Ah, early, pre-scammer scandal Grey’s. Was there ever a better show about a group of inexplicably attractive young doctors sharing a house in Seattle? In this episode, Izzie (Katherine Heigl) relatably stresses over making Thanksgiving absolutely perfect while her roommates hide out at the hospital to avoid her mounting anxiety; plus, we get to watch sweet George (T.R. Knight) being very bad at shooting a turkey.
Ahead of Her Maiden Saturday Night Live Hosting Gig, 21 Vintage Pictures of the Indomitable Jean Smart
I’m going to admit something here: I have never, not once, been normal about Jean Smart. Not when I was first introduced to her, as the voice of Kim Possible’s mom, on the Disney Channel; not when I saw her in Mare of Easttown; and not when I interviewed her and her Hacks costar Hannah Einbinder about the show’s third season and was so drawn in by their effortless wit that I tried too hard to be part of it and definitely came off very weird (sorry, ladies). Now, at 73 years old, Smart is set to host Saturday Night Live for the first time, and I, for one, will be seated.
Even to normal people, though, Smart is something of an acting legend; she first broke out playing Charlene Frazier Stillfield on your aunt’s (and my) favorite show Designing Women, and she has no fewer than six Emmys to her name for her performances on Frasier, Samantha Who?, and Hacks. (I also just found out via Wikipedia that Smart is a maternal descendant of Dorcas Hoar, one of the last women convicted of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. Iconic lineage alert!) As the show celebrates its 50th anniversary, it’s shaping up to be a discourse-heavy SNL season, what with the presidential election forthcoming and the likes of John Mulaney and Chappell Roan due to appear. But personally, all I need in this life is Smart’s opening monologue.
Watch her already-hilarious SNL promo above, and then check out 21 vintage photos that prove Jean Smart has always been the coolest, hottest woman alive (in a way that not even the pervasive perm trend of the 1980s could damage):
15 Thoughts I Had Listening to Harlequin
Little Monsters are currently being fed. Not only does Lady Gaga have a starring role in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux, in which she plays Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, but she has also just released a concept album in honor of the film. Titled Harlequin, the surprise record, made up of songs featured in the movie, was produced entirely by Gaga and her fiancé, Michael Polansky.
So, to celebrate the new release, who better than a serious Gaga stan (moi) to react to the album in real time? Below, my 15 takeaways from Harlequin.
1. Before we dive in, it’s worth setting up Gaga’s role in Joker a little bit. She plays Lee Quinzel, a deranged fan of the Joker’s who falls in love with him. A press release has described the movie as an “exploration of the raw, emotional complexity of a woman who thrives in chaos, a genre-defying force who cannot be contained.” I am predicting that the music will delve into this twisted love story—the tale of two lonely souls uniting. But who knows!
With ‘I’ll Be There,’ Jin Transforms From Pop Star to Full-On Rock Star
For members of the BTS Army, June 2025—when all seven members of the acclaimed Korean boy band will finally reunite after serving in the military—can’t come quickly enough. Yet with “I’ll Be There,” a new single from Jin (who completed his service over the summer), the fandom has something else to celebrate.
Like former boy-bander Harry Styles before him, Jin appears to be shifting from pop into the world of rock. As a ’90s baby, it’s no surprise that he has a soft spot for the genre: a playlist of his favorite songs on Spotify includes “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls (as well as selections from The Fray and Styles himself); and prior to enlisting in 2022, the singer released his debut single, “The Astronaut,” co-written with one of his music mentors, Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Two years later, Jin’s latest single—released ahead of his debut solo album, Happy, out on November 15—continues that trajectory. If with “The Astronaut,” he penned a love letter to his fans (whom he described as his “universe”), in “I’ll Be There,” Jin doubles down on his devotion.
As the singer exclusively tells Vogue, “I’m excited to be back and I hope my fans love this song as much as I do.” We’re sure they will: While the track’s lyrics are mostly sung in Korean, Jin’s emotions sit right at the surface, especially when he urges, in one catchy chorus: “I swear I will always sing for you. Sing for you, I’ll be there for you.” The song’s closing message is just as heartfelt, with the singer pleading in Korean that should his fans ever feel sad or alone and need to lean on someone, he will “always be there.” The outro, meanwhile, recalls the catchy rhythmic clapping in Anna Kendrick’s hit 2013 song “Cups” from Pitch Perfect.
The accompanying music video shows Jin busking with his band in a parking lot, imagining the BTS star as a humble, up-and-coming talent. In reality, of course, he has already entered the stratosphere.
An Immersive New Exhibition at London’s Lightroom Considers the History of the Runway Show
“Vogue: Inventing the Runway,” an immersive new exhibition exploring the history of the modern runway show, will open this fall at Lightroom in London.
With the space’s astonishing four-story-tall walls as a backdrop, from November 13 through April 26, 2025, visitors can experience and interact with era-defining runway presentations up close, and at an unprecedented scale. The exhibition’s production will combine animation, state-of-the-art sound design, and a score of classical and pop music to evoke the many iconic shows that have helped shape the cultural landscape.
“At Vogue, we’ve been lucky enough over the decades to see many incredible runway shows, which have often told the story of fashion as much as the clothes themselves,” says Anna Wintour, chief content officer, Condé Nast, and global editorial director, Vogue. “This Lightroom experience is a wonderful opportunity for a lot more people to experience first-hand the thrill of watching the history of fashion unfold right in front of them.”
Extending from the intimate couture salons of early 20th-century Europe to the mass-media extravaganzas of today, “Inventing the Runway” connects the past to the present and future of fashion, utilizing Vogue’s extensive archive and contributor network to create an experience that unites the industry’s leading creative voices.
With a robust mix of participating fashion houses, including Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Chanel, Comme des Garçons, Dior, Iris Van Herpen, Marc Jacobs, Thom Browne, and Yohji Yamamoto, the exhibition will examine how fashion shows became the ultimate statement of a designer’s vision.
Tickets to “Vogue: Inventing the Runway” are available now.
Vogue Club has teamed up with Lightroom London to give you 20% savings on tickets, learn more.
Megan Thee Stallion’s Boss Moves: The Megastar Rapper on Her New Documentary, New Music, New Tequila, and More
Consider that Pete is doing all of this while flying solo, having departed her former record label in 2023 (after she sued it for fraud and breach of contract). It’s a bit like her stallion has transformed into a Pegasus—and she’s relishing these new heights.
Kamala Harris Just Made a Surprise Pre-Election Cameo on Saturday Night Live
“I don’t really laugh like that, do I?” Harris later asked, good-humoredly, before she and Rudolph launched into a mutual pump-up speech about the election. Then, the two took the stage side by side. “I’m voting for us,” Rudolph-as-Harris told the actual vice president, before they shouted the show’s signature “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” tagline directly into the camera. (In addition to Harris’s cameo, SNL alum Andy Samberg also reprised his role as Harris’s besotted husband, Doug Emhoff, in the sketch; Dana Carvey, Jim Gaffigan, and James Austin Johnson were back to play President Joe Biden, Gov. Tim Walz, and Donald Trump, respectively; and current cast member Bowen Yang once again transformed into J.D. Vance.)
You Need to Know Tia Wood, a Stylish Native Singer on the Rise
Though she just released her first single last month, Indigenous singer Tia Wood has been steadily gaining fans since early 2020. The 25-year-old first amassed a following on TikTok, where she often champions her Cree and Salish heritage through songs on the app (she has more than two million followers). Now, she’s ready to bring her unique sound to the mainstream music scene with the release of two new tracks: “Dirt Roads” and “Losing Game”—her first singles since officially signing with Sony Music last year. “It’s been really relieving to finally pour a piece of my heart out into the world after keeping people waiting for so long,” Wood tells Vogue. “I’m so thankful for all the love and support we’ve been getting on these first two tracks. Little Tia cannot believe it still!”
Hailing from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada, Wood was always destined to make music. Growing up, she often toured the powwow trails, where she would sing and dance with her family—some of whom are members of the Grammy Award–winning group Northern Cree. After sharing her singing on TikTok, she quickly attracted the attention of Sony Music, becoming one of the first Indigenous women signed to the label. “It was honestly surreal,” says Wood. “I still have trouble processing it sometimes. Growing up with lack of representation made it feel impossible to dream dreams such as this, and to be one of the first Indigenous women signed with my label is something I could’ve only dreamed of as a child.”
The Charmed Lives of Art Dogs
When I meet Fiona via video chat, the pitbull-retriever mix is standing innocently on a painting in progress on Leslie Martinez’s Dallas studio floor. It’s startling to see, but the artist is unfazed. “She walks around on all this stuff—she lives with it,” says Martinez. “I work in a way that is very unprecious. Anybody could just walk all over the material, and that’s fine.”
Artists with dogs quickly learn the necessity of being unprecious with their artworks, according to the seven rapidly rising artists Vogue spoke with recently. But for the most part, these art dogs implicitly understand to steer clear of the works; mishaps are rare. And what they supply artists seems to equal or surpass the care or attention they demand.
When it comes to going on walks, for example, “there’s value to the interruption,” says Martinez; they are more of a generative interlude than an unwelcome disruption. “I can get inspiration from the light or little things shimmering on the ground and come back with a refreshed sense of energy.” Or as Brooklyn artist Dominique Fung puts it of her dog: “He breaks me out of my thought patterns. If I didn’t have a dog, I would just spiral.”
In fact, many say dogs bring them back to their humanity. New York artist Jean Shin calls her dog “a reminder of how we all as a species need fresh water or air or a break. We, as artists, often think of just the work, and in the flow, hours pass and we realize we haven’t moved our bodies or taken a break. Seeing him take pleasure in watching birds or chasing things or smelling—to be aware of our surroundings, to play, those are all things we all need but sacrifice for our work.” Los Angeles artist rafa esparza adds: “As artists, we can easily get absorbed into the studio. A dog that shows you unconditional love and needs that in return has been a humbling, grounding experience.”
Many artists credit their dogs for instituting a healthier work-life balance. “After hour four or so, she starts whining,” says Chicago artist Yvette Mayorga of her dog. “It’s actually helpful because I can be such a workaholic and not listen to my body. She helps set the boundaries.”