Last fall, there were rumors that Vanity Fair was working on an epic takedown of Gwyneth Paltrow, who has been criticized in the media as of late for constantly talking about her lifestyle and her cookbook. But now that the piece is finally about to hit the stands, the magazine’s editor, Graydon Carter, said that Vanessa Grigoriadis’ piece is just an essay. There’s no ‘epic takedown’ as some had hoped for.
In his Editor’s Letter, which appears in the new Hollywood Issue, Carter wrote that Grigoriadis did exactly as she was assigned, writing a “reasoned, reported essay on the hate/love-fest that encircles Gwyneth Paltrow.”
Carter continued, “I thought it perfectly explained the whole phenomenon.” However, it wasn’t the bombshell story that rumors claimed it would be, so they didn’t publish it right away.
He noted that he had a phone conversation with the Oscar winner about the reaction to the story before it was even published and they had reached an agreement. “We received more mail, much of it now criticizing us for caving,” Carter recalled. “There had also been conflicting reports that Gwyneth had coerced George Clooney into not being on our cover—clearly not true. There were reports that she was trying to scuttle our annual Oscar party, that she was going to organize a competing dinner. The Paltrow camp subsequently denied both claims.”
Carter noted that the magazine is usually able to keep its stories under wraps before they hit the newsstands. Since it was getting more and more attention, his team decided to hold it back until it was no longer a hot topic.
“The fact is the Gwyneth Paltrow story, the one we ordered up, as delightfully written as it was, is not the one the anti-Gwynethites expect,” Carter admitted. “That it has generated more mail and attention than many of the biggest stories we've ever published only makes the situation more complicated.”
E! News does note that Carter revealed some other behind-the-scenes details, confirming that Paltrow did indeed ask her A-list friends to boycott the magazine.
“She asked that they not speak to Vanity Fair about her, or about anything else ever again. Ever. Never. Kim Jong-un couldn't have issued a more blanket demand,” Carter wrote.
image: Wikimedia Commons
