5 things you need to know about Vanity Fair's Sarah Palin expose
In Vanity Fair's new issue, Michael J. Gross takes a hard look at Palin's "surreal new world." Here are some of his must-read revelations
In two short transformative years, Sarah Palin has gone from "an engaging, down-to-earth small-town hockey mom" to an isolated, secretive, off-the-rails celebrity road warrior, says Michael Joseph Gross in a largely unflattering exposé in Vanity Fair. And shellshocked inhabitants of her Alaska hometown, Wasilla, don't know what to think of the makeover—or, at least, are too scared to talk about it. Here are five key revelations from Gross' account of Palin's "surreal new world":
1. Palin's a lousy tipper—when nobody's looking
During hundreds of interviews, says Gross, "I heard of Palin giving a generous tip" just once: In front of a large crowd at a chocolate shop in St. Joseph, Mo., she slipped the owner a $100 bill "for the staff." Without an audience, she stiffs the bellhops and maids at the luxury hotels in which she stays during her grueling speaking schedule, or at best under-tips. At the celebrity friendly Hyatt in Wichita, "Palin ranks as the all-time worst tipper."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
2. Her code name is "North Star"
An important concept in Alaska, the North Star shows up on the state flag, in the state song, and even as a symbol for God. Move over, God, says Gross: "Palin is on the way to making North Star a personal brand." It serves as her code name at hotels, dots her speeches, and identifies shell businesses run by her aides. "If she ever does run for president, [North Star] might well serve as her Secret Service code name."
3. She has a wicked temper
When Gross first heard tales of Palin's volatile disposition, he says he "couldn’t help but wonder if [they] might be exaggerated." But "corroborating" stories piled up. One family friend recalled a fight between Palin and her husband, Todd: "They took all the canned goods out of the pantry, then proceeded to throw them at each other. By the time they got done, the stainless-steel fridge looked like it had got shot up with a shotgun." Palin gets away with her "horrible temper," the friend said, "because she is a pretty woman."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
4. Rumor has it that Palin's Facebook posts are ghostwritten
"Palin's most unconventional hire" is "novice media consultant" Rebecca Mansour, co-founder of Conservatives4Palin, a fiercely pro-Palin blog. At the exact time that Palin quietly hired Mansour, Palin's Facebook page and Twitter feed—until then "written mostly in a stiff, third-person form"—became "increasingly provocative and irascible." Her "virtual voice," says Gross, now often "sounds less like Palin herself than someone else's fantasy version of Palin at her most vitriolic."
5. She doesn't hunt
While much of the small-town-mayor persona Palin maintained before she achieved national fame was "more or less accurate," some elements were just pure fiction, says Gross. "This whole hunter thing for Sarah?" said a longtime family friend. "That woman has never hunted. The picture of her with the caribou she says she shot? She got out of the RV to pose for a picture." And when Palin made moose chili during an interview with Greta Van Susteren, the friend adds, "Todd was calling everyone he knew the day before—'Do you got any moose?' Desperate."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Labour's Brexit conundrum
The Explainer Keir Starmer backs 'twin track' strategy – build closer security ties with EU while ruling out single market, customs union and free movement
By The Week UK Published
-
6 scenic white water rafting destinations to get your heart racing
The Week Recommends Have a rip-roaring time on the water
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Dangerous substances in Lunchables are raising concerns over children's health
In the Spotlight High levels of lead and sodium were recently found in the snack packages
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published