About
Kristi Branim Fox is best known as the older sister of actress Megan Fox, yet she has quietly built an impressive career of her own as a high-school counselor. Born on June 2, 1974, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Kristi is nearly twelve years Megan’s senior and has consciously chosen a life outside Hollywood’s glare, focusing instead on education and student guidance.
Today she heads the counseling department at Beverly Hills High School in California, after more than fifteen years working in college-and-career counseling roles on both the East and West Coasts. Colleagues praise her empathetic style and knack for helping teens map realistic paths from high school to higher education or the workforce.
Before Fame
Kristi grew up in a tightly knit but financially modest household. Her father, Franklin Thomas Fox, was a parole officer, while her mother, Gloria Darlene, managed real-estate properties. The couple divorced when Kristi was a teenager, and her mother later married Tony Tonachio, a strict, deeply religious stepfather who enrolled the girls in a Christian school in Florida.
Despite a household move and strict rules that barred dating, Kristi balanced a rebellious streak with stellar grades. After high school she enrolled at Florida Atlantic University, earning a bachelor’s degree and later a master’s in Educational Counseling along with a Pupil Personnel Services credential. These qualifications laid the groundwork for her future in student guidance.
Trivia
- Crush turned in-law: Long before Megan began dating actor Brian Austin Green, Kristi had considered him her teenage heart-throb. When her sister later married Green, Kristi joked it felt as though her childhood crush had joined the family.
- Height advantage: At about 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), Kristi is slightly taller than her movie-star sister.
- Private by choice: Although related to one of Hollywood’s most photographed women, Kristi rarely appears at red-carpet events and keeps her social-media presence limited to updates about students, education conferences, and family milestones.
Family Life
In 1995 Kristi married Douglas Ray Branim, a physical-education teacher she had known since their days at St. Lucie West K-8. The pair welcomed two sons: Kyler, born in 2001, and Caleb, born in 2003. Kyler went on to play high-school football and later attended UCLA, while Caleb followed his brother into athletics.
After more than two decades together, Kristi and Douglas divorced in 2018. According to family friends, they remain supportive co-parents. Recent reports indicate Kristi has since found companionship with a Los Angeles-area police officer whose last name is Bond, though she keeps details of the relationship low-key.
Extended family ties are strong. Kristi and Megan often vacation together with their combined five children—Kristi’s two boys and Megan’s three—proving that, away from camera flashes, sisterhood is their most important role.
Associated With
- Megan Fox: Kristi’s most famous connection is, of course, her younger sister. Although their paths diverged—one choosing education, the other blockbusters—the sisters support each other’s careers and share a bond strengthened by the challenges of a strict upbringing.
- Brian Austin Green: Through Megan’s former marriage, Brian became Kristi’s brother-in-law, adding a quirky twist to her long-standing admiration for the actor.
- Students and educators: While her celebrity ties draw headlines, Kristi’s day-to-day associations are with students, parents, teachers, and college-admissions reps. In many ways, the teenagers who line up outside her office for advice are the relationships she values most.
