Kaia Gerber is speaking unusually candidly about how her older brother Presley’s struggles affected her own place within their family. In a new September cover interview, the 24-year-old model and actress said she began thinking of herself as “the easy one” and avoided asking her parents for help.
The comments appear in Vogue’s new profile, which describes Presley Gerber as having experienced a decade-long struggle with drug addiction. Kaia said a serious problem involving one member of a family can affect everyone around them, including the way other children respond to their parents.
For her, that meant trying not to add another problem for Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber to handle. “I think that’s also why I started to self-identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help,” Kaia said. “Because it felt like too much to have two children who were needing.”
Presley, now 27, began discussing more of his own experience publicly in late 2025. Kaia told Vogue that she is deeply proud of his willingness to be vulnerable and contrasted his approach with the intense privacy that defined much of the Gerber family’s earlier public life.
Kaia Says She Started Seeing Herself as ‘the Easy One’
Kaia’s comments came while she was discussing her childhood, independence and the pressure she felt not to embarrass her parents or damage the career she was beginning at a young age. She recalled moving into her own New York apartment at 17 and being too proud to call her mother when she could not figure out how to turn on the dishwasher.
“I never wanted to embarrass them,” she told Vogue. Kaia said she was not much of a partier in high school and was conscious of not wanting to jeopardize either her future or the work her parents had already done.
That instinct became more complicated as Presley dealt with his own difficulties. “When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,” Kaia said.
Presley’s Openness Shifted a Very Private Family Dynamic
Kaia contrasted Presley’s public honesty with the way Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber had traditionally handled private family matters. “My parents for most of our lives were very, very private and didn’t share anything,” she told Vogue.
She described Presley as an “absolute teacher” within the family because of his willingness to be candid about difficult experiences. “There’s only so much you can hide from the world,” Kaia said. “And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you’re ashamed of them.”
Presley began speaking more publicly about his mental health in December 2025. In an Instagram video, he discussed panic attacks, medications he was taking and the difficulty of navigating conflicting advice about treatment. PEOPLE reported that Presley also said he had stopped drinking alcohol, was using exercise as another way to support his mental health and hoped to surround himself with people who would be positive influences.
He said he wanted speaking publicly to help others experiencing similar struggles feel less alone and potentially connect him with people who could offer useful support.
The Family Was Together Again at Kaia’s May Fashion Event
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The Gerbers made a public appearance together in Los Angeles on May 20, when Cindy, Rande and Presley attended the launch of Kaia’s first RE/DONE collection. PEOPLE reported that the event was one of Presley’s first notable public outings after his December mental-health video. Kaia was joined by both parents and her brother as she celebrated the collection and her expanded role with RE/DONE as an investor, creative partner and advisory board member.