan Murphy adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel focuses on a serial killer stalking rich young people in Los Angeles.
Gerber stars alongside Homer Gere, 26, the son of actor Richard Gere and his second wife, actress Carey Lowell. The casting links the children of Crawford and Richard Gere, who were married between 1991 and 1995.
Homer Gere, who shares the cover of Vogue's September edition with Gerber, told the magazine he brought up the connection 20 minutes after meeting Gerber in a bar before filming. "I was like, 'Should we just acknowledge the fact that our parents were married?' She was like, 'Yeah. Cool.' And that was it," he recalled.
Crawford and Richard Gere had a spontaneous wedding in Las Vegas with a ring made from aluminum foil, which Crawford later described as not being the wedding she had dreamed of as a little girl. She attributed their split to their age gap and demanding careers. Crawford married Rande Gerber three years after the split in the Bahamas.
Body Image and High Profile Relationships
Gerber explained that constant comparisons to her mother affected her mental health. Gerber started modeling at age ten for Young Versace and walked the catwalk for Calvin Klein days after turning 16.
"We're clearly in one of those cycles right now where people are very, very, very thin," Gerber told Vogue. "As someone who's been thin most of my life, I've always been compared against my mom, like, 'What's wrong with Kaia'?"
Gerber admitted feeling envious of her mother's figure and wished she had been born with a fuller body. She revealed she has experienced disordered eating in her life and criticized public scrutiny of her appearance.
"People are like, 'You look terrible,' and it doesn't exactly make you go, 'Oh, good. Let me get over this mental illness then!'" Gerber said. "Negativity has never saved someone's life."
Gerber also addressed the public focus on her romantic life as a teenager. Her past relationships include comedian Pete Davidson and actors Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi, whom she dated in 2021.
She is currently dating actor and musician Lewis Pullman, the son of film star Bill Pullman. Gerber said she has been labeled in misogynistic ways, such as serial dater, but follows her mother's advice not to make the same mistake twice.
Regarding her entry into the entertainment industry, Gerber accepted the term nepo baby. "I've only ever been a nepo baby, and I've only ever benefited in my career from it," she told Vogue. The Daily Mail reached out to Gerber's representatives for comment.
Presley Gerber's Mental Health Battle
Presley Gerber has also experienced public struggles while seeking his own identity. At age 15, he surprised his parents by returning home with his first tattoo, the word "Grateful" on his forearm, after trying to hide it under a heavy hoodie in the heat.
He later acquired more tattoos, including the word "Misunderstood" on his cheekbone below his eye in 2020, which he has since removed. A source previously told Us Weekly that Presley was in a rebellious phase to step out of his family's shadow.
Presley first discussed his mental health issues publicly on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023, stating he wanted to help others facing depression and related challenges.
In an Instagram video posted last December to his 138,000 followers as part of his Mental Health Mondays series, Presley spoke about his use of prescription medications. He stated he took buprenorphine to block drug cravings, as well as Xanax and Valium for panic attacks, and noted he had been sober from alcohol for five months.
Presley said he developed a medication dependency after visiting more than 15 psychiatrists who heavily medicated him without a structured recovery plan. He also disclosed receiving ibogaine therapy, a treatment used for severe substance abuse disorders to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Cindy Crawford commented on her son's video post, writing, "Presley, we love you and you're not alone."
Gerber said that growing up alongside a struggling sibling made her feel she had to maintain strict control over herself. The Daily Mail reached out to representatives for Presley Gerber for comment.
