'Boss From Hell' Anna Wintour Quits Vogue Role After Nearly 40 Years — But Digs Her Heels in At Mag Firm With Top Behind-Scenes Job
Anna Wintour announced the shocking news to staff members this week.
June 26 2025, Published 1:32 p.m. ET
Anna Wintour has stepped down from her role at Vogue after 37 years.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the 75-year-old told staffers she will be seeking a new head of editorial content for the very famous fashion magazine on Wednesday.
End Of An Era
The famous editor is closing a chapter and leaving her position leading the monthly magazine.
According to The Daily Front Row and WWD, the famous editor is closing a chapter and leaving her position as the lead of the monthly magazine.
Despite the shocking and unexpected change, Wintour will continue working as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and global editorial director at the magazine.
The editor started her career at Vogue back in 1988 after taking over from former editor-in-chief Grace Mirabella – who died in 2021 at 92 years old.
Back in 2012, while honoring the 120th anniversary of the magazine, Wintour reflected on her first cover that made history.
The November 1988 cover featured model Michaela Bercu wearing a $50 pair of jeans – which marked the first time denim was ever featured on the cover – with a $10,000 sweater.
Wintour said of the iconic cover: "It was so unlike the studied and elegant close-ups that were typical of Vogue's covers back then, with tons of makeup and major jewelry. This one broke all the rules.
"Afterwards, in the way that these things can happen, people applied all sorts of interpretations: It was about mixing high and low, Michaela was pregnant, it was a religious statement. But none of these things was true. I had just looked at that picture and sensed the winds of change. And you can't ask for more from a cover image than that."
Calls To Step Down
Wintour was advised to step down by a leading PR expert.
Following the 2025 Met Gala, Wintour was advised to step down by a leading PR expert after this year's lavish event was blasted as "dead."
At the time, PR expert Sarah Schmidt told Daily Mail: "If Anna Wintour were to step down now, it could be the most strategic move of her career — a final act that reasserts her power by knowing when to pass the torch.
"This year's Met Gala was polished but forgettable, and that's the problem. When fashion's biggest night feels safe, it stops shaping culture and starts chasing it."
Retirement Shock
Wintour has insisted the negative portrayals of her are unfair.
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Back in February 2025, Wintour removed her sunglasses to tell King Charles she had no plans to stop working.
When the editor was awarded a Companion of Honor at Buckingham Palace, the king asked her if it meant she was going to stop working – to which she replied, "no."
After the honor, she told the PA news agency: "I was completely surprised and overwhelmed to be given this great honor. It makes me even more convinced that I have so much more to achieve."
After the shocking announcement, fans of the magazine – and Wintour – took to social media to express their thoughts.
One user wrote: "What's Vogue without Anna Wintour?"
Another said: "Anna Wintour stepping down from Vogue? I’m shocked."
A third commented: "I am heartbroken! Anna Wintour leaving was not on my 2025 bingo card!"
Many users claimed they plan to "stop reading" the magazine once she officially departs from her role.
