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."
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?
In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meat
The Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published