Overview

• The fabricated cover image does not appear in Vanity Fair’s archives, and AI tool Hive rated it 99.9% likely to contain AI-generated content, according to Lead Stories.
• Newsweek reports the image was pushed by the Next News Network and amplified by figures including Charlie Kirk and Laura Ingraham, while Vanity Fair’s official channels show no such cover.
• Semafor previously reported that new global editorial director Mark Guiducci had considered a Melania Trump cover as part of a broader editorial recalibration.
• Page Six reporting, echoed in subsequent coverage, says Melania Trump declined the offer and “laughed” at the idea when approached earlier in the summer.
• The Daily Mail quoted unnamed Vanity Fair staffers threatening to walk out if a Melania cover were approved, highlighting internal pushback reported by multiple outlets.