Anna Wintour Slammed After Report She Blocked Dolly Parton from Vogue Cover Because She ‘Wasn't Sophisticated Enough'—She Was ‘Too Tacky'

Anna Wintour has been in hot water of late. Last year, people weren't too happy that Jeff Bezos and his new wife were sponsors of the Met Gala. This year, she got a lot of pushback for her choice to honor John Galliano with a Costume Institute retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Even after Galliano withdrew, it seems like controversy isn't over for Wintour. Hollywood insider Rob Shuter is reporting that Dolly Parton was pitched at least four times to be on the cover of American Vogue before her recent death at the age of 80, which Wintour declined each time. More from StyleCaster "Anna thought Dolly was too country, too camp and too tacky for Vogue," an insider told Naughty But Nice. "She looked at Dolly and saw rhinestones. The rest of America saw an icon. Anna completely missed it." Shuter also reported that Wintour was famous for her gatekeeping, saying that she found Jessica Simpson too cheap, Alicia Keys too urban, and even stars like Jennifer Lopez struggled to get Wintour's approval. Kim Kardashian eventually made the cover. So did Lauren Sánchez Bezos. But not Dolly Parton. "That's what makes the Dolly snub look ridiculous today," another insider told Naughty But Nice. "Vogue eventually embraced reality stars, influencers and billionaire glamour, but somehow Dolly Parton wasn't sophisticated enough? Please." Wintour was recently forced to issue a statement after in late August 2026, the exhibition titled "John Galliano: Horizons," planned for next year's Met Gala, was canceled after backlash due to the designer's past antisemitic and racist comments. "After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time. I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry for it," Galliano said about the cancellation of the exhibit planned around him. "John's decision that the exhibition devoted to his work should not take place at this time is very courageous and a measure of the man he is," Wintour said. "I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support." Related: Dolly Parton 'Funeral' Details Officially Confirmed as Her Family Shares Update on Her Secret Cancer Battle The scandal was big enough that according to Rob Shuter, it might even cost Anna Wintour her job. "People expect a retirement announcement," a Vogue source told Naughty But Nice. "Maybe not tomorrow, but soon. Anna has had an extraordinary reign, but increasingly people believe we are watching its final chapter." "This feels like a mutiny," the insider explained to Shuter. "People who wouldn't have dared question Anna five years ago are questioning her now. Something fundamental has changed." Recent reporting about her turning away icon Dolly Parton from Vogue will certainly not help. "For decades, Anna decided what was acceptable," the source continued. "Now people are asking whether Anna herself has become the problem." Best of StyleCaster