EXCLUSIVE Vanity Fair staff 'devastated' after Anna Wintour appoints daughter's best friend to run magazine
News hit the web last week that the longtime Vogue editor, 75, had picked her daughter, Bee Shaffer's close pal Mark Guiducci, 36, to run Vanity Fair following a high-profile search for the publication's next leader.
Now, an insider has alleged that the decision has sparked immense outrage in the company, claiming that many Vanity Fair staffers feel like Guiducci is 'not qualified' for the job.
'There's a real feeling of devastation and sadness [amongst the Vanity Fair staff],' the source said exclusively to DailyMail.com.
'[They feel] that the person appointed to lead isn't qualified to do this job and isn't an experience editor, he's a family friend of Anna's and her daughter.'
Guiducci started his post-college career in 2010 at Vanity Fair as an assistant.
In 2017, he was named editor-in-chief the art publication GARAGE Magazine, owned by VICE Media. It went out of print four years ago, a year after Guiducci left in 2020.
That same year, he took on the role of creative editorial director Vogue and helped launch Vogue World, an annual fashion and cultural show.
News hit the web last week that the longtime Vogue editor, 75, had picked her daughter, Bee Shaffer's close pal Mark Guiducci, 36, to run Vanity Fair following a high-profile search
'People are not on board with Mark doing this job,' the insider continued, adding that when Guiducci briefly spoke to staff following the announcement it seemed 'clear that he wasn't an experienced editor.'
'When he was talking about the magazine, everything was very vague, there was no clear vision of what he wanted to do,' they alleged.
'When Anna talked to the Conde Nast executives about this job search she initially said she wanted to bring in an experienced journalist like Wired editor-in-chief [Katie Drummond].
'Anna interviewed a lot of accomplished editors and we're not sure why she didn't select one of them... The staff was blindsided by the announcement.'
The source said to make matters worse Wintour jetted off to New York for Huma Abedin's wedding to philanthropist Alex Soros immediately after sharing the news, followed by a vacation, leaving the magazine in chaos.
'After she announced this she went to Huma's wedding then went to a vacation so people on the staff are wondering what they're supposed to do, there's no direction,' the insider dished. 'She just left after announcing this.'
A source close to Wintour, on the other hand, insisted to DailyMail.com that 'Mark was chosen because he was the right person for the role' and no other reasons.
In addition, a separate insider at Vanity Fair stated that 'most of the Vanity Fair staff are excited about the appointment and looking forward to working with Mark.'
The search for a new leader launched in April, when Vanity Fair's former editor-in-chief, Radhika Jones, resigned after seven years. She assumed the role from longtime editor Graydon Carter, who held the job for 25 years.
At the time, Wintour told staff that Jones would help with the transition 'as we start the search for a new editor.'
Now tasked with filling that void is Guiducci, who will be Vanity Fair's first 'global editorial director' rather than the editor-in-chief title held by his predecessors, including the legendary Tina Brown.
Guiducci's friendship with Wintour's daughter Shaffer, 37, has spanned years and the two have been photographed together frequently, often at high-profile parties - something that allegedly hasn't gone unnoticed by the disgruntled Vanity Fair staff.
'Anna has tried to bring Bee more into the fold,' the source claimed. 'The thinking is that having Mark oversee Vanity Fair [will give] Bee an outlet to host parties and be part of the Vanity Fair.'
Former Vanity Fair editor Carter expressed faith in Guiducci as a successor, despite working with him many years ago.
'Having worked with Mark, I know that he has so many of the skills necessary for the job at hand - and many that I did not have,' the iconic editor told Breaker. 'He's the perfect editor for the new Vanity Fair.'
'Congrats to Mark Guiducci, the new editor of Vanity Fair,' Brown separately tweeted. 'He's a fabulous, fresh appointment with bags of flair and fun ideas.'
'People are not on board with Mark doing this job,' the insider continued, adding that when Guiducci spoke to staff following the announcement it seemed 'clear that he wasn't an experienced editor'
In a statement to the New York Times, the 75-year-old Wintour sang a similar tune, describing how great editors 'inspire their colleagues to move with speed, dexterity and thrilling derring-do.'
'That's the magic of Mark,' she said. 'An energetic and creative editor at the center of his generation and a leader under whom Vanity Fair will grow in ways I can foresee and, no doubt, many ways I can't.'
Guiducci also expressed excitement at taking on the job.
'There are all these old-school tools that can be used in new ways,' Guiducci told the Times.
'Cover stars, long lead ambitious investigations, sophisticated visuals - those are all things you can't do on Substack. The difference today is we create them for and publish them on modern platforms.'
'We're going to have fun,' he told the Times separately, when asked about his plans for the magazine. 'I think that's something we're going to need in our culture right now.'
'Beyond proud,' his longtime pal Shaffer wrote on Instagram Tuesday in a story celebrating Guiducci's appointment.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Guiducci and Wintour's representatives for comment.
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