NEW YORK — New York magazine published today a lengthy cover story about Stormy Daniels, featuring one of the few interviews the adult performer and director has granted since former President Donald Trump’s indictment over his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme involving her, and in the subsequent cover-up.
The profile, penned by New York’s Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi, is titled, “How Stormy Daniels Sees It Ending,” with the subhead, “The long afterlife of a forgettable fling with a reality-television personality.” The magazine cover features a photograph of Daniels taken by husband Barrett Blade.
“After being bombarded with media requests,” Daniels exclusively told XBIZ, “I chose to give my first interview to Olivia because I was interviewed by her in the past and felt she was balanced and fair with her tough questions and due diligence in fact-checking. I'm pleased with the article and particularly thrilled that Barrett’s photo was used as the cover of the magazine — which we all know is huge and impactful for a photographer coming from the adult industry.”
Nuzzi writes that she had originally arranged an interview with Daniels for last week, but after Trump’s indictment was not able to get in touch with the former Wicked contract star.
“The Friday after the indictment, I traveled from Washington to meet Daniels here,” Nuzzi writes. “As I drove through the countryside, Piers Morgan announced that she had abruptly postponed their own interview citing threats to her safety. She wouldn’t respond to texts. I spent the evening wandering aimlessly through the nearby farmlands waiting for her to answer. The next day, she still wasn’t answering, so I just showed up, very much aware that in this part of America, you can shoot people who do that and get away with it. At the end of her driveway, I found Barrett Blade, her current husband, whom she married in 2022, checking the mail. Daniels was not doing well and would not be entertaining visitors, he said. Who could blame her?”
The article provides an overview of Daniels’ involvement with Trump and its conflictive aftermath. Nuzzi also delves into Daniels’ long standing interest in the occult, including tarot readings and interactions with her doll Susan, which she believes is possessed by the spirit of a child from the 1700s.
It also highlights Daniels’ supportive circle of fellow women who have publicly clashed with Trump, including Kathy Griffin, Mary Trump and E. Jean Carroll.
“It’s like the weirdest incarnation of Charlie’s Angels ever,” Trump’s estranged niece Mary told New York. She remarked about Daniels, “It’s not just that she’s handled it well, but she’s handled it very intelligently. You can’t tear down a woman who has no fucks to give about this. She’s so self-aware and so comfortable in her own skin, and they are the opposite. They have no self-awareness, and everything bothers them. It’s quite a wonderful, amusing contrast.”
Griffin also expressed her admiration for the adult performer who has become a household name.
“She has never exaggerated,” Griffin said. “She’s going through new horrible shit all the time and triumphing. I think there is a part of her that thought this stuff was over, but they’ll continue to torture her. Daniels is someone that they kind of pick on just when they feel like it.”
Reflecting on her extremely public, ongoing ordeal stemming from a single 2006 “bad sex” hookup, Daniels tells Nozzi, “I used to be very adamant that I’m not a victim.”
“But I kind of am at this point,” she adds.
To read Olivia Nuzzi’s “How Stormy Daniels Sees It Ending,” visit NYMag.com.
