New York Times columnist Gail Collins wrote that "it was a little peculiar hearing Brooke Shields's weepy testimony about her deep friendship with Jackson given the fact that she told reporters that the last time she saw him was at Elizabeth Taylor's eighth wedding in 1991."

In her eulogy, Brooke Shields shared anecdotes, including an occasion in which she was his date for one of Elizabeth Taylor's weddings, and the pair sneaked into Taylor's room to get the first look at her dress, only to discover Taylor asleep in the bed. Shields gave a tearful speech, referring to the many memories she and Jackson shared and briefly joked about his famous sequin glove.

On July 7, 2009, Brooke Shields spoke at the memorial service for Michael Jackson. She stated in that speech that she first met Jackson, who was 21 at the time, when she was 13 years old, and the two instantly became friends.

In May 2005, Tom Cruise, an actor and scientologist whose beliefs frown upon psychiatry, condemned Brooke, both personally and professionally, for both using and speaking in favor of the antidepressant drug Paxil.

Between April and May 2005, Shields spoke to magazines (such as Guideposts) and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to publicize her battle with postpartum depression, an experience that included depression, thoughts of suicide, an inability to respond to her baby's needs and delayed maternal bonding.

Brooke Shields has been married twice. From 1997 to 1999, she was married to tennis player Andre Agassi; the couple had been together since 1993. Following her divorce from Agassi, she married television writer Chris Henchy in 2001, after they had met through mutual friends in 1999. They have two daughters and live in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City.

Brooke Shields is a well-known vegan and an animal rights activist. However, despite coming out against the fur industry in 1989, Shields later went on to create her own mink fur coat at Kopenhagen Fur. She came under the scrutiny of animal rights organizations such as PETA for this visit, which prompted media attention.

In the 1990s, Brooke Shields promoted physical fitness as an extension of femininity, maintaining that femininity and athletics are compatible. Although she was not the only woman doing so, Shields had what was required to promote women's athletics.