Vanity Fair staff threaten to quit as new editor proposes Melania Trump cover

Vanity Fair’s new top editor is considering featuring First Lady Melania Trump on the magazine’s cover, a move that has already sparked pushback from some employees, according to multiple reports. Mark Guiducci, who became Vanity Fair’s global editorial director in June, is seeking to broaden the publication’s reach and rethink how it approaches coverage of public figures, according to Semafor.

Guiducci has told colleagues he is interested in working with the first lady, who has a background in fashion modeling, according to the report.

Melania Trump was not featured on the covers of U.S. editions of Vanity Fair or Vogue during President Donald Trump’s first term in office — in contrast to previous first ladies. Michelle Obama, for instance, appeared on Vogue’s cover three times when she was the first lady.

Staff threatens walkout

The idea of a Melania Trump cover has led to strong reactions from some Vanity Fair employees. In anonymous comments to the Daily Mail, one editor said, “I will walk out the motherf—ing door, and half my staff will follow me.”

Another staffer added, “We are not going to normalize this despot and his wife; we’re just not going to do it. We’re going to stand for what’s right.”

“If I have to work bagging groceries at Trader Joe’s, I’ll do it,” another editor said. “If [Guiducci] puts Melania on the cover, half of the editorial staff will walk out, I guarantee it.”

First lady signaled little interest

Melania Trump has downplayed the significance of appearing on fashion magazine covers. In an interview with Fox News after President Trump’s 2024 election victory, she said she preferred to focus on other priorities.

“Look, I’ve been there on the covers — on the cover of Vogue, on the covers of many magazines before,” Melania Trump said. “For me, we have so many other important things to do than to be on the cover of any magazine. I think life would not change for anybody if I am on the cover of a magazine.”