Photographer Terry Richardson banned from working with Vogue after sexual harassment claims
Fashion photographer Terry Richardson has been banned from working with all Condé Nast International publications, The Telegraph has revealed.
In a leaked email sent by the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, James Woolhouse, publications including Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair have been told to stop all shoots with Richardson.
“I am writing to you on an important matter. Condé Nast would like to no longer work with the photographer Terry Richardson,” the email reads.
“Any shoots that have been commission[ed] or any shoots that have been completed but not yet published, should be killed and substituted with other material.
“Please could you confirm that this policy will be actioned in your market effective immediately. Thank you for your support in this matter.”
Multiple women have accused 52-year-old Richardson of sexual exploitation over the years. He has always denied the allegations.
The photographer’s work is known for being sexually explicit. Not just with models but with mega-famous women including Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga and Kylie Jenner.
In 2013, he directed Cyrus’ infamous ‘Wrecking Ball’ video; something the singer now regrets.
A year later, Anna Wintour’s American Vogue said they had no future plans to work with Richardson.
However, the photographer has still continued to land high-profile jobs. His most recent work for Condé Nast included a shoot in Vogue Paris as well as Alexander Skarsgard’s GQ Germany cover.
Over the weekend,The Sunday Times published a lengthy article questioning the fashion industry’s continued use of Richardson. It comes after Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment by almost 50 women.
Richardson responded to the controversy back in 2014, writing on The Huffington Post: “Like Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton, and so many others before me, sexual imagery has always been a part of my photography.”
“I collaborated with consenting adult women who were fully aware of the nature of the work, and as is typical with any project, everyone signed releases. I have never used an offer of work or a threat of rebuke to coerce someone into something that they did not want to do.”
“I give everyone that I work with enough respect to view them as having ownership of their free will and making their decisions accordingly, and as such, it has been difficult to see myself as a target of revisionist history.”
Last week, a spokesperson for the photographer told The Telegraph: “You are basing a story off of random comments on Instagram and old stories that have already been addressed. Terry is an artist who is known for his sexually explicit work and all of the subjects of his work participated consensually.”
Take a look at some of Richardson’s more controversial celebrity shoots. Warning, some are NSFW.
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