Ann Michael Maye was draped in a red and green apron Dec. 1 in the white-walled kitchen she shares with New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, explaining a new social media series ‘Bakemas’ that she self-created.
Maye would bake a sweet treat daily in the 25 days leading up to Christmas, she said, starting with M&M chocolate chip cookies. She separated red and blue candies for the Patriots’ official colors and measured the dry mixings. Maye added a stick of softened butter and the granulated sugar. She sprinkled the cookie dough with flaky sea salt.
And then to top it all off, the 22-year-old recent University of North Carolina grad became a social media sensation with over half-a-million TikTok followers.
Maye has warmed the internet’s heart while warming up her oven, breaking from tradition while appearing to stick to it, garnering 9 million views on the video sharing platform. She is one in a growing group of women who are wed to or dating professional athletes and have bulldozed tropes about ‘the wives and girlfriends of professional athletes’ (WAGs).
As the NFL grew in popularity in recent years, stars including Taylor Swift, Ciara, Kylie Kelce, Madison Beer, Simone Biles, Olivia Culpo, Kristin Juszczyk, Cardi B and Maye have brought their own followings to the field.
Former coach: Ann Michael ‘one of the best female athletes’ in school history
Born Ann Michael Hudson, Maye was raised in a football family in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina. Her younger brother Tad plays quarterback at Coastal Carolina, and their dad, Kevin, was on the roster at Wofford. In seventh grade, she started dating her now-husband and the Mayes have been together ever since.
The couple both attended Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina during their freshman year before Maye’s husband transferred to nearby Myers Park in Charlotte. Maye remained at Hough, later receiving the 2020-21 Julia Brown Female Athlete of the Year Award during her senior year.
The annual award goes to Hough’s top female athlete. ‘Ann Michael is one of the best female athletes to ever wear a Hough uniform,’ her high school softball and field hockey coach Allison Mashburn told the Patriot Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Both Mayes went to college at UNC, but she stayed there after her husband was selected third overall by the Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft. On a sandy beach, in color-coordinated white ensembles, the Mayes were engaged to be married after a proposal in January last year. ‘Love doing life with you,’ Drake Maye captioned a post.
Maye graduated from UNC at Chapel Hill last May. ‘Thank you, Carolina,’ she wrote, adding a light blue heart emoji that aligns with her school colors.
Maye started sharing photos of her meals on TikTok: Caesar protein pasta salad, eggs with grapes and berries, Greek bowls, the summertime staple of grilled chicken and corn on the cob paired alongside a sweet potato.
Then the Mayes got married in June 2025. They honeymooned in St. Lucia, capturing memories on TikTok. She started making posts about baking pistachio and sourdough breads. When the NFL regular season started in September, Maye posted about her gameday outfits, a trend also popularized by the Olympic gymnastics great Biles.
Ann Michael Maye nicknamed ‘Queen of the North’
Often outfitted in sweaters, Maye baked up success of her own as her husband found success in his second season as a starting NFL QB. And when December came, Bakemas began.
She prepared a loaf of brown sugar cinnamon sourdough bread on the second day of Bakemas. Peanut butter protein balls came next and on day four, she whipped up mandarin dark chocolate bark with her mom. Oatmeal cream pies followed and then Christmas tree dark chocolate peanut butter bars.
On day 15, Maye made Oreo truffle balls, followed by puppy chow on day 18. On Christmas Day, Maye’s husband made an appearance alongside teammate Will Campbell, a Patriots offensive tackle. Nicknamed the ‘Queen of the North,’ Maye garnered a loyal fanbase when her relatability – called ‘painfully normal appeal’ by Yahoo – was the subject of online inside jokes among followers.
Patriots fans have quipped that ‘Gisele never baked snickerdoodle cookies for us,’ for example, in reference to former quarterback Tom Brady’s ex-wife and Gisele Bundchen. She made a cameo in a pizza review with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, munching on a chicken parmesan sandwich and cheese slices at Gianni’s Deli and Pizza located in a Boston suburb.
After Bakemas ended, Maye landed a baking show ‘Beyond Bakemas with Ann Michael Maye’ featuring celebrity guests. Portnoy starred in the first episode, followed by former Patriots star David Andrews and Emma Pritchard, the wife of Boston Celtics player Payton Pritchard. ‘She is pretty good guys, it’s okay,’ Maye said of comments about Bundchen during the ‘Beyond’ segment with Portnoy.
The Patriots clinched the AFC title Jan. 25 as snowflakes fell in Denver. NFL cameras captured the Mayes walking on the field after the game in a now-viral clip. ‘You’re going to the Super Bowl!’ Maye excitedly proclaimed.
And Maye already baked a win of her own, made fresh from scratch, a few months ago.