Whether she’s competing in the Olympic Games or on Dancing with the Stars, Ilona Maher’s sisters, Olivia Maher and Adrianna Maher, are always there to cheer her on from the sidelines.
“They are so supportive,” the Olympic rugby player told PEOPLE in 2024. “They’ll go all over the world and watch me play rugby and wear the weirdest shirts or scream the loudest and do the funniest things.”
Ilona and her “built-in best friends,” as she calls them, were born and raised in Burlington, Vt. by parents Michael Maher and Mieneke Maher-Beukenkamp. Olivia is the oldest, born in 1994, followed by Ilona, born in 1996. Adrianna is the youngest of the three and was born in 1999.
While Adrianna has invested her time in nonprofit work, Olivia has followed a similar path as her famous sister, making comedy videos on TikTok and Instagram and even coining the viral term “girl dinner.”
Here’s everything to know about Ilona Maher’s sisters, Olivia Maher and Adrianna Maher.
They grew up in Vermont
Ilona Maher with her sister Olivia and their parents in July 2023.
Olivia Maher/ Instagram
Not long after tying the knot on June 26, 1993, Michael and Mieneke welcomed their firstborn, Olivia, on Sept. 26, 1994. Ilona arrived a few years later on Aug. 12, 1996, and Adrianna joined the family on April 30, 1999. The girls grew up in Burlington, Vt. where they took part in some of the same activities.
Ilona — nicknamed “Lo” by her family — wasn’t the only one of her siblings who grew up playing sports. Olivia got to witness her younger sister’s strength as a pitcher when they were both enrolled in Little League softball.
“There was some kind of commotion at the other field,” the eldest Maher recalled in 2024 to local Vermont newspaper Seven Days. “Lo was zinging it in there, and this guy was yelling, ‘Tell her to slow it down; no one can hit anything!’ Then my dad spoke up.”
Michael told the other dad he wasn’t going to instruct Ilona to alter her pitching. “I know what Ilona took from that,” Olivia said. “Never tone yourself down.”
Adrianna works at a human rights organization
(L-R) Olivia, Adrianna and Ilona Maher smile in a photo together in March 2024.
Ilona Maher/ Instagram
According to her LinkedIn profile, Adrianna studied global studies, governance and human rights at Castleton University in Vermont. She currently works as an individual giving coordinator for Madre, a nonprofit in New York City that advocates for women’s rights.
In her bio on the organization’s website, Adrianna wrote her most joyful times are “the loud and quiet moments with my loved ones, whether it’s booming laughter or being comfortable in silence.”
Olivia started the “girl dinner” trend
Olivia Maher hosts a ‘Girl Dinner’ party in September 2023.
Olivia Maher/ Instagram
In 2023, Olivia went viral on TikTok for sharing her go-to, minimal-effort meal of cheese and bread, which she cheekily coined “girl dinner.”
“A girl just came on here and said how, like, in medieval times peasants had to eat nothing but bread and cheese and how awful that was — and I was like that’s my ideal meal,” she said in the video. “I call this ‘girl dinner’ or ‘medieval peasant.’ ”
Ilona confirmed that her older sister invented “girl dinner” during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The athlete told PEOPLE: “This is the inventor of Girl Dinner. She’s my manager, my boss, my everything. She does it all.”
Olivia works in entertainment
Ilona Maher and her sisters Olivia and Adrianna celebrate their parents 30th wedding anniversary.
Olivia Maher/ Instagram
Like her sister Ilona, Olivia also works in entertainment. Her LinkedIn profile lists her as a showrunner’s assistant for Apple TV+’s Dickinson (which starred Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson), and a post production coordinator for Peacock’s Girls5eva (which starred Busy Philipps and Sara Bareilles).
She shifted her focus to social media in 2023 as the host for Cherry Bombe’s series Girl Dinner with a Chef. Olivia also has her own fanbase, with almost 200,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok combined.
They tease each other on social media
Ilona Maher (center) is supported by her sister Olivia and mother after performing on Dancing with the Stars.
Olivia Maher/ Instagram
While the Maher girls frequently share their support for each other online, they’re not above pulling a few jokes, too. In August 2024, Olivia posted a silly Instagram video with Ilona congratulating her on her Sports Illustrated cover.
“Ilona is officially a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model,” Olivia says in the video, panning over to her sister. “So excited about that, so much to celebrate but also, much to celebrate for me because my new Dyson vacuum arrives today. So it’s getting crazy over here.”
The eldest Maher captioned the video: “Success comes in many forms!!”
They cheered her on during the 2024 Olympic Games
Ilona Maher smiles with her sisters and parents showing off her Team USA Women’s Rugby jersey.
Olivia Maher/ Instagram
The entire Maher family flew to Paris to watch Ilona compete on the women’s rugby sevens team for Team USA during the 2024 Olympic Games. And they didn’t just watch quietly from the sidelines. Ilona posted an Instagram video of her sisters wearing matching button-up shirts covered in her face and patriotic colors with the caption: “VIBES ARE HIGH.”
Olivia also shared photos on Instagram of her, Adrianna, Michael and Mieneke in their Ilona gear and captioned the montage, “First Family of the Olympics.”
“The first people I go to are definitely my sisters,” Ilona told PEOPLE in an interview about her burgeoning career. “I hope it means I’m still in this space and I can travel, and I hope my sisters come along with me to do it.”
They’ve watched Ilona compete on Dancing with the Stars
Ilona Maher and her sisters.
Ilona Maher/Instagram
Arianna and Olivia have taken turns sitting in the audience to support Ilona while she competes on DWTS with dance partner Alan Bersten. The youngest Maher shared an Instagram video of her being “blinded” by her sister’s new bangs in October 2024, writing in the caption to “tune in tonight to see her premier bangs and a foxtrot.”
Olivia has also posted several DWTS promotions, including an Instagram video with instructions on how to vote. She even shared a sweet video of Ilona teaching her the Foxtrot in October 2024 with the caption: “Such a blessing to watch her excitement and joy learning something so new to her 🥹🫶🏻.”
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