Met Gala Co-Chairs Pharrell, A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, and Lewis Hamilton are Vogue’s May Cover Stars!

17 Apr 2025 · 37 min

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Podcast Summary: The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode Title

Met Gala Co-Chairs Pharrell, A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, and Lewis Hamilton are Vogue’s May Cover Stars!

Episode Description In anticipation of the upcoming Met Gala, Vogue released four special covers for its May 2025 issue featuring this year's co-chairs: A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, and Pharrell Williams. In this episode, hosts Chloe Malle and Chioma Nnadi discuss the behind-the-scenes processes involved in creating these stories, featuring insights from Vogue editors Leah Faye Cooper and Marley Marius.

Key Highlights and Discussions

Opening Conversations

  • Choma's New Cover: Choma discusses the recent cover featuring Billie Eilish, shot by Johnny Dufort, which included celebrity friends submitting questions for Eilish.
  • Leah's Attendance at the WNBA Draft: Leah shares insights from the WNBA draft, highlighting the standout fashion moments and the buzz around star player Paige Beckers.

Current Events in Fashion

  • Coachella 2025: The hosts discuss celebrity sightings and the fashion energy at Coachella, alongside Choma's memories of her first visit to the festival.
  • Fashion Events: Chioma mentions a significant conversation with Sarah Burton and the exciting news about Jean-Paul Gaultier's new creative director, Duran Lantink.

The Main Event

May Issue Covers

  • Cohesive Theme: The May issue was noted for its strong thematic representation, aligning perfectly with the Met exhibition.
  • Cover Stars: Featuring Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, and Lewis Hamilton.

Cover Star Insights

Pharrell Williams

  • Interview Highlights: Chioma describes her memorable interview with Pharrell, including a moment where he was composing music for John Legend in his office.
  • Personal Life: Pharrell's balancing act between his music career and family life in Paris was highlighted, along with discussions about the Met Gala's cultural significance.

A$AP Rocky

  • Photoshoot Anecdote: Leah shares her experiences during the photoshoot at Langston Hughes' former residence, including interactions with Rocky’s grandmother and his casual demeanor.
  • Family Man: A$AP Rocky's close relationship with his family and his role as a father was emphasized, showcasing his down-to-earth personality.

Colman Domingo

  • Interview Experience: Marley’s interview with Domingo revealed his charm and humor, along with his deep connection to his late mother and her influence on his career.
  • Comedic Talent: Domingo's upcoming work in comedy was highlighted, showcasing his versatility as an actor.

Lewis Hamilton

  • Conversation Insights: Leah describes her virtual interview with Hamilton, noting his humble beginnings and the significant influence of fashion on his racing career.
  • Met Gala Excitement: Hamilton expressed his enthusiasm about co-chairing the Met Gala and his commitment to changing the perception of F1 racing through his approach to fashion.

Key Takeaways

  • The episode illustrated the deep connections and personal stories behind each cover star, revealing their individuality beyond their public personas.
  • Discussions highlighted the intersection of fashion, culture, and personal identity as each star prepares for the upcoming Met Gala.
  • The theme of family and personal growth was a recurring motif, reflecting how their backgrounds shaped their current paths in life.

Conclusion The episode serves as a celebration of creativity, personal stories, and the unique ways in which these cover stars express themselves through fashion and art. The hosts provided an engaging and insightful look into what makes the Met Gala and its co-chairs significant in contemporary culture.

Production Credits

  • Produced By: Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma, and Joanna Solitaroff
  • Engineered By: Jake Loomis, Luke Mosley, and James Yost
  • Mixed By: Mike Kutchman
  • Executive Producer: Stephanie Karaoke
  • Head of Global Audio: Chris Bannon

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Transcript

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0:28This is The Run Through. I'm Chloe Mao. joined by features editor Marley Marius and style director Leah Faye Cooper. And Choma, Marley and Leah are scribes of this month's cover article. So we are very excited to get into it. But first, before I even tell you who the covers are, Choma, I want to talk about your new cover that dropped yesterday. yeah we had the divine um billy eilish uh on our cover shot by johnny dufort um it was it was a really really fun shoot and we actually invited a ton of like her friends like mostly famous to interview her to submit questions oh that's cute yes you had ariana grande scissor nikki minaj it was like a whole what was the best question oh that's a tough one Michaela Cole was like asking like whether she flosses or uses mouthwash first or something.

1:27And it was so interesting. Oh my goodness. I was like, I never thought to ask a celebrity that, but it's a great question. It is a great question. Give us your dental hygiene routine. Literally. There's good stuff in there. Leah, you went to the WNBA draft. Which has become a big moment. Yes. What set the scene? I feel like Choma has no idea what we're talking about. Okay. It was really fun. So the WNBA draft is when, you know, college players get selected by teams in the WNBA. There's been a lot of buzz and hype around Paige Beckers, who had a really phenomenal career at UConn, which has long been a women's basketball powerhouse.

2:12Her time there was really up and down because she had a lot of injuries, but she capped it off by winning the national championship with her team last Sunday, which was exciting. So fast forward to yesterday. And she was there. All of her teammates came to support. Everyone looked great. There was a lot of suiting, a lot of sparkle on the orange carpet. They do an orange carpet. Because the basketball is orange? You know, I never thought of that, but probably. Oh, I was thinking, Sanders. Oh, I was thinking. But it was fun. It was great. And it was, you know, the young women were really excited.

2:50Ooh, my top outfit. Paige wore two in her second. She wore this, like, black Louis Vuitton suit. And she just wore the blazer with the pants and, like, a bunch of diamond necklaces, which I thought looked really cool. And then there was another player who I'm drawing a blank on her name. But she had like she had like culottes, like really big black shorts and then like a blazer that kind of had some threads hanging off of it. I really liked the suiting. There was a lot of of cool suit moments. Oh, getting ready for Tailored for You. Yes. Excellent. We also are in the throes of Coachella, which Choma told us all about her first trip to Coachella last week.

3:36which I was delighted to be seated for that trip down memory lane. I've never been to Coachella. I can't do. It would never even occur to me. I can't do an outdoor festival. Well, a lot of people did. It had very big celeb energy at Coachella last weekend. I'm excited to see what Weekend 2 will bring, because really, what could be better than Timothee Chalamet in a trucker hat and an enormous travel backpack? Laya Garcia Furtado said she wants a piece on what Timmy puts inside his camping backpack at Coachella. See, that's why I can't do it. There's too many things that I need access to to be just out in the desert.

4:19Yeah. I do wonder how they do it. Where are they actually staying, one wonders? Kylie's not staying out there. It's crazy. No, she's not. No way. I think they stay in somewhere fancy, like, off-site. But still, while you're there, like, I need to travel. I don't know. It's a lot. But yeah, other highlights, people were gagged for Gaga. Bernie Sanders came on stage with Claro, which was my personal favorite cameo. I know. Wow. Claro's so cool. I love Bernie. Me too. Now I love Claro. I know. Such a great flex. Kind of a dreamy duo. I want what they have. Literally. Choma, what is happening in London?

5:02um last night we had sarah burton do the oh right light yeah light room conversations with sarah mower sarah squared yes exactly it was sarah squared it was great i mean you know sarah burton rarely does this kind of appearance but sarah had some wonderful stories I mean, she talked about interviewing with Lee McQueen in Shoreditch when I guess it was like a tiny, tiny, tiny office. And maybe he had two employees or one employee. And the question that Lee asked was the first question was, do you believe in UFOs? That was the kind of like, yes. Oh, my God. I should start including that to podcast guest questions.

5:53Coleman Domingo. Do you believe in UFOs? Big news. Jean-Paul Gaultier, after having a very successful rotation of designers fronting at his house, has tapped Duran Lantink as his permanent creative director, which is something that people had been whispering about. But it does feel like this exciting moment. I feel like I went to Duran's show. Did you see the bouncing boobies? I saw The Bouncing Boobies. It was one of my favorite shows because it was so creepy. It was at an actual working French office and they had these performance artists pretending to staple, actually stapling and type things sitting at cubicles.

6:39but they were also opera singers. So they were singing in sort of low operatic, like Philip Glass-esque tones. Okay, love. And then all of these subverted workwear ensembles came down these steps and including enormous silicone breasts and... On a man. Yes, on a man. And suit pants that were assless chaps. Anyway, so excited to see what Duran will do. We are going to take a short break. We'll be back in a moment.

7:31You come to the New Yorker Radio Hour for conversations that go deeper with people you really want to hear from, whether it's Bruce Springsteen or Questlove or Olivia Rodrigo, Liz Cheney, or the godfather of artificial intelligence, Jeffrey Hinton, or some of my extraordinarily well-informed colleagues at The New Yorker. So join us every week on The New Yorker Radio Hour wherever you listen to podcasts.

8:04All right. The main event are four May covers, which we really the entire May issue, I thought, did a wonderful job of having a cohesive theme being the Met issue in a way that we often try to do. But sometimes some random theater opening gets in the way and throws off a theme. And this issue, I felt like, had a really strong through line addressing the Met exhibition this year. the four cover stars are also our met co-chairs Pharrell Williams ASAP Rocky Coleman Domingo and Lewis Hamilton Choma I read your Pharrell story this morning it is so fun I love the opener did that actually happen I feel like that was like tailor-made for an interview lead right set the scene for us I have really good luck with these things I don't know what it is because I am not a person I need color I need there to be like I need things to be happening I'm not someone who can write around a story and literally I walked into the offices and I hear his dulcet tones like floating over from where I'm sitting in like waiting uh just outside the studio he literally was there singing like he is incredible wow what was he singing he was singing a song that he was composing for um john legend wow yeah i went to louis vuitton hq um which is directly opposite the point neuf where um pharrell staged his first historic show i mean it was basically maybe the biggest kind of fashion show paris has ever seen or at least there's never show on the porn nerve and it was quite a it's quite an epic flex and there was an amazing choir and i mean everybody who was anybody was there it's like jay-z beyonce rihanna i think asap rocky everybody was there so it's pretty incredible to walk into his office that overlooks the porn nerve and kind of imagine what that scene must have been like and then his kids had their micro scooters propped up by the door and he was like and as i was leaving like he'd ordered some food too so it was like you know you get to see kind of glimpses of someone's everyday life and and obviously like he's moved his family to paris and i know rocket his son goes to uh the american school with my nieces oh that's so cute oh really it's so crazy that he has a team yeah i know he says that they're learning french much more quickly than he is but he's trying and like i I think he's always seen Paris as like a kind of a second home or a kind of like home away from home.

10:50And he has a big community there. And it was really cool just hearing him talk about how he balances his day. You know, he basically is in the studio making music and then grabs on it, like jumps on his skateboard and zooms across the office and is talking to the design team and the marketing team and the merchandising. It's a huge operation. And he arrived and basically they sort of started remodeling the entire office to sort of suit this kind of work. His creative process and his creative flow, the fact that he balances these two very big creative pursuits at once. and they're still sort of they're about a year in but they're still renovating the space but it was very cool I mean I find he's definitely I just find him to be so the way that his brain works is very fascinating I think he's probably he even said to me like this is this is focus ADHD because I was like how do you do it like switching from one discipline to the next and he's just like it's like focus ADHD like I'm I'm really I I'm thinking a mile a minute but having to focus is really like having to sort of like channel my energy is is really how i how i get it done yeah um but yeah it was cool that morning he'd just come from being with the the french president being with macron um and he was he was dressed in uh you know the way he he's always in the flared jeans and we talked actually a lot about the super bowl because he felt that what kendrick did was such an agenda setting thing and such an amazing moment for the culture and he just said i want the met to be on that level like the met needs to be on that level um and no it didn't make it i didn't i i didn't didn't make it into the piece but we had a very interesting conversation about about kendrick and obviously i had to point out that he like he wore those fled he wore the let's be honest i love the way you described um his outfit for meeting president macron which was a blue logo of Vuitton sweatshirt with tricolor embroidery and flare jeans and his rose gold aviator glasses.

12:58But then you said it's his classic style, which speaks to an intuitive personal style, easy American swagger laced with Gallic savoir faire, which I think really nails it. Did I write that? Yes. I wrote that. Pop that Prada collar, girl. Sometimes I surprise myself. I'm not that stupid after all. Leah's story, I'm like, not worthy. It was really good. It was for you. Thank you. Leah, set the scene for the ride. Oh, my goodness. So, well, let me say the original plan was to go to the photo shoot towards the end, observe a bit of that, and then Rocky and I were going to go to some restaurant or cafe that he was going to pick in Harlem that he liked to go to.

13:45That is not what happened. I got there. It was amazing. We shot at Langston Hughes, former residence. What is that now? A woman lives there. This fabulous doctor lives there. She bought the house in the 80s. And because it's historic from time to time, she allows people to tour and to shoot there. But it's a private residence. So the base of the shoot was right across the street at a church. And there were like tons. I mean, there were Dalmatians in the shoot. So there were like dog handlers. And then there was like the police there because we were shooting outside. There was lots of expensive jewelry on set.

14:29So every jewelry house had like a jewelry guard there. He had brought he collects like vintage Louis Vuitton and and Goyard truck trunks. So those were all there. So there was a lot going on, but it was a really very upbeat atmosphere. His grandmother came towards the end of the shoot to be in some photos with him, which was just... Those pictures were just so adorable. So sweet. Kathy. Tell us about Kathy. I mean, just just a delight. Just so sweet. So proud of her grandson. Loves Harlem. Refuses to leave her small Harlem apartment that she's lived in for 20 something years. um you know he was telling her he's like you you do not have to live here and she's like i like it here you know like why would i why would i spend so much why would i spend so much more money on red and he was like because your grandson's asap rocky that's why um but no grandma you want to stay here it's fine um she was delight so um yeah so after the shoot i guess you know everyone was like, okay, where are you guys going to do the interview?

15:46And he was like, oh, I have to take my grandma home. So Leah should just, you know, come with me. That's amazing. So we rode to his grandmother's house and we sat in the living room for a bit and she, you know, talked about what he was like growing up. He's a self-professed grandma's boy. He said that he just loved being with his grandma. They watched cartoons. That was their thing. and he was just like always with her. Kathy loves Rihanna, as we all do. I love that. Well, they're both Bajan. Yes, they are. I noticed that. When you get on her couch, she has like a Bajan flag pillow like right front and center.

16:26And she was like, yes, like I think she's a wonderful person. She's so down to earth. I'm so happy that that's who he settled down with. Grandma's approval is everything. I love that. It was really sweet. And he also shared that he stays there quite often, like in the room that he used to stay in. Wow. So, yeah, he likes being up there, spending time with her. Took a quick stop at the bodega afterwards. What was he buying? He was buying a peanut chew and... Marley's face right now. I mean, I am allergic to peanuts, but also ew. Yeah. he's like a peanut chew and i think we i think that he was i think he needed a lighter refresher maybe um but that was funny everyone like everywhere we went people were like yo asap and he was very like gregarious very happy to speak to everyone like you know taking pictures really friendly um the guy in the bodega was like wow you look like asap rocky um and he was like I get it's like I get that a lot and then someone came in and asked for a photo and the guy was like oh wait it is you um oh that's hilarious so from the bodega we went to Tyler Mitchell's exhibit which was nice Tyler had shot the story and then he met us downtown um in his exhibit and gave us a walkthrough which was really stunning and then from there we went to Soho House um where he kind of set up shop to like work on some music um and he when he's you know doing that recording someplace um he likes to kind of outfit the room like so that it looks like his essentially so he basically like decorated like this whole space in soho house he decorated the suite like he had like his trunks there he had like this this furry cactus coat rack that he had designed um he has this growing collection of toys because he's constantly buying toys for his little boys

18:43constantly buying toys for his sons um who he also he talked about both rihanna and his kids a lot a family man like really really really loves being a dad and apparently he dresses them all himself well he said that he said that Rihanna buys most of the clothes but she dresses them like him oh my god so cute oh my god that is so cute but that also he's like you know my kids he's like my kids are not like you know wearing Fendi every day like they're kids like they're not like they're running around outside you know in undershirts, you know, just like other little kids. Yeah, it was a good time.

19:28And it was one of those, he's just very, you know, after we chatted for a bit and then I was like, okay, like, thank you so much. And he was like, what? Like, you didn't even eat dinner. Oh my God. I ordered some food. So we like ate. And then again, I was like, thank you so much. He was like, what? My homeboy's about to come over. You got to meet him. And there was just this like, you know, throughout the day, like there, you know, people who, you know, like he really surrounds himself with like friends and collaborators. And so I met a lot of those people. So there was one person who's on his management team.

20:09um he had a photographer uh with him um his assistant and then um and then a few like longtime friends like were in and out and he was also just hanging out with like random soho house people right yes so so this is interesting so after we uh had our italian food that he had ordered um we what was his order it was so delicious actually it was um It's like orichetti. Because he's vegan, isn't he? He's totally plant-based. Well, he's plant-based. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it was an orichetti and then like a ravioli. They were both really delicious. And then, yeah, we were upstairs just hanging out. And it was getting late.

20:56So there weren't a ton of people there. But the people who were there, you could notice everyone was like, you know, looking like, is that ASAP? Like, it was very obvious that people were like, is that ASAP Rocky? Like, what is he doing here? What's going on? And so we migrated to the pool table and slowly people just started to walk up because he, the vibe was very inviting, I would say. Like, it was very inviting. And I think everyone's intuition was correct because people walked up and he was like, hey, you want to play pool? And so he's playing pool with someone who just happened to be at Soho House.

21:36and then he was like, you guys want to play Crazy 8s. We play this all the time, him and his friends, a card game. So we're playing Crazy 8s, and again, people are kind of milling over, and he's looking at them, and he's like, you guys want me to deal you in? Do you know how to play Crazy 8s? You don't know how to play? I'll teach you. I didn't know, but he taught me, and I won the third. The stress of learning a card game during an interview? I would die. No. It's actually quite easy to learn, and I won the third hit. Stop. Which was exciting. Um, but yeah, it was, it was a good time. He's just a very like open.

22:10I, you know, I've been telling people like he's very good at being famous. He just is himself and just people are, you know, interested in talking to him or looking at him. He kind of doesn't really let it faze him. He just like goes about his day. Um, but yeah, it was a, it was a, it was a good time. I also love that in addition to being a fan of Rihanna Grandma Kathy has a crush on Coleman Domingo Grandma Kathy brought up Coleman Domingo on several occasions Hysterical And yes she is a big fan She said she loves him I hope she gets to meet him I do too I feel like somehow that can be arranged Yeah that needs to happen Well Molly you got to meet coleman i certainly did tell us about your coleman well it's funny to hear you describe like yeah asap rock rocky is like being good at being famous and kind of engaging people because that's kind of the way coleman was too we had lunch in chelsea because he was staying at the hotel chelsea because he likes it he likes how kind of like uh homey it feels cozy like elegant but like not sort of fussy or precious because that's kind of his vibe too like he lives really well but is also like very friendly and down to earth and like every member of the hotel staff greeted him at like all times like it's obvious he spent a lot of time there and is like really kind to people and they love having him and he loves being there and it was we had i mean it was like we had lunch for like an hour and i go into interviews feeling really nervous every single time but literally at the end of this interview i was like that was fun i was like that's such a crazy thing to say to someone but I was like this was I feel like we were just vibing like we were just kind of hanging out for an hour talking about his childhood in Philadelphia and talking about like the shows and like movies I love that you picked out his mother's wigs I know that part was just I was like I almost I'm disused I like expired the way that he described it was hilarious because I was like were other siblings doing that and he was like no he was like that was a special thing between me and Edith like that was like my special treat I was like, that's hysterically funny.

24:28But yes, he was really, I mean, I think his mother died in maybe 2006 or something. But he brings her up a lot because I think he was super, they were really close. She was so supportive of his career, kind of wanted him to do pretty much everything that he's doing now. And he named his production company after her because I think he really kind of carries like the support that he got from her and the belief that he had from her with him all the time. Like, he's a really, like, thoughtful and sort of intentional and sort of, like, purposeful-seeming person. I think he's had, like, a lot of time to, like, learn how to be a professional in this business, to, like, learn how to, like, talk to people and learn how to, like, you know, enter a room with, like, a, you know, compelling energy.

25:14Really, he's been, you know, he's been working since the 90s, even though he's, you know, only really become really famous over the last couple of years. and yeah I think he kind of wears that experience really well and and I mean I feel like all kind of award season when he was promoting Sing Sing which is I don't think enough people saw it's like a really genuinely a very good really sweet movie with like really amazing um supporting terms from the cast most of which were formerly incarcerated men um but he was like extremely charming all season like his variety actors on actors interview with Kieran Culkin was like something everyone was obsessed with because they were just vibing for an hour it was everyone was just kind of like listening in on a hang, them talking about astrology and like skincare.

25:56And yeah, and he's, you know, incredibly well-dressed, really dashing. He was wearing, when I met him, a like huge, like oversized, like white shirt and jewelry and a baseball cap, which again, it was like obviously put together, but like cool, casual, not trying super hard. It's obvious that he just like knows how to like carry himself. And he's impeccably, I mean, the haircut, very precise but also not seeming like he tries that hard the skin routine I feel like it's just being like unbothered and like moving with purpose gardening and being in love consistently for many many years him and his husband are goals and them meet cute we're obsessed the misconnection To be heard on a future podcast.

26:51Yeah. Okay. In detail. There you go. Yeah. I can't wait to hear that. The Run-Through will be back in a moment.

27:09Hi, I'm Rebecca Ford, senior awards correspondent at Vanity Fair and co-host of Little Gold Men. Oscar season is upon us. Little Gold Men takes you behind the scenes of the race for the biggest prize in Hollywood. There's a hundred wrestlers in the room, but only one can be Oscar nominated. Whether you're a movie lover or an industry buff, Little Gold Men from Vanity Fair has everything you need to know about this year's Oscar race. Follow and listen to Little Gold Men wherever you get your podcasts.

27:46Leah, tell us about Lewis. Yeah, well, first, it was on Zoom. I was in my downtown Manhattan studio apartment, like zero natural sunlight. I looked like I was like in a kidnapper's basement. And then he comes on Zoom and it's like this gleaming London home. Oh, my God. There's two Vasquiat's in the background. Oh, my God. Perfectly in frame. That's crazy. Perfectly in frame. He looks, you know, just as, you know, dapper as he does when you see him on television. But, yeah, it was a really nice conversation. I mean, he talked a lot about, you know, coming from very humble beginnings and his father being really adamant about the way he presented himself in him really having to conform to fit into this world of racing.

28:42And I think one of my favorite parts was that he said, which, I mean, is a move that many of us have tried before. I certainly did when I was a teenager, is leaving the house in one outfit and then changing into a different one. And then having to put on the original outfit before you go back home. So funny. So he talked a lot about that. Kind of giving Bend It like Beckham. Sorry, please go on. And, you know, he spoke about how his influences were like MTV. So the whole like MTV, NBET, just music videos in general, the TRL 106 and Park era was really influential in the way that he dressed. But yeah, I mean, he's very excited about co-chairing this Met Gala and obviously really, really, really loves fashion, really loves, you know, a celebration of Black excellence and is very delightful to speak to.

29:46I like the detail of him like washing cars in his neighborhood and using that money to like go to thrift stores to get Tommy Hilfiger. Yes. The hustle was real. It was. But I was very thematic. Always cars. Indeed. Brand consistency. Indeed. Vehicle consistency. And he really has like, you know, he really has changed the face of the sport in that way. Because the way that he dresses was literally not allowed. Like, there was a very, very, very strict F1 dress codes when he started, and he talked a bit about kind of chipping away. Like, okay, then they said that I could, like, finally wear my own pants.

30:30Like, okay, then they said I could wear, like, my own shirt. and how he's kind of like going back and forth with these powers that be being like, listen, like we got to feel good about ourselves. Like I need to be able to turn up the way that I want to turn up. Like it's important to me. And in the long run, this is going to be good for the sport, you know, in general. And I definitely think he's proven that point. Ladies, what was the most surprising thing you learned about each cover star? hmm anything you didn't expect i was kind of watching coleman's stuff um in preparation for our interview some of which i'd kind of already seen like i i was i knew that he'd been in euphoria and i remember him from euphoria but i was kind of watching his more recent things and truly hours before i met him i saw screeners for his new netflix series the four seasons which is a it's like Tina Fey has adapted this Alan Alda comedy from like 81 or something into a miniseries.

31:34And it's so charming. And he's like, you kind of know that he's funny. Like you get a sense that he has a sense of humor, but this is probably his first time doing a proper comedy in quite some time. And he's like properly funny. Like he, that cast has like Will Forte and Steve Carell and Tina Fey and he stands up to them so easily. This is boring, but And I am like, he's extremely funny. That's what I learned. He's like a great comedic actor besides everything else. That's how it may. Okay, ASAP, I was really taken aback by how perceptive he is. This is a funny story. I got to the shoot and we introduced, like I introduced myself to him.

32:17We chatted. And then about like two hours later, he was like, you know, we've met before, right? And I was like, no, I don't think so. And he's like, we've met before. And I was like, I think that I would remember if we met before. And he was like, OK, OK, OK. Maybe we didn't like formally meet. Like we weren't introduced, but we were definitely like, you know, we were definitely like partying together. Like you don't remember. And when he said this, my mind went back to literally, I want to say 2013, New York Fashion Week. There was a Donna Karan party that was downtown. This was like peak. This was when I was peak party girl.

33:00I was much younger. And I remember there was a performance. And afterwards, I was there with my sister. And somehow, you know, someone who worked there was like, hey, you guys want to come backstage? And we were like, yeah. And we went. And A$AP Rocky was there. But we did not speak to him. We weren't. I mean, we were like, he was like 15 feet away. He was like 15 feet away from us. We did not chat at all. And so when he said that, I was like, there's no way that's what he's talking about. And then immediately he goes, he's like, yeah. He was like, you don't remember? It was like a Fashion Week party, like Wall Street.

33:36That's crazy. Oh my God, that is wild. How do you remember me like that? I was like, are you kidding me? We literally did not speak. Like we were both in the same room. That is shocking. I barely remember my children's birthday. I know. I was like, you were there, right? And he was like, Iggy was there, Rita Ora. I was like, oh my. Wow. I have a funny story about ASAP that he will never remember. Well, before he was famous, I ran into him. Well, I was at an opening ceremony sample sale. Always at a sample sale. I'm always at a sample sale. And I made him try on something in the men's section because he looked like the same size as my then boyfriend.

34:21Oh, that's so funny. He was looking as a fit model. And he was so kind. He just did it. I don't think he was famous or maybe he was like just kind of like. ASAP as Choma's fit model is amazing. I was like, do you mind trying this on? I doubt he will never remember this. But of course, I remember this because he's freaking famous. That's so funny. Wow. Okay, Louis also, this didn't make it into the story, but he told me about his first time meeting Anna at the Met Gala and how he got to the top of the stairs and was so nervous and was like, I need to kiss her hand. Oh, Jesus. That's the proper thing to do.

34:56Oh, no. Wow. He's like, mind you, I literally have never kissed anyone's hand in my life and I don't know what came over me. Did he get down on one day? Did he do it? And so he pulls her hand and she politely is, you know, pulling it back. But he succeeded. And then he was mortified and continued to be mortified and continued to literally hide from her whenever he would see her moving forward. Until years later, he was at Wimbledon and he realized they were sitting next to each other. And he was like, oh, gosh, oh, gosh, oh, gosh. But he said that they said next to each other at Wimbledon and had a fantastic time.

35:40And now they're great friends. Yeah, they're great friends. They're really great friends. But he said for years he avoided her because he was very embarrassed about insisting on kissing her hand. Oh, my God. That's so crazy. Oh, my God. I'm trying to think of a surprise. That tops mine for sure. I one thing that sort of surprised me or I guess I've always kind of like you know Pharrell among other things is also a dad right and I'm always like curious to but he's very private you know he's very private but I think he's a very devoted father much like ASAP so I was trying to get him to talk about parenthood and then I think I sort of struck a nerve because he was just basically like because I was like oh you know tell me about it and he's like well he was like you know I need to give them constructive struggle and i was like what do you mean constructive struggle and i was like i don't want them to be spoiled like we like that's how i've never heard that term yeah he said something and i was like oh my gosh like interesting like constructive struggle yeah all kids needs constructive struggle because they you can't spoil them like whether you're pharrell or whether you're just like joe blogs like because he was like the way i grew up that was like yeah like he didn't have anything so he obviously like he doesn't want he's very he seemed like i was like okay dad yeah yeah that's his next child psychologist perfect yeah yeah so no soft parenting here like he's not making he's like he's making sure his kids like know what hard work means that's amazing that is all right thank you everyone for coming on this show today and uh mazel tov on four fantastic cover stories.

37:25And that's it for the show today. See you all soon.

Read the full transcript

37:39The Run-Through is produced by Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma, and Joanna Solitaroff. It's engineered by Jake Loomis, Luke Mosley, and James Yost. It is mixed by Mike Kutchman. Stephanie Karaoke is our executive producer and Chris Bannon is Condé Nast's head of global audio.

From the publisher

In honor of the upcoming Met Gala, Vogue unveiled four special covers for its May 2025 issue, each featuring one of this year’s co-chairs: A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, and Pharrell Williams. On this Thursday’s episode of The Run-Through, the writers behind the stories—Vogue’s digital style director, Leah Faye Cooper; features editor Marley Marius; and our very own Chioma Nnadi—joined Chloe to share how each one came to be. From playing Crazy Eights with A$AP Rocky at Soho House to previewing new music in Pharrell’s multi-use studio and everything that was left on the cutting room floor, get the inside scoop right here!

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