Culture
Bad Faith
Behind the Catholic Right’s Celebrity-Conversion Industrial Complex
From Russell Brand to JD Vance to Candace Owens, what happens when the Catholic Church chases influencers—and their legions of followers—down the rabbit hole of the right?
By Kathryn Joyce
nice to have a friend
Swifties for Harris Are Trolling MAGA Swifties In Hopes of Scoring Eras Tour Tickets
Meanwhile, Megyn Kelly seems to have forgotten Taylor Swift endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020
By Kase Wickman
a swiftly tilting planet
Taylor Swift Continued Her Major Voter Push at the VMAs, Where She Finally Called Travis Kelce Her Boyfriend
Plus: Swifties for Kamala co-founder Irene Kim spoke to Vanity Fair about behind-the-scenes donations and organizing.
By Kase Wickman
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET
The Richest Man in Germany Is Worth $44 Billion. The Source of His Family Fortune? The Nazis Know.
Klaus-Michael Kuehne, born in 1937, has more money than Ken Griffin, MacKenzie Scott, or François Pinault. Just don’t ask him how he got so rich.
By David de Jong
This Ain’t Texas
Beyoncé Is Likely Not Surprised by the 2024 CMA Awards Snub—She Basically Predicted It
The Nashville music institution can be insular and opaque, and Beyoncé has said that a lack of acceptance helped inspire Cowboy Carter in the first place.
By Erin Vanderhoof
GIVE AND LET GIVE
Melinda French Gates Spotlights Karlie Kloss, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and 4 Other Women Making Philanthropic Strides
Whether with money, time, or advocacy, these six humanitarians are working to improve lives around the world.
By Arimeta Diop and Charlotte Klein
From the Magazine
Radhika Jones on Melinda French Gates’s Philanthropic Shift
The VF editor in chief highlights influential women, the causes they hold dear, and the importance of improving the lives of women and girls.
By Radhika Jones
THE BIG PAYBACK
Melinda French Gates Embraces a New Era and Gets Political—Even When It’s Uncomfortable
The godmother of modern American largesse speaks about life after Bill, being a leader among powerful men, and her philanthropy helping women and girls.
By Keziah Weir Photography by Sebastian Kim
IN CONVERSATION
Gillian Anderson, Curator of Women’s Desire, Is Ready to Talk About Sex
The Scoop star on fantasy, sobriety, and the lure of a young, handsome lover—hypothetically.
By Keziah Weir
speak now
Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris, and With a “Childless Cat Lady” Joke to Boot
The mega-famous singer has officially thrown her support behind Harris and Tim Walz.
By Kase Wickman
BOOK EXCERPT
How Jamaica’s 1950s DJs Gave Rise to Their Counterparts on the Disco and Hip-Hop Scenes
In his new book, And the Roots of Rhythm Remain, music impresario Joe Boyd traces the vast influence of global music. Here, how Jamaican sound-system mavens helped kick off a worldwide beat.
By Joe Boyd
Royals
Queen Camilla and Ex-Husband Andrew Parker Bowles Reunite in the Name of Food and Family
They both attended a launch event for their son's upcoming cookbook.
By Kase Wickman
Primetime like the '95 Deion
Kendrick Lamar to Headline Super Bowl 2025
“They got the right one,” Lamar said of his slot at the February 9, 2025 Super Bowl, which will be played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
By Eve Batey
party report
Ralph Lauren, First Lady Jill Biden, and Dozens of Celebrities Squeezed In One More Summer Night in the Hamptons
The designer’s Thursday night show flexed his mythmaking might for a maximalist post–Labor Day trip out East.
By Nate Freeman
In Conversation
Clairo Reveals Her New Muses: the Beach Boys, Twiggy, and Full-On Silliness
In advance of two residencies on opposite coasts, the singer-songwriter talks to Vanity Fair about touring her latest album, Charm.
By Fred Sahai
FROM THE MAGAZINE
The Ailey Legacy Takes Center Stage At The Whitney Museum With “Edges of Ailey”
The exhibition places the choreographer in all his contexts and beyond.
13 slides
By Arimeta Diop
is this working?
RIP, OOO. Hello, PTO: Your Email Autoresponder Is Quiet Quitting, One Message at a Time
HR-speak has quietly infiltrated our inboxes, marking a new turn in the quest for work-life balance.
By Kase Wickman
First Look
Watch Joe Keery and Jason Schwartzman Butt Heads in an Exclusive Clip from Pavements
Describing his Venice-bound tribute to the iconic indie-rock band—part rock doc, part bloated biopic (?), part jukebox musical (?!!)—director Alex Ross Perry says, “It’s every Pavement movie that I, as a fan, would ever want to watch—or hate-watch.”
By Mike Hogan
FROM THE MAGAZINE
6 New Novels to Read in September
The best reads this month, from Garth Greenwell, Rumaan Alam, Danzy Senna, and more.
By Keziah Weir
Power Lunch
Thomas Rhett Is Proud to Be a Guy With a Wife, but Don’t Call Him a “Wife Guy”
The singer with 20 country-radio number ones tells Vanity Fair that he and his wife, Lauren Akins, are trying to be less #couplegoals, but he still finds plenty to sing about on About a Woman, his new album inspired by her.
By Erin Vanderhoof
SETTING THE STAGE
John Malkovich Goes Deep on an Epic Photo Collaboration
To mark the publication of Malkovich: Then Came John, the actor discusses his decades-long work recreating iconic images with photographer Sandro Miller.
By Mark Edward HarrisPhotography by Sandro Miller