Melania Trump sounded surprised that Beyoncé was made the cover star of the Sept. 2018 issue of ‘Vogue’ and given ‘editorial input,’ according to a report of another leaked phone call from Melania’s ex-adviser.
Another one of Melania Trump’s secretly recorded phone calls with her former adviser and close friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff has been leaked! This time, the First Lady allegedly discussed the decision of Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour to make Beyoncé the cover star of the Sept. 2018 issue for her magazine, according to the audio of the phone call that was shared with NBC News and reported about on Oct. 21. Melania reportedly “appeared to express astonishment” over Anna’s decision, which included uncharacteristically giving the cover star “editorial input,” according to the outlet.
“Anna [Wintour] gave the September issue of Vogue cover — complete, complete, complete, everything — to Beyoncé,” Melania allegedly told Stephanie. She even reportedly addressed the fact that a then 23-year-old photographer, Tyler Mitchell, would shoot Beyoncé’s photos for the cover story. Tyler became the first Black photographer to ever shoot a cover for Vogue, which had reached its 126th anniversary in 2018.
“She hired Black photographer. And it’s the first Black photographer ever doing cover of Vogue,” Melanie reportedly said in the phone call to Stephanie, who used to be the special director of events for Vogue before working for Melania. Beyoncé’s spokesperson declined to comment on the phone call when asked by NBC News, but Melania’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham slammed Ms. Wolkoff in a comment to the outlet.
“Her narcissism knows no bounds, this woman is a fraud. These audio tapes are hand-picked about nonsense and presented with no context. Shame on her for this continued attempt at character assassination and shame on NBC for covering this gossip,” Melania’s spokeswoman told NBC News. However, she did not directly address the comments about Beyoncé’s Vogue cover.
Beyoncé had starred on the Sept. 2015 issue of Vogue as well, but her 2018 cover caused a stir over a Huffington Post report that claimed the “Halo” singer was given “full control over the cover” thanks to a contractual obligation. Bey is not one to give very many interviews — the former Destiny’s Child member didn’t even offer one for her first Vogue cover story — but made a rare move by opening up about giving birth to her twins Rumi and Sir Carter, 3, and more personal topics in the 2018 issue.
Stephanie recorded six total phone conversations with Melania, which last “more than six hours,” according to NBC News. The recordings began in Feb. 2018, when Stephanie had just left The White House, and continued until July of that year. One of these calls was even EXCLUSIVELY shared with HollywoodLife, in which Melania expressed her surprise over another Vogue cover star: Stormy Daniels, an adult entertainment actress who allegedly had an affair with Melania’s husband Donald Trump. Stephanie wrote more about her ex-friendship with the FLOTUS in a tell-all book, Melanie and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, which hit bookstands on Sept. 1.