There’s persistent buzz going on involving Beyoncé, and this time, it’s not from the Beyhive. The megastar is rumored to be returning to the cover of Vogue for its always epic September issue—but why is there also talk that it may be the last issue of legendary editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour?
This is far from the first time that rumors to this effect have surfaced, but the latest round began in early April of this year, when the September issue was put to bed. At the time, Page Six published a report speculating that the 68-year-old artistic director of Condé Nast—who has been credited with being the visionary force behind Vogue for the last 30 years—would be exiting after the July wedding of her daughter, which took place during the first three weeks of the month.
The report even speculated that new British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful would be coming stateside to take her place on the American masthead, which would of course be exciting for us, since Enninful would be making history as the first black male editor-in-chief of a major American mainstream fashion magazine. But at the time, Vogue’s spokespersons categorically denied Wintour’s exit, saying “We emphatically deny these rumors.”
So why has the buzz resurfaced? As recently as last Thursday, Page Six once again teased Wintour’s departure, this time citing an article by WWD that stated:
Numerous industry sources have insisted in recent weeks that Wintour is indeed set to leave her 30-year post as editor in chief of American Vogue, with the reveal of a soft exit thought to be coming after the all-important September issue is released, which usually happens around mid-August.
However, the same article noted that Condé Nast had once again issued a denial, saying “there is still no truth to these rumors,” while a spokeswoman for British Vogue said called any speculation of Enninful succeeding Wintour is “categorically false.”
However, if Wintour is going to make a grand exit, Beyoncé’s certainly a great way to do it. The superstar hasn’t been featured on the cover of American Vogue since September of 2015, when she posed for an extensive editorial for the issue, but famously refused to be interviewed.
Though Beyoncé’s upcoming fashion spread has purportedly been photographed by black wunderkind Tyler Mitchell, there’s no word on whether she has also granted an interview this time—though we know the star has become much more revealing about her personal life since her last Vogue appearance. But since we can’t wait to see what a Mitchell-photographed fashion spread of Bey will look like, fingers crossed that at least that part of the rumor is true.