The man famous for photographing some of the world’s biggest stars has officially been banned from working with the world’s most iconic magazines.
The news comes via a leaked e-mail obtained by The Telegraph which was circulated within the Condé Nast International media group on Monday, the publishing company which looks after titles like Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair and Wired.
“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”
The e-mail explicitly instructed all of its titles to stop working with Richardson effective immediately with no explanation as to the reason why.
“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,” wrote James Woolhouse, Condé Nast’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.
“Please could you confirm that this policy will be actioned in your market effective immediately. Thank you for your support in this matter.”
Richardson himself is no struggling freelancer. He first made waves alongside a fresh-faced Kate Upton in a viral dance video before gracing his sexually explicit style of photography onto celebrities like Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Blake Lively, Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus – the latter of whom he directed the music video Wrecking Ball for.
During his rise to the top the 52-year-old has been dogged by claims of sexual exploitation of models, an accusation which he has continually denied till today. In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault revelations though it would appear that Richardson himself has become a target irrespective of any fresh claims.
In a recent statement on the matter released to the Huffington Post website before the Condé Nast announcement, Richardson addressed the “rumours” over his conduct and said:
“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.”
As the fallout from the Weinstein saga continues to claim heads, more and more artists are beginning to come out with their own stories of abuse in the industry.
As for the future of Terry Richardson and his signature work? That’s all up in the air at the moment with a Richardson spokesman declining to comment on the issue.