Why it’s not easy being Gwyneth Paltrow – from her ‘conscious uncoupling’ to ‘nepo baby’ critics and a public court case
OSCAR winner Gwyneth Paltrow was already a glamorous "it girl" when she embarked on a new role: entrepreneur.
She has found even more success in the subsequent years since launching Goop - a wellness brand known for some unusual items including ... a candle that purportedly smells like her vagina.
With an empire now estimated to be worth around $250 million, the A-list actress turned boss babe takes her downtime in an eco-friendly Montecito mansion.
The Avengers actress shares the home, which she built from the ground up, with producer husband Brad Falchuk.
The pair tied the knot in 2018 and their most notable neighbors include Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and America's Royal couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
She also counts many stars as besties - with the likes of Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore, and mom Blythe Danner gracing her Instagram page.
"Happy birthday to you, my ride or die," she wrote in honor of Diaz's big day.
Her social media features photos of five-star trips with family including children Apple and Moses, who she shares with ex Chris Martin, as well as behind-the-scenes of her Goop podcast recordings with stars like Kim Kardashian.
It might seem like everything Gwyneth touches turns to gold, but the star has often been the target of trolls making fun of her relationship choices and lifestyle brand - lawsuits and all.
CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING
She might have won the Academy Award for her performance in Shakespeare in Love, but Gwyneth's own love life has been even more riveting than her on-screen dramas.
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When she split from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the 51-year-old recalled to her decision to divorce on her own terms, causing some divided opinions along the way.
The actress, who previously had her engagement to Brad Pitt called off in the '90s, explained how she first knew her marriage was doomed, even years before uttering the D-word.
"I don’t remember which day of the weekend it was or the time of day. But I knew – despite long walks and longer lie-ins, big glasses of Barolo and hands held – my marriage was over," she wrote in the publication.
The couple split in 2014 before finalizing the divorce in 2016.
She broke down the breakup and what led to the couple redefining the terms of a divorce.
"We just didn’t quite fit together. There was always a bit of unease and unrest. But man, did we love our children.
"We desperately didn’t want to hurt our children. We didn’t want to lose our family."
She explained how she was committed to finding a way to keep the peace despite the inevitable growing pains - hence the now notorious "conscious uncoupling."
"I started to wonder, as impossible as it sounded, whether there was a way we could continue to feel the structure of our family on some level.
“It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate,” the couple's public statement read at the time.
“While we love each other very much, we will remain separate (and) consciously uncouple."
Still, social media exploded with sarcasm over the couple's marriage dissolution method.
Posting on Twitter, now X, fans voiced their opinions.
"I do feel sad for them, but the term 'conscious uncoupling'. Really, guys? You thought that was a good idea?" wrote one user.
"At first I thought Conscious Uncoupling was going to be the name announcement of their third child," joked another.
Gwyneth shared how she felt following the scrutiny.
"A strange combination of mockery and anger that I had never seen. I was already pretty tattered from what had been a tough year," she told Vogue.
"I definitely did not coin the phrase, but I feel despite us taking quite a lot of s**t for it when we first announced that all these years ago,” the Golden Globe winner later shared via Instagram.
Despite all of the public shaming, she has certainly stood by her decision and still takes to Instagram to wish her ex a happy birthday.
"Happy birthday to the sweetest father and friend, we love you," she shared.
Named People Magazine's Most Beautiful Woman in 2013, Gwyneth has even taken things a step further by being seen holding hands with her ex-husband's new - and much younger - 34-year-old girlfriend, actress Dakota Johnson.
Gwyneth and her new husband were previously photographed out in the Hamptons with the couple back in 2019.
In 2020, the Oscar winner told that despite realizing how her close relationship with her ex's new lady might look, she believes that embracing Johnson has been beneficial.
“I can see how it would seem weird because it’s sort of unconventional.
"But I think, in this case, just having passed through it iteratively, I just adore her."
GOOP
She might live the luxe life, but the actress is constantly being trolled for her lifestyle brand Goop, which she founded in 2008.
Originally launched as a newsletter filled with Gwyneth's new-age advice, Goop soon turned into a fully-fledged and very profitable brand.
They sell everything from Paltrow-approved vitamins to home and fashion items.
This has included some very unique products that have often come under scrutiny, and even led to lawsuits.
Back in 2017, the recalled how Goop fired back at a group of haters - including doctors and scientists - for questioning some of her endorsements including vaginal steaming and jade eggs.
A since-deleted blog post entitled Uncensored: A Word From Our Doctors seemed to be aimed at the site's skeptics, after Goop promoted body vibes healing stickers said to be made of spacesuit material.
Speaking to technology-centric site , Mark Shelhamer, former chief scientist at Nasa’s human research division, did not hold back.
“Wow. What a load of BS this is," he told the outlet.
The Iron Man actress had touted that the stickers, which she claimed were made of carbon material from the suits, could lower stress and boost immunity.
Shelhamer instead insisted that Nasa space suits do not even contain any carbon material.
The stickers were selling for up to $120 for a pack of 24.
Another product that got the actress into hot water was a yoni egg, eventually costing the company $145,000 over false allegations.
The item, meant to be inserted into a woman's private area, was described as being able to "increase chi, orgasms, vaginal muscle tone, hormonal balance, and feminine energy in general.”
Back in 2018, recalled how the backlash was first unleashed following an interview on the Goop site with Gwyneth's friend and beauty healer Shiva Rose, who claimed that the egg could "help cultivate sexual energy."
The cracks in the egg started to show when health professionals began calling out the claims as untrue.
Before long, a Watchdog group found dozens of such instances which they detailed in a report.
No one, however, can make fun of Gwyneth quite like Gwyneth herself.
recounted the time the entrepreneur, who rules over her multimillion-dollar wellness empire, made an appearance on SNL.
During the show, Paltrow, in character, explained that Paltrow, the businesswoman, would never fire an employee.
"No, Paltrow doesn’t believe in firing — she believes in conscious unemploying," she joked.
During the segment, she also stumbled through a long list of ingredients of a Goop cleanser which led to a cast member claiming Gwyneth Paltrow would indeed fire her.
And who could forget her famous This Smells Like My Vagina candle.
According to , the Clean Plate author explained that the unusual scented item was meant to be “a really strong feminist statement.”
"I was with the [perfumer] Douglas Little for his brand Heretic and we were kind of messing around and I smelled this beautiful thing and was like, 'This smells like my vagina!'" Paltrow told host Seth Meyers.
"And I was kidding obviously. And we were on mushrooms — no, no we weren't on mushrooms."
The candle might have sold out quickly but the flames of scandal kept burning bright.
"You have to appeal to your target market. In this case anyone with a bunch of money willing to spend on hype-filled junk. I think the reference is appropriate," wrote a Reddit user.
"I have seen a ton of Gwyneth Paltrow stuff on the internet the last few days, and I just don't understand it.
"Lots of people shill unscientific pseudo-medical garbage. Why do we care so much what she does?" another asked.
EATING HABITS
People might have had a bone to pick with the Talented Mr. Ripley star over her controversial diet, but Gwyneth had no beef with them - or any other meat for that matter.
recounted an episode of the Art of Being Well podcast where she spilled the tea on her eating routine.
"I usually eat something (at) about 12, and in the morning I'll have some things that won't spike my blood sugar – that's why I like coffee.
"But I really like soup for lunch. I have bone broth for lunch a lot of days," she shared.
The intermittent fasting fan, who also maintained a paleo diet - lots of vegetables included - was about to take even more heat.
Those who watched the podcast via TikTok lashed out in the comments.
"Why are we promoting starving as a wellness routine?" asked one concerned follower.
Others called Paltrow the "mother of all almond moms," according to .
They explained how the phrase is used to describe a parent whose mindset around wellness is linked to diet culture.
Fellow celebrities also weighed in on the comment surrounding weight issues.
Plus-size model Tess Holiday, who has been open about her struggles with anorexia, shared her thoughts on the star's routine in her own TikTok video.
"Bone broth is not a suitable meal," she said.
Tess was also concerned how this message might be harmful to younger generations.
In 2021, Gwyneth's own daughter Apple poked fun of her famous mom's daily routine in TikTok video for the brand.
"So first, my mom drinks her Goop Glow Superpowder and she eats nothing but dates and almond butter.
"I suppose the Goop Glow is a part of her cleanse, which she's been on since - the day I was born, apparently."
"She just prances around the bathroom, putting on her millions of Goop Glow products for her glowing skin."
And she didn't stop there.
It seemed this Apple didn't fall from the tree when it came to poking fun.
"Then she gets to work, making some more vagina eggs. And candles, also vagina candles, and vagina perfumes. Just everything vagina."
PUBLIC COURT CASE
She might have been vindicated in the allegations brought against her by a retired physician, who claimed the star crashed into him on the slopes at a Utah ski resort in 2016, but Gwyneth still faced backlash in the court of public opinion.
People especially went wild when she was famously quoted as saying, "I lost half a day of skiing."
shared how actress Busy Philipps even had fun with the seemingly out-of-touch quote.
The Freaks and Geeks star captioned an Instagram post with a friend, while both were holding two espresso martinis, saying, "Well, we lost a half day of skiing."
went so far as to call the whole trial a meme, due to bizarre moments that played out in the case.
On one occasion, Gwyneth was asked whether she was friends with Taylor Swift, and members of her team were denied permission to bring treats for the bailiffs.
One X user wrote, "This entire Gwyneth Paltrow ski trial was written by Mike White."
"Haha, these Hollywood people are unbelievable," said another.
Something else also seemed to be on trial - her style.
also called the star's courtroom fashion "a master class in rich mom dressing."
From chunky sweaters to trousers, plus her $1,200 Celine boots and regularly seen gold chain link jewelry, the A-lister's pricey attire that some called "stealth wealth" seemed to make a daily splash.
'NEPO BABY' CLAIMS
The Golden Globe winner was famous before she had even appeared in her first on-screen role.
That's because she was born to Hollywood power couple Bruce Paltrow, a well-known producer, and Meet the Fockers actress Blythe Danner.
When New York Magazine published their , highlighting the offspring of the rich and famous, some stars embraced their lineage - but others pushed back.
Speaking to in 2023, the Goop founder called the nepo baby term "an ugly moniker."
She is also concerned that the nepo baby culture has created “judgment that exists around kids of famous people," when speaking about her own children.
Following her comments, users on X didn't hold back on their own thoughts.
I have zero sympathy for you are your kids. Haha," wrote one user.
"Gwyneth Paltrow. A nepotism baby, crying about nepotism and privilege. The irony," said another.
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"Remember folks, she has a perfume with the scent of her coochie," a third person mocked.
But however she got there, there's no denying Gwyneth is the epitome of success today - across many, many fields.
