Naomi Campbell slams Anna Wintour in award acceptance speech

Naomi Campbell seemingly cast a shadow over Fashion editor Anna Wintour while receiving the award in New York.

The iconic supermodel, 54, received the Fashion Icon Award at Harlem’s Fashion Row Fashion Show & Style Awards on Tuesday, September 3. Speaking to the crowd as a presenter, Wintour, 74, referred to Campbell, saying, “I’m a very punctual person and I have the honor of presenting tonight to someone who is often late.”

Wintour then left the event and Samira Nasreditor Harper’s Bazaarpresented the award to Campbell on Wintour’s behalf.

“I want to say this. Everything is going to work out the way it does. It wasn’t my choice to have this other woman,” Campbell said on stage, according to footage on social media, apparently referring to Wintour. She then pointed to Nasr, adding, “I would rather have this.”

The women’s statements quickly spread across the Internet and were picked up by TMZwhich reported on Wednesday, September 4 that Campbell was not late for the event, but showed up “at the time she was instructed to by event producers.”

Wintour reportedly moved her presentation earlier in order to attend the US Open in Queens. The legendary magazine editor was spotted in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium later Tuesday.

However, the apparent scheduling mix-up did not stop Wintour and Campbell from complimenting each other.

USA today quoted Wintour, who told the Style Awards audience that Campbell was “bold, intelligent and completely, unapologetically herself.”

She also said that “Naomi is honestly one of the most fearless people I know, a trait that was evident at the very beginning of her career when she began speaking truth to inequality and injustice. And that was at a time when that wasn’t as common.”

Wintour continued, “Naomi’s courage has benefited the entire fashion industry. While I can say that being on the other end of that fearlessness can be — oh, what can I say? Quite exciting? But it’s her honesty that makes her so incredible, a muse and an inspiration to designers.”

That same evening, Campbell praised Wintour for pushing herself early in her modeling career.

“We have to thank Anna Wintour though, because she took the time to come here and present me with the award even though I wasn’t here,” Campbell said. “So thank you, Anna Wintour, for supporting my career since 1987, when I met a young black girl from South London in British Vogue office and taking the risk of doing a photo shoot for me. So thank you for your influence and constant support in promoting fashion.”

Us Weekly reached out to representatives for Campbell and Wintour for comment.

Wintour’s love for tennis runs deep.

Earlier this year, tennis player Roger Federer he only spoke with Us about their twenty-year friendship with her.

“She would invite me to dinners that she always throws for all her friends and their partners and so on,” said Federer, 43. “I realized she was a huge tennis fan. Oh my God, she loves my game. And then she started getting along Mirka, my wife, really good.”

He said Us that she even quit her job to watch his tennis matches.

“We saw each other from time to time, and she started missing some fashion shows to come watch me play at the US Open,” he said, adding, “I could always count on her for incredible advice and she was always more like a friend to me.”

Federer ended his sports career in 2022. During Tuesday’s US Open, the Americans Frances Tiafoe AND Taylor Fritz advanced to the semi-finals.

As for Campbell, the runway icon has been enjoying life as a new mother lately. She confirmed this in a recent interview with Sunday Times that both of her children were greeted by the surrogate“Yes,” she told the website when asked if she had received help in expanding her family.

While she didn’t reveal the names of her daughter and son, whom she welcomed in 2021 and 2023, respectively, Campbell gushed about her two young children. “My kids are everything to me. It’s made me scared for the future,” she said. “I have hope for a better world for my kids. They’re my priority 110 percent. I need to be there for them on their first day of school.”