Back Row with Amy Odell

Gwyneth Paltrow has long been known for promoting various wellness fads that drive experts crazy. Long before she was publicly singing the praises of raw dairy products, she would publish "detox" diets each January. These were the foundation of Goop's wellness business. In this excerpt from Amy's latest book Gwyneth: The Biography, hear about how Goop began, how its viral diet advice generated great controversy (along with invaluable notoriety) in its early days, and how health and medical experts felt about it all. Get the full Gwyneth audiobook here. Get Gwyneth: The Biography in hardcover or ebook here. Audio excerpt courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio from Gwyneth by Amy Odell, read by Chante McCormick. Copyright © 2025 by Amy Odell. Used with permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What can we glean about Condé Nast's politics from recent current events? Teen Vogue has been shuttered, but Vanity Fair's Trump 2.0 package was a journalistic achievement of the sort rarely seen these days. Anna Wintour is a known Democratic supporter and fundraiser, yet she's been cozying up to the Trump-supporting Bezoses for Met Gala money. Amy Odell is joined by comedians and cultural critics Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, who host the highly addictive and excellent Good Noticings podcast, to figure out what this all says about Condé Nast right now. Plus, Melania Trump’s $40 million documentary, and how it ties back to all of this. Chapters: 0:00 – Welcoming the Good Noticings podcast 0:37 – Vanity Fair’s major Trump 2.0 article and what it says about Condé Nast 4:42 – Anna Wintour is leaning into controversy 6:30 – Why did the Trump team do the Vanity Fair story? 7:15 – Christopher Anderson’s photo spread 8:53 – The discourse around Karoline Leavitt’s lip filler 15:16 – Reacting to Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos sponsoring the Met Gala 25:34 – The fashion relevancy of Melania Trump’s $40 million documentary 29:26 – Would Vogue put Melania on the cover? Speculation! 33:06 – How will controversy affect the Met Gala’s future? Links & Resources: Good Noticings Podcast Apple⁠⁠ Spotify TikTok: @goodnoticingspod Instagram: @goodnoticingspodThe Olivia Nuzzi Good Noticings episode Claire Parker Instagram: @clairethescare Ashley Hamilton Instagram: @ashleyhammm Back Row Newsletter ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Amy Odell Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can a 2.5-hour artsy, originally scripted film open at the box office? The Marty Supreme cast is so determined to get us to the theater for this movie that they're wearing full monochromatic orange for promotional appearances. Gwyneth Paltrow is being strategic with her fashion choices in other ways, and helping daughter Apple's prospects in the process. This is the audio version of the Back Row newsletter published Thursday, December 18, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

World-renowned Real Housewives expert Dame Brian Moylan joins Amy Odell on the Back Row podcast to talk about Rachel Zoe's debut on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! They analyze what Rachel and Bravo gain from her joining the cast and why fashion people are so eager to get on this show. Then they recap all of Rachel's scenes in the first two episodes of season 15, and do some investigative journalism on Mauricio "Mo" Umansky's disturbing Chanel couch. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro to Dame Brian Moylan 02:41 - Why did Rachel join the cast? 07:26 - Why fashion people are joining Real Housewives 11:09 - Recapping Rachel's scenes in episode 1 12:38 - DOES MAURICIO HAVE A CHANEL COUCH? 13:28 - Why are all the Birkins unclasped? 27:11 - Rachel and Roger's shocking split 33:22 - Rachel cooks bacon and eggs 36:00 - What is Rachel implying about Roger's girlfriend?! FOR PART TWO OF THIS PODCAST, sign up for Back Row Premium in ⁠Apple⁠ or ⁠Spotify⁠. In part two, Brian and Amy recap RHOBH season 15 episode 2 and play the game "Cast or Pass," in which Amy gives Brian a fashion person and he decides whether or not to fantasy cast them as Real Housewives. Links & Resources: Back Row newsletter Follow Amy on Instagram Brian Moylan Instagram RHOBH Vulture recaps The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the audio version of the Back Row newsletter published December 9, 2025. 0:16 - Fashion enters its "great unsettling" 1:47 - Prada Group acquires Versace 2:24 - Broader instability across the fashion industry 4:00 - Loose Threads news roundup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices