“Devil Wears Prada”'s real-life Emily reacts to 'quite mean' book that inspired movie: 'A betrayal'

Joey NolfiWed, April 29, 2026 at 3:27 PM UTC

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Emily Blunt in 'The Devil Wears Prada'Credit: Barry Wetcher/FoxKey Points -

Celebrity stylist Leslie Fremar shares her reaction to The Devil Wears Prada, the book and movies that were reportedly partially inspired by her time at Vogue.

Fremar previously served as first assistant to Anna Wintour, and worked with Prada author Lauren Weisberger.

"I remember feeling like it was a betrayal," Fremar said on a new podcast episode.

The celebrity stylist who claims she inspired The Devil Wears Prada character Emily has spoken out about what she felt was author Lauren Weisberger's "mean" interpretation of her time working under Anna Wintour at Vogue.

"She's me. I am Emily," celebrity stylist Leslie Fremar told Vogue's Run-Through podcast. Fremar previously worked as first assistant to Wintour, and as she said on the podcast, "definitely told [Weisberger that] a million girls would kill for the job" — a line immortalized by Emily Blunt's snooty character in the 2006 film adaptation of Weisberger's novel.

Celebrity stylist Leslie FremarCredit: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

"It was actually quite mean, the galley, and obviously an editor came in and really softened it," Fremar said in her interview, reflecting on reading the review copy of The Devil Wears Prada she said Wintour acquired before it was published.

"There wasn't this lightness to it. It felt quite dark," Fremar remembered. "I found that quite hurtful. I think what got put into the world is a lighter, nicer version of what she actually wrote."

She added, "I remember feeling like it was a betrayal, at the time. People weren't very public about their jobs," and said "it felt like this exposure" of something that was meant to be private.

When asked what would happen if she ever reunited with Weisberger, Fremar replied, "I think it would be very awkward. I don't hold a grudge towards her, it became something that I don't think she knew that I knew, and I think it would just, there's nothing to be said."

When reached for comment, a representative for Weisberger tells Entertainment Weekly via email, "I can't imagine Lauren would comment about this. She's focused on finishing her next novel and enjoying the rollout of Prada II."

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Anne Hathaway in 'The Devil Wears Prada'Credit: Barry Wetcher/Fox

In a 2021 interview with EW, Weisberger discussed what she said were scenes from the film that felt most accurate to her time at Vogue — fictionalized as Runway magazine for the book and screen versions, where aspiring writer Andy Sachs serves as personal assistant to demanding editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly.

"The scenes where the driver calls and [Miranda is] coming into the office and the entire office breaks into an absolute panic. That is the regular day to day craziness that I think was important to maintain," Weisberger said at the time. "There were a lot of things that skewed very close to reality."

She also claimed that production designer Jess Gonchor "got it really, really close" when basing Miranda's onscreen office on Wintour's real-world one.

Though Fremar had negative feelings about the book, Wintour seemingly came around to it. In a new interview pegged to The Devil Wears Prada 2, returning director David Frankel tells EW that Wintour actually visited the set and filmed a cameo he ended up not using in the final film.

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"Unfortunately, she jumped her cue, so she's a little out of focus in the one shot that we did. I didn't want to call for take two; I didn't know if she had the patience for that!" Frankel remembers. "Twenty years ago, we were not welcomed in that [fashion] world, and over the two decades, all the actors have become friends with Anna, and it's great to be able to collaborate with Vogue."

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is in theaters Friday.

on Entertainment Weekly

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