Julia Fox gave us a blueprint for becoming mega-famous on your own terms

Anyone could see this coming. After reports surfaced declaring the end of Julia Fox and Kanye West’s performance art, the outspoken actress took it upon herself to clarify that the relationship was nothing more than another one of her hustles.

In an Instagram Story, Fox addressed recent rumors that she had tearfully flown out of Los Angeles International Airport this past weekend after her breakup with the polarizing artist. After clarifying that she hasn’t cried since 1997, she delved deeper into the end of her relationship with West. The 33-year-old actress explained that she was never in love with West, and asked that we not see her as a sad ex-girlfriend, but as a hustler. She jokingly gloated about elevating her status during the relationship before clarifying that she still has love for West, and that the pair are on good terms. She concluded the message by teasing an upcoming book that’ll presumably have all of the juicy details from their short-lived love affair.

While Fox didn’t clarify what exactly her hustle was, if it had anything to do with increasing her popularity, she succeeded. Fox reportedly gained 400,000 Instagram followers in the three weeks after she and West were first spotted dining together in Miami on New Year’s Day. Her brief romance with West eclipsed any stardom she’d achieved from her acting career, including her breakout role and feature film debut in 2019’s Uncut Gems, where she played jewelry showroom saleswoman and snarky mistress Julia De Fiore. According to Google Trends, she was searched on Google more than seven times as much during the first week of her relationship with West than she was at any point in her career over the last three years.

Aside from the designer clothing sprees and star-studded hangout sessions, much of the world’s intrigue was created by Fox herself. Instead of letting gossip magazines and anonymous social media commentators create the narrative of her relationship with West, she routinely addressed any and all speculations as soon as they surfaced. It was on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast that we first learned about her being okay with West’s residual feelings for his wife, and it was also the first time either her or West acknowledged they were in a relationship publicly. It was on her own Spotify podcast Forbidden Fruits that she rejected rumors she was dating West for the money and attention, a claim that seems to be only a half-truth after her recent admission that the relationship was just another one of her hustles.

Fox gave us the version of celebrity she believed we deserved. “Celebrities are not that fucking important. You can tell us about your stupid fucking date. We’re in a pandemic. Give people something to talk about. Do your fucking service, do your job,” Fox told The Cut.

Love her or hate her, Fox gave a masterclass in creating a media storm and dictating where the winds blow. One can only wonder how she’ll top this performance.