Anna Wintour cut off pal Andre Leon Talley before death for being 'old, overweight, uncool'
Former Vogue editor Anna Wintour, infamous for her notoriously icy nature, is facing the heat for insulting long-time friend Andre Leon Talley, just three years before he passed away. Talley, a legendary fashion icon and former Editor-at-Large of Vogue, died on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, at the age of 73 years.
He served as the US Vogue's news director, creative director, as well as editor-at-large, working as EIC Anna Wintour's right hand. Talley's career spanned as many as six decades, in which he wrote about fashion in top publications like Women’s Wear Daily, W, and New York Times. He was also a noted LGBTQ icon, although he never specifically mentioned that he was gay. During his appearance on The Wendy Williams Show in 2018, he was asked about his sexual orientation, to which he answered, "No, I'm not heterosexual; I'm saying I'm fluid in my sexuality, darling." His tragic death was mourned by the whos who of the fashion world, but former pal Anna Wintour is yet to offer her condolences.
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Wintour faced a wave of criticism on social media as people remembered Talley's memoir where he mentioned thinking about Wintour every day. “I have huge emotional and psychological scars from my relationship with this towering and influential woman. Simple human kindness. No, she is not capable," Talley wrote in his 2020 memoir 'The Chiffon Trenches'.
He further noted, "...she will find a way to apologize before I die... Not a day goes by when I do not think of Anna Wintour," Talley famously mentioned. More shockingly, the former judge of 'America’s Next Top Model' revealed that Wintour severed ties with him three years ago for being "too old, too overweight, too uncool."
Talley was deeply hurt and heartbroken over Anna Wintour's mistreatment towards him and vented it in his memoir. In one of the passages, he wrote, "She is immune to anyone other than the powerful and famous people who populate the pages of Vogue. She has mercilessly made her best friends people who are the highest in their chosen fields. Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Mr. and Mrs. George Clooney are, to her, friends. I am no longer of value to her."
In an interview with Vulture in 2020, Talley said, "I will not criticize her. My book is an epistle to everyone that I love. It’s a love letter to Anna Wintour. I love her deeply." Hailed for his flamboyant sense of fashion and kind-hearted nature, Andre Leon Talley always credited Anna Wintour for shaping his career, alongside Andy Warhol and Diana Vreeland. Wintour and Talley handled Vogue together for many years and helped the magazine reach the peak of success.
Meanwhile, Talley's admirers are not willing to let Anna Wintour off easily as they dragged her brutally on social media. "It does my heart well to see Anna Wintour’s name being dragged over the passing of ALT. To say that she turned her back at a critical point in his life would underscore the struggles this man suffered over the pass few years. The least she can do is offer a public apology," a Twitter user noted.
Another simply said, "Anna Wintour treated Andre like sh*t," while a third user tweeted, "RIP #AndreLeonTalley You paved the way for Blacks in the fashion industry & sadly never received the credit you deserved for that while you were here. @voguemagazine & #AnnaWintour are trash for how you treated him & the fact you haven’t released a statement yet solidifies that!"
It does my heart well to see Anna Wintour’s name being dragged over the passing of ALT. To say that she turned her back at a critical point in his life would underscore the struggles this man suffered over the pass few years. The least she can do is offer a public apology.
— dgregor (@dgregor55) January 19, 2022
RIP #AndreLeonTalley You paved the way for Blacks in the fashion industry & sadly never received the credit you deserved for that while you were here. @voguemagazine & #AnnaWintour are trash for how you treated him & the fact you haven’t released a statement yet solidifies that! pic.twitter.com/fClpw5AyQG
— ColBKeringtonDeverow (@Dynasty_Dreams) January 19, 2022
Alongside Wintour, ALT's fans also shaded Vogue magazine for failing to acknowledge his tragic demise, perhaps due to their complicated relationship with the fashion icon that turned sour towards the end.