Behati Prinsloo has been criticized on Instagram for sharing a series of "odd" maternity photos, two months after her husband, Adam Levine, was accused of cheating on her.
Maroon 5 frontman Levine, 43, was caught up in a social media scandal in September, after Instagram model Sumner Stroh alleged in a viral TikTok video that she had a year-long affair with the musician.
The model and influencer, 23, also shared screenshots of messages that she claimed were from Levine, including one in which he asked if he could name his expected third child after her.
Former The Voice coach Levine broke his silence soon afterward, issuing a statement on an Instagram Story in which he denied an affair, though he admitted to having "crossed the line" in his communications.
"A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air," the singer wrote. "I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner.
"I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life. In certain instances it became inappropriate; I have addressed that and taken proactive steps to remedy this with my family."
"My wife and my family is all I care about in this world," he said. "To be this naive and stupid enough to risk the only thing that truly matters to me was the greatest mistake I could ever make. I will never make it again. I take full responsibility. We will get through it. And we will get through it together."
As she prepares to welcome her third child with Levine, Prinsloo, 34, on Tuesday made a rare post-scandal return to Instagram, where she shared three sets of photos, one of which showed her wearing a Burger King crown while her tank top was rolled up to expose her growing baby bump.
In one of the poses, she was seen posing with her blue lollipop-stained tongue out with her eyes rolled back, while her gray sweatpants were pulled down to expose her underwear.
Another featured a close-up shot of a My Little Pony Star Catcher toy placed atop Prinsloo's stomach, followed by one showing her posing on all fours while sporting underwear and an eerie blue face mask as one of the beloved Hasbro characters.
The final set of the photo uploads—all of which were captioned "Baby #3"—featured Prinsloo wearing a black one-piece with a deeply plunging neckline and a large cut-out at the stomach.
While a number of models—including Alessandra Ambrosio, Brooklyn Decker, Lily Aldridge, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley—posted comments of praise, a number of other followers criticized Prinsloo's images.
"This has to be a twisted cry for help," read one of the numerous critical comments, while commenter another enquired of the model: "Are you okay?????"
"I think you need to talk to someone," one follower suggested, ahead of another fan, who asked: "No one thinks this is odd?"
"Behati, don't do this... Please," commented another.
A number of others mockingly asked what the baby's name would be, in reference to Stroh's allegations, prompting one Instagram user to write of Prinsloo: "Don't you all think she went through enough humiliation?"
"Anybody writing anything about what her husband did is disgusting and has nothing to do with her," said another. "She's growing a human and deserves only love."
"Not every partnership chooses to be monogamous and everyone has different definitions and rules for their relationship," another pointed out. "Whether the scandal was consensual or not the negative/projective comments are of no benefit to a person trying to birth a healthy child."
Continuing to defend Prinsloo, they added that "people make mistakes, grow, and learn. She has been classy throughout this entire drama and will make the decision that she feels is best for her and her family. [...] Let her heal or let them live the way they are okay with living. We will never know and that is okay."
In one screenshot shared by Stroh in her TikTok video earlier this year, a text message purportedly from Levine in June 2022 read: "It is truly unreal how f****** hot you are, like it blows my mind."
Another message Stroh shared said: "Okay serious question. I'm having another baby and if it's a boy I really wanna name it Sumner. You okay with that? DEAD serious."
The social media post was shared days after Victoria's Secret model Prinsloo, who has been married to Levine for eight years, shared photos on Instagram confirming that she and her musician husband are expecting their third child. They share daughters Dusty Rose, 6, and Gio Grace, 4.
In the video, Stroh went on to say that she had been "completely manipulated" by Levine, adding in a follow-up video that she was under the impression Levine and Prinsloo's marriage had ended.
"In retrospect, I wish I would have questioned things more, I wish I wasn't so naïve, but you know, being naïve is not an excuse for what I did and the role I played in this," Stroh said in the second video.
"Again, in no way was I trying to gain sympathy, and I fully realize I'm not the victim in this. I'm not the one who's really getting hurt here, it's Behati and her children, and for that, I'm so, so sorry," she added.
Newsweek has reached out to representatives of Prinsloo and Levine for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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