The Last Celebrity Magazine Editor

The Grace Mirabella and Diana Vreeland—keepin’ it humble!—of newsletters is taking our signature womansplaining directly into your ears.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Spreadheads, 

The wait is over. Last week, we dropped some tantalizing hints about what was soon to come…and here we are! 

For those who were “on vacation”/out to lunch last week—we get it, it’s summer—we’ll take it from the top: As fans of the media-insider podcast Print Is Dead. (Long Live Print!), your Spreaditors were delighted to be invited to guest-host the pod’s foray into the world of women’s magazines. Who would we ask to brave our hot seat? The answer was clear: the ever-quotable Joanna Coles, former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief and enduring media/business/entertainment force. Known for her British swagger and career-forward brand of feminism—also, who could forget the white-blonde ’do and bold Lady Editor wardrobe—Coles became the defining editor of the early 2010s girlboss moment, even executive-producing the successful scripted-TV show The Bold Type in her image. What we didn’t know then, but is crystal clear now: Joanna was the last celebrity women’s magazine editor. 

We asked Jo-Co about money, the British media mafia, packaging herself as a platinum (get it?) brand, being passed up for the job of president of Hearst Magazines in 2018, and the Lean In of it all (Coles was an early Sheryl Sandberg booster). We also pitched hardballs like: What was it like to be played by Tilda Swinton in the Amy Schumer classic Trainwreck?

You can listen to this very special episode here or here, or wherever you get your podcasts. As you listen, ponder: Who from the mag biz would you like to hear us interview next? Please reply to this email or tell us in the comments!

That’s all,

Rachel & Maggie 

P.S. With the long-anticipated dawn of the Jenna Lyons era of The Real Housewives of New York City upon us, in-house Jenna-ologist Maggie speaks to New York Times Styles here. Is Jenna a genius of reinvention, or are we about to watch her walk the plank? You be the judge! 

P.P.S. We’ll be off next week, because it’s the one time a year that our American flag bikinis really make sense. Plus, Bomb Pops. See you next month! (And if you like us, show us…give that sweet heart button a hit!)