Why Is Anna Wintour Stepping Down at “Vogue”? What We Know About Her Surprising Decision (and Why There Won’t Be a New Editor-in-Chief)

Anna Wintour is saying goodbye to her iconic role as Vogue’s editor-in-chief.

On June 26, multiple outlets reported that the British media icon was stepping down from her editorial position after 37 years. According to Business of Fashion, The Daily Front Row and WWD, Wintour announced her departure during a morning staff meeting.

“Anybody in a creative field knows how essential it is never to stop growing in one’s work,” she told her Vogue staff. “When I became the editor of Vogue, I was eager to prove to all who might listen that there was a new, exciting way to imagine an American fashion magazine.”

Wintour continued, “Now, I find that my greatest pleasure is helping the next generation of impassioned editors storm the field with their own ideas, supported by a new, exciting view of what a major media company can be.”

Since joining the magazine in 1988, Wintour has made several historic moves that have reshaped the fashion industry, including the now-standard practice of featuring celebrities on the cover. She became Condé Nast’s artistic director in 2013 and was named the company’s global content advisor in 2019.

Wintour’s formidable reputation is widely believed to have inspired Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Miranda Priestly in 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada, a film adapted from a novel by Lauren Weisberger, Wintour’s former assistant.

So, why is Anna Wintour stepping down from her role at Vogue? Here’s everything to know about the longtime editor’s decision and what she’ll do next.

Why is Anna Wintour stepping down as editor-in-chief of Vogue?

Vogue reported that Wintour’s role has expanded considerably across Condé Nast over the last four years. Stepping down as editor-in-chief will give her more time to support the company’s global titles and events.

The move is reportedly a part of a broader restructuring at Condé Nast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, each of the company’s global editorial brands has installed an editorial director in each country or market, as well as a global editorial director who manages all of them.

Wintour will stay on as the global editorial director of Vogue.

What has Anna Wintour said about stepping down from Vogue in the past?

Rumors of Wintour’s retirement have circulated for decades. When asked in a 2009 interview on 60 Minutes if she thought it was time to say goodbye to her role at Vogue, she responded, “Not at all.”

“To me, this is a really interesting time to be in this position,” the famed editor-in-chief said. “I think it would be in a way irresponsible not to put my best foot forward and lead us into a different time.”

She said that when the time comes for her to step down, she would do so “very quietly.”

When Wintour was recognized as a Companion of Honour by King Charles in February 2025, he reportedly asked her if she had plans to retire.

“The last time I was here, [Queen Elizabeth] gave me a medal, and we both agreed that we had been doing our job a very long time,” Wintour told The Independent. “And then this morning, His Majesty asked me if this meant I was going to stop working, and I said firmly, ‘No.’ “

She added that the honor made her “even more convinced” that she has “so much more to achieve.”

Who is replacing Anna Wintour as editor-in-chief at Vogue?

Vogue has not announced who will replace Wintour, but the outlet did say that the new person in charge will report to her — something the fashion icon is looking forward to.

“How thrilling it will be,” she told her staff, “to work alongside someone new who will challenge us, inspire us, and make us all think about Vogue in a myriad of original ways.”

Though Wintour has given up her title of editor-in-chief, her replacement will be called the “head of editorial content.” The editor-in-chief title will no longer exist, per The New York Times.

“I won’t be moving offices — or a single piece of my Clarice Cliff pottery,” she told her staff. “And through the years ahead, I’ll be turning all my attention to global leadership and working with our team of brilliant editors around the world, helping to support those editors in every manner possible.”

What will Anna Wintour do next?

Though she’ll no longer be editor-in-chief, Wintour isn’t leaving the magazine. Vogue reported that she’ll stay on as its global editorial director and her involvement in the Met Ball, Vogue World and “any other original fearless ideas” will remain the same.

Wintour also told her staff that she’ll “remain Vogue’s tennis and theater editor in perpetuity.”

She’ll continue to serve as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and oversee the company’s other media brands, including Vanity Fair, GQ, Teen Vogue, WIRED and others.

Read the original article on People