Not since the days of Truman Capote and his coterie of ‘swans’ has there been a high society beauty with the transatlantic appeal of Apple Martin.
The daughter of American actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Exeter-born Chris Martin of Coldplay has the celebrity credentials, the wealth, the icy blue stare and the bee-stung pout to look the part, and even made her debut at the exclusive Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris last year.
Her big night at the ball sparked accusations that she’s a ‘mean girl’ after she supposedly stole another girl’s thunder by gatecrashing her photo opportunity, and ever since she’s become the nepo baby everyone loves to hate.
Just this week, after landing a new fashion deal as the face of London-based brand self-portrait, Apple once again faced fan scrutiny for using her privileged background and connections to her advantage.
It certainly doesn’t help that her father’s earnest eco-warrior credentials and her mother’s somewhat bonkers lifestyle brand Goop already provoke their fair share of eye rolling.
However, Apple has already proven that she is not the average nepo baby riding on her parents’ coattails.
Apple Martin, 21 – daughter of American actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay ‘s Chris Martin – has already been at the forefront of a ‘mean girl’ saga and nepo baby accusations
Far from no-carb diets and esoteric sound baths favoured by her mother Gwnyeth, she’s living a more down-to-earth student lifestyle.
Earlier this summer, the 21-year-old was spotted ordering a pizza takeout in the Hamptons during a break from her studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Apple is currently a college junior and has been enjoying working on the annual show with her drama group Vanderbilt Original Cast – a musical parody of Love Island called Love on an Island.
Even the fact she’s at university is somewhat unusual. Rather than going down the well-trodden path of home-schooling followed by the instant launch of a modelling career like one of the Jenner sisters, she’s taking the road less travelled by prioritising education.
Even her gig with Self Portrait is a clever move, tapping into her British heritage and choosing a brand that’s certainly at the top end of the high street, but still affordable for special occasions.
Apple organically found her love for the fashion industry after working in a high-street clothing store at the age of 15.
Just this week, after landing an incredible fashion deal as the face of London-based brand self-portrait , Apple once again faced fan scrutiny for using her so-called ‘nepotism’ title to her advantage (seen with mom Gwyneth at the ball)
Fans claimed the college student was only getting attention because of her parents and blasted Apple for choosing a modelling career like the many other nepo babys
But behind doors Apple has proven she’s not your average nepo baby and is really just a young woman trying to pave the way in her career and live a ‘normal’ life
Her father Chris revealed on Ellen in 2020 that he was ‘so proud’ of Apple for getting her first job
First job at clothing store
While many nepo babies use their title as a way to get out of a job, Apple went against the grain and bagged herself an ordinary first job to earn her pennies.
Her father Chris revealed on Ellen in 2020 that he was ‘so proud’ of Apple for getting her first job.
‘It’s her first job and she’s about to be 16 and she’s making her way in the world and I’m so proud of her,’ Martin began.
He added that, ‘I didn’t tell her and I went to surprise her and I thought I better buy something so I took a t-shirt from the rack and I lined up in the queue and she was at the checkout and there were two checkouts and she saw me and she went like this (mouthing) “Dad get out!”‘
Martin added, ‘I felt terrible, so I moved to the other line, holding my t-shirt and I’m really scared of my daughter.’
He said that he paid for the t-shirt and he brought her some fudge she likes, adding, ‘I told the lady “Could you just give this to my daughter?”‘
While the then 15-year-old was nearly embarrassed, Martin added, ‘As I was leaving, she shouted, “I love you dad!”‘
Loves takeaways
Apple proved she’s just your average 21-year-old this summer after she was spotted ordering a pizza takeout in the Hamptons
Unlike her health-obsessed mother, Apple seems to take a more laid-back approach to wellness.
Gwyneth, who founded her wellness company GOOP in 2008, has forever been ‘obsessed with eating healthily’ and restricting bread, cheese and pasta.
Apple showed she’s the rebel of the family while out and about in East Hampton in July, as she was spotted picking up takeout from an Italian restaurant, which included two pizzas topped with zucchini and rosemary.
The meal appeared to have just enough greens to keep things Goop-adjacent, in case her mother was joining for dinner.
After years of following an ultra-strict Paleo diet, Gwyneth revealed in April that she was ‘a little bit sick of it’ of the caveman diet and ‘eating very very healthily.’
On an episode of her podcast, the Oscar winner admitted she begun eating ‘a little pasta’ and other indulgences like sourdough bread and cheese.
Back in 2022, Gwyneth admitted her daughter and son, Moses, 19, had their own relationships with health and wellness.
‘He’s 16 and he will barely let me give him a vitamin… so it’s also like, knowing when to relent and give him his space,’ Paltrow said of her youngest.
She continued: ‘I try not to force anything on them. They were raised in an environment where wellness is important and they will adopt what they choose to, or not. They have free will.’
The actress also acknowledged that she can’t expect her kids to eat clean all the time.
‘My philosophy is in the house I try to have healthier things around,’ the performer explained. ‘But they have free will and when they’re out of the house, I’m sure they go for the Oreos and the McNuggets. More power to them.’
When they were younger, she tried to get her children to stick to a low-carb, gluten-free diet.
‘I tried to start them off with all of the right foods, but as they got older, the lure of Oreos and cotton candy outweighed the lure of carrots with hummus. And that’s all a part of childhood and I love Oreos too, so I completely understand,’ she wrote in a 2013 Goop newsletter.
Gwyneth noted that she always tried to ‘make sure that what is on their plate at home is nutritious and tasty’ and loosened the reigns when eating out.
University student
Apple is currently a college junior at Vanderbilt University (pictured) in Nashville, Tennessee, studying law, history and society major
Apple proved her priorities are with her studies as she was seen in Nashville last week, dressed casually as she was on the campus of her college, Vanderbilt University.
The star had on a T-shirt by self-portrait that flashed a bit of her slender tummy as she added low-rise blue denim jeans and black block heels from Repetto. Instead of a backpack full of books, the student had a chic black Prada purse on her shoulder.
‘Apple is loving college life, it is a great fit for her and offers her so much as far as academics and a sense of community,’ a friend told the Daily Mail.
‘She has really taken to the lifestyle and has made a lot of new friends, which is important to her. She certainly is thriving in Nashville.’
‘I’m a law, history, and society major but […] maybe I’ll take a theater course before I leave,’ Apple revealed to Interview magazine in April.
‘It’s really busy because after spring break I have tech week and I have to get everyone’s costumes ready for the show,’ she added.
She has also been enjoying the ambience of her college: ‘Vibes are great, honestly. It’s so much easier for me to get out of bed and walk to class when it’s pretty outside. Um, yeah,’ she said.
And Apple is working on a show there: ‘Oh my god, so—I’m in the lovely Vanderbilt Original Cast, the esteemed cabaret theater group. This semester’s show is a musical parody of Love Island called Love on an Island. It’s so fun. The songs are phenomenal.’
When asked if she has dreams of becoming a film actress like her Oscar-winning mom, Apple admitted that she’s more interested in theater.
‘I would love to do theater because I adore it so much. I’ve obviously never done film before, but I’ve been trying to get involved in student films,’ she said, adding: ‘I was born a theater kid.’
As part of the Vanderbilt Original Cast, Apple has been able to showcase her unique singing abilities.
‘I have a very low voice so whenever we’re doing harmonies it’ll be like, ‘Alright, it’s the boys and Apple,’ she shared with a laugh. ‘I’m singing my absolute favorite song ever this semester, which I’m so excited about.
‘I’m definitely not the best in the org, but I love it.’
Apple credited her passion for acting/performing as the motivation for her wanting to study law.
‘So, the reason why I was originally like, ‘Maybe I’ll be a lawyer,’ was because I loved acting, but I was insecure and nervous, so I was like, ‘Oh my god, if I’m a lawyer, I can perform on the stage in a trial setting,’ she confessed.
She joked that she even envisioned herself morphing into Reese Witherspoon’s Elle Woods from the comedy flick Legally Blonde.
‘It’s a lot harder than it looks. I don’t know how she managed to go to law school every day as fabulous as she did,’ she said of Woods.
‘But I love history. I love true crime. I love investigating. I also think it’s fun to look at the history of law and see how you can implement it in a modern context.
‘If I were to be a lawyer, I would just want to help people. That’s probably the biggest thing.’
Vanderbilt University is a private research university in Nashville which was founded in 1873. It was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Upset over ‘mean girl’ saga
Apple broke her silence on the ‘really upsetting’ criticism she received following last year’s ‘mean girl’ drama.
The model did so, in April, while speaking to Interview magazine about life as a Hollywood ‘nepo baby.’
At one point, she was asked by Mel Ottenberg, editor-in-chief of Interview magazine, if she ever reads ‘upsetting stuff’ about herself on the internet.
In November 2024, Apple sparked controversy while attending the elite Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris after a clip of herself being a ‘mean girl’ at the ball went viral.
Apple, who was supported by her A-list parents at the invite-only event in November, was accused of ‘stealing the spotlight’ from another girl getting her picture taken.
While a source close to Gwyneth insisted that the moment was taken out of context, fans ruthlessly tore into Apple as the video circulated on TikTok and Instagram.
While Apple didn’t specifically reference the debutante ball backlash in Wednesday’s chat, she did call out the ‘crazy conspiracies’ that have circulated about her online.
She told Ottenberg that she has avoided looking at social media comments ‘like the plague’ since January 2023 when she made her Paris Fashion Week debut at Chanel.
‘After the Chanel show, I did [read upsetting comments]. Then I quickly realized why everybody has always said, ‘Don’t do it.’ Because even if you see a million positive things, there can be one thing that absolutely wrecks you,’ the rising star explained.
Her attendance at the Chanel event received a mixed reaction online, with some praising Apple’s ‘model looks’ and others slamming her as just another ‘nepo baby.’
She admitted that reading hateful things about herself has had a devastating impact on her mental well-being.
Apple, who was supported by her A-list parents at the invite-only event in November, was accused of ‘stealing the spotlight’ from another girl getting her picture taken
‘So, I’ve stopped now and I avoid it like the plague, because I know myself and I know that if I see stuff that isn’t true and that’s really upsetting to me, I’m going to be like, ‘Oh my god, I should never go out in public again.”
Now, Apple is focused on the positive and has learned to accept the downsides of being in the public eye.
‘I’ve tried to be like, ‘People are going to say stuff, and that’s okay,” she said. ‘And like everybody, there’s going to be stuff that isn’t true and stuff that is upsetting, and all I can do is just be the best that I can be and be with the people I love and not read random, crazy conspiracies.’
Le Bal des Débutantes, which took place at the Shangri-La in Paris, is an annual gathering that invites young women from some of the prestigious – and wealthiest – families from Europe, Asia, Africa and the U.S. to make their debut into society.
Apple wore a sky blue Valentino Haute Couture gown as she attended the ball on the arm of her dashing date, Count Leo Henckel von Donnersmarck, before letting loose with her parents, Gwyneth and Chris Martin, who divorced in 2016.
However, Apple became the target of ‘mean girl’ accusations after it appeared she was trying to steal the spotlight from fellow debutante Aliénor Loppin de Montmort in a viral video of the pair taking photos together.
In the clip, Montmort was seen taking her turn posing for the camera when Apple appeared from behind and sashayed into the shot.
The backlash was so intense that Montmort came forward to defend Apple.
She insisted that Apple was the ‘nicest girl ever’ and that she didn’t deserve ‘an ounce of’ the hate she was getting online.
Apple’s mother Gwyneth broke her silence on the matter as she told Vanity Fair that her daughter has ‘always had a lot of trepidation around being in the public eye.
Ottenberg briefly mentioned the debutante ball as he asked Apple how she maintains a ‘mystery’ about herself while also being highly-publicized.
Apple said that growing up under a ‘surveillance state’ as the child of two A-list stars trained her to be that way.
However, Apple admitted that, despite being accustomed to the paparazzi and fanfare, she still gets ‘nervous’ about the possibility of screwing up publicly.
‘It’s interesting because I grew up with that uneven balance of getting out of the airport with my mom and being bombarded with cameras, and then just being a normal kid. I remember I read Discipline and Punish [by Michel Foucault], which is a great book, but talking about the surveillance state—I feel like I’ve grown up with that, which is really scary and makes me very anxious about making mistakes,’ she explained.
‘So I was really discouraged from doing anything in the public eye. Also, I was like, ‘I don’t think we need another celebrity child in the world.’ I just try to do what feels right and block out anything regarding me in the news to the best of my ability.
‘And I’m getting a lot better at being like, ‘F*** it.’ I’m not going to be scared. I just want to do what seems fun and figure my life out.’
