The landscape of celebrity families is often a complex web of high-profile marriages, public breakups, and blended households, but few lineages are as intricate or as fascinating as the Hadid-Foster-Jenner nexus. For years, the public believed they knew the full scope of the Hadid family tree, anchored by supermodel sisters Gigi and Bella and their brother Anwar. However, the narrative shifted dramatically in late 2023 when a 23-year-old freelance stylist named Aydan Nix discovered, through a genetic test, that her biological father was none other than real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid. In a candid and moving reflection recently shared with the world, Nix has opened up about her journey from a quiet life in Florida to finding her place within one of the most famous families on the planet.
Nix’s story is a modern odyssey of identity and reconnection. Raised in Florida by her mother, Terri Hatfield Dull, Aydan grew up with a different family structure, including a father figure who passed away during her teenage years. For over two decades, she navigated the world unaware of her connection to the fashion elite. It was only after a DNA test in 2023 that the truth surfaced: Mohamed Hadid had fathered Aydan following his 2000 divorce from Yolanda Hadid. While the news was confirmed by Gigi and Bella in May 2024, it wasn’t until the end of the year that Nix detailed the profound emotional labor of reorienting her sense of self and family.
The transition from being a private citizen to a "secret" Hadid could have been fraught with tension, yet Nix describes a reception defined by warmth and grace. In an industry often characterized by competitiveness, the Hadid siblings—including Mohamed’s older daughters from his first marriage to Mary Butler, Marielle and Alana—have reportedly gone above and beyond to welcome their new sister. Nix expressed deep gratitude for the "space" they have made for her, noting that their kindness was a choice they didn’t have to make. This integration has been more than just social; it has been a cultural awakening. Aydan, a graduate of the prestigious Parsons School of Design, found herself "obsessed" with learning about her heritage. Alana Hadid, known for her activism, provided resources and inspiration for Aydan to engage with the fight for Palestinian freedom, while Anwar shared his documentary film Walled Off. Even the simple act of sharing a meal became a bridge; Gigi took Aydan for her first authentic Palestinian dinner, teaching her the names and histories of traditional dishes.
Despite the newfound proximity to global fame, Nix remains grounded in the reality of her own hard-earned career. While she has enjoyed perks like raiding Bella’s closet or being introduced to influential fashion figures like stylist Gabriella Karefa Johnson, she continues to live in a modest one-bedroom apartment in New York’s East Village. Her professional life as a freelance wardrobe stylist is a testament to her work ethic. While the world sees the glamour of the Met Gala from the red carpet, Nix sees it from the freight entrance of the Carlyle Hotel, carrying 70-pound trunks up stairs and working grueling hours behind the scenes. She insists that while her family tree has expanded, her daily life remains her own, fueled by the same hustle that sustained her before her paternity was revealed.
The Hadid family’s ability to absorb new members with such ease is perhaps a reflection of the broader, highly blended ecosystem they inhabit. To understand the Hadid sisters’ upbringing is to understand their connection to David Foster, the legendary music producer who was their stepfather for several years during his marriage to Yolanda Hadid. Foster himself is the patriarch of a sprawling and talented brood, and his history of marriages provides the scaffolding for a vast network of celebrity connections.
Foster’s own family story is one of evolution and occasional regret. His eldest daughter, Allison Jones, was placed for adoption when Foster was just 20, only to be reunited with him as an adult. She now serves as a director for his charitable foundation. His subsequent marriage to B.J. Cook produced daughter Amy S. Foster, an accomplished songwriter who has penned hits for Michael Bublé and Destiny’s Child. Amy has spoken openly about the challenges of growing up away from her father in Toronto, but like Nix, she has found a path toward a rewarding adult relationship with him, praising his willingness to evolve.
Perhaps the most visible of the Foster children are Sara, Erin, and Jordan, his daughters with second wife Rebecca Dyer. Sara and Erin have carved out a significant niche in the entertainment and fashion industries, co-founding the clothing brand Favorite Daughter and the venture capital firm Oversubscribed Ventures. Erin’s creative prowess was recently spotlighted through her hit Netflix series Nobody Wants This, while Sara has a long history in acting and production. Their bond is a blueprint for how celebrity siblings can collaborate to build an empire, much like the Hadid sisters have done in the modeling world.
The complexity of this family web deepens when considering David Foster’s marriage to Linda Thompson. Thompson, a former Miss Tennessee, brought her own high-profile history to the union, having previously been married to Caitlyn Jenner. This connection briefly united the Foster family with the Jenner-Kardashian clan. During their marriage, Foster became a stepfather to Brandon and Brody Jenner. The family even starred in the short-lived reality series The Princes of Malibu, which offered a glimpse into their life before the Jenner brothers became staples of the reality TV circuit in their own right. Although Foster and Thompson eventually divorced, both Brandon and Brody have maintained a supportive, if distant, relationship with their former stepfather, with Foster often cheering on their musical and personal milestones on social media.
The nexus of all these families—the Hadids, the Fosters, and the Jenners—was Yolanda Hadid. Her marriage to David Foster from 2011 to 2017 brought these disparate groups together under one roof, often documented on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. While their divorce was publicized and tinged with the strain of Yolanda’s battle with Lyme disease, the lasting impact was the "step-love" Foster shared with Gigi, Bella, and Anwar. Even after the legal ties were severed, Foster continued to support the Hadid children, famously cheering them on at fashion shows and sharing warm moments at industry events like the Met Gala. As Erin Foster once remarked, "The kids don’t get divorced, just the parents do."
In this context, Aydan Nix’s arrival isn’t an anomaly but rather another chapter in a long-standing tradition of expanding what "family" means. For Aydan, the discovery required her to process the fact that the sister she grew up with in Florida shared no DNA with her, while five strangers in New York and Los Angeles were her closest biological relatives. It was a radical reorientation of her reality, yet one she has handled with maturity. She continues to navigate the pressures of being a "Hadid" while maintaining the independence of being Aydan Nix.
As she moves forward, Aydan represents a new generation of the Hadid legacy—one that is defined not just by the runway or the camera lens, but by the quiet courage to claim one’s heritage while staying true to one’s roots. The Hadid family tree, with its many branches and grafts, continues to grow, proving that family is often less about the names on a birth certificate and more about the people who make space for you at the dinner table. For Aydan, that space has been carved out with love, Palestinian home cooking, and the shared laughter of sisters who were always there, even when they didn’t know it.
