Wanna Learn More About Kanye’s New GF, Julia Fox?
She might be the most interesting person of all time.
Julia Fox is everywhere right now. After being spotted with Kanye “Ye” West on Jan. 3, 2022, the Uncut Gems star has been basking in the spotlight (and Balenciaga) that comes with being West’s leading lady. From middle-of-the-restaurant photoshoots to a diary entry-like piece for Interview magazine, Fox is embracing the present moment for all its worth. “I mean, it’s all just happening so quickly. I’m going with the universe and the flow and seeing where it takes me… where it takes all of us,” Fox told The Cut on Jan. 7. But, um, who is Julia Fox? TBH, there’s a lot to unpack.
Although she might be the newest addition to the Kardashian, West, and Pete Davidson jigsaw puzzle, that doesn’t mean Fox is not a key player. “Julia Fox is doper than Pete Davidson, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West combined. She’s a legitimate sorceress. She’s the Michael Jordan of vixens … She’s devastating, like a hurricane,” Cat Marnell, writer, socialite, and longtime friend of Fox, told The Cut.
High praise, but still not a lot of actual info about Fox herself, so let’s fix that. Here are all the (known) details on Fox’s life story, pre- and post-Ye.
Fox’s Story
The actor/artist/muse has a gritty life story that she speaks about openly. Born in Milan, Italy, she later moved to New York City to live with her dad. In 2020, she told The Hollywood Reporter, Fox described her unusual childhood. She said her parents had a strained relationship; she described her dad as “crazy.” She explained, “The first thing my dad did when I got to New York was walk me to the corner and point to the street sign. He was like, ‘OK, this is where you live. If anything happens, this is where you live.’ Then he kind of just sent me off in the world, and I had to figure it out from there.”
Fox started drinking, taking drugs, and going to clubs in her teens. At 17, she suffered a drug overdose. “It’s kind of a miracle that I’m OK because a lot of the people I grew up with aren’t doing so well,” she told THR.
Fox’s Career
Fox gained some recognition after her role in Uncut Gems (2019), which earned her a nomination for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performer, but her story goes way beyond her IMBd page. In her own words, “I kind of am somewhat of a renaissance woman. I have many, many interests. I feel like when you're a creative, you can express that through so many mediums.”
In high school, Fox forayed into S&M. “My after-school job was a dominatrix, so you know, it was fantasy role play,” Fox told Paper during an interview in Nov. 2019. “And it's legal. There's no nudity, no penetration. It was all just role play.”
Fox had her own art show in 2017, titled “RIP Julia Fox” which showcased paintings made from silk and Fox’s own blood. She told HuffPost at the time. “Yes, it’s my blood. I wanted the show to be as authentic and personal as possible. I extracted the blood with a syringe and used the syringe to paint on the silk. It wasn’t as bad as it seems.”
Acting is only Fox’s latest venture, but she approached it the same way she did everything else: with unflinching confidence. (Sound familiar, Ye?) She told Interview Mag in Dec. 2019, “There was just no way someone could play that part better than me... We were pulling up to the premiere at the Toronto Film Festival... And my publicist asked, ‘Are you nervous?’ And I told her, ‘Are you kidding? I was born for this.’”
She Had Her Son In Jan. 2021
On Jan. 17, 2021, Fox welcomed her first child, Valentino. A month later, she shared the news on IG, explaining that she scheduled a last-minute pregnancy photoshoot after learning she would need to give birth earlier than expected due to “some blood pressure issues.”
She added to her caption,“Right after the shoot I went to the hospital and had my precious baby boy. My forever valentine, Valentino. Born on January 17th, 2021. The best day of my life. #milf.” (I love the fact that she hashtagged #milf on her own post — truly iconic.)
She Got Divorced In July 2020
In 2018, Fox married Peter Artemiev. The couple is divorced now (per Us Weekly, Artemiev filed for divorce in Feb. 2020, and it was finalized in July 2020), and it doesn’t look like things ended on a positive note. In Dec. 2021, Fox took to Instagram to criticize her ex, posting a photo of him to her IG Story with the caption, “Have you seen this dead beat [sic] dad?”
Fox followed up with a second post, criticizing Artemiev. “I can’t even do it anymore. I just don’t want my son f*cked up cuz he feels like his dad was absent or loved alcohol and partying more than him,” she claimed. “This man left me with a 5 month old [sic] and a dog and a home and ALL THE BILLS. It’s wrong!!! It’s not fair.”
Artemiev responded to her comments via Page Six, saying, “I was saddened to learn of the utterly false statements made on social media by Julia Fox, my co-parent, who is clearly struggling. Out of respect for her privacy and to protect our child, I will not comment further.”
Fox later walked back on her comments. “My son’s father and I had our issues and I wanted to scare him into being a better dad, but I went about it the wrong way,” she explained to The Cut. “My son’s dad loves his son more than anything in the world. He just has some issues that I shouldn’t have made public.”
She Met Ye In On New Year’s Eve
Fox and Ye had their first date over New Year’s weekend, and they’ve been making a splash together ever since. After two dates in Miami, they took their romance to NYC — and had a photoshoot. to commemorate the occasion. Writing about the date night for Interview Mag, Fox gushed, “At the restaurant, Ye directed an entire photoshoot for me while people dined! The whole restaurant loved it and cheered us on while it was happening.” Apparently, he also gifted her a full hotel suite of clothes, and later traveled with her two LA.
West seems just as enamored. A source told People that he views Fox “kind of like his muse.” The insider added, “He loves her smile and attitude.” So far, so good.
But even if we take West out of the equation, it’s clear that Fox has plenty going for her. TBH, it sounds like West is actually kinda late to the party. Fox is already a muse — her own.
