When Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder were both rising stars in the late 1990s, their friendship didn’t just fade—it allegedly imploded, leaving behind whispers of sabotage, stolen roles, and a nickname so crude it’s still talked about two decades later. According to a new biography by author Odell, cited by LADbible, Radar Online, and ARY News, Paltrow reportedly called Ryder "Vagina Ryder" during a bitter falling-out fueled by jealousy, betrayal, and the messy entanglements of Hollywood’s golden era. The claims, though unverified and never confirmed by either actress, paint a startling picture of a friendship that turned toxic just as both women were hitting their career peaks.
The Turning Point: Robberies, Lies, and a Broken Trust
The alleged feud began in 1997, shortly after Paltrow ended her high-profile relationship with Brad Pitt. Seeking comfort, she moved into Ryder’s New York apartment. But the arrangement didn’t last. According to Odell’s account, Ryder—then dating Matt Damon, who was also best friends with Paltrow’s new boyfriend, Ben Affleck—began leaving their shared home claiming she’d been robbed. Twice. Each time, Damon comforted her. But Paltrow and Affleck, the biography says, didn’t buy it. They thought the robberies were attention-seeking theatrics after fights with Damon. "Damon consoled her," LADbible paraphrased, "but Gwyneth and Affleck believed Ryder fabricated the robberies as a ploy for attention (there’s no proof of this)."
That suspicion, however small, became a wedge. Paltrow reportedly grew resentful that Damon couldn’t see what she saw. "Though Damon was kind to her friends," the biography notes, "Gwyneth didn’t seem to like him after that." And the resentment didn’t stop there. It festered.
The Role That Broke the Friendship
Then came Shakespeare in Love. Ryder had been the studio’s first choice for the lead role of Viola de Lesseps—a part that would go on to win an Oscar and redefine Paltrow’s career. But according to Odell, Ryder had turned down the script initially, only to change her mind after Paltrow had already declined it. The biography alleges that Paltrow, now interested, was given the role behind Ryder’s back. Worse, rumors swirled that Paltrow had stolen the script from Ryder’s coffee table.
Paltrow, the book claims, told friends that Ryder started the rumor herself. "She insisted she’d received the script through her agent," People magazine reported, as cited by LADbible. Ryder, meanwhile, reportedly felt blindsided. ARY News says she was "furious, accusing her former friend of 'stealing' the career-defining role. The betrayal reportedly ended their friendship."
It was around this time, the biography says, that Paltrow started using the nickname "Vagina Ryder." The term wasn’t casual—it was venomous, a deliberate humiliation. Neither woman has ever publicly acknowledged the nickname. But the damage, if true, was done.
The Ripple Effects: Minnie Driver and the Toxic Atmosphere
The fallout didn’t stop with Ryder. Odell’s biography also claims Paltrow held a deep disdain for Minnie Driver, Damon’s ex-girlfriend and co-star in Shakespeare in Love. She reportedly called Driver an "air-kiss friend," mocking her "fake aristocratic persona." During a 1998 photo shoot at a rented Los Angeles home, Radar Online says Paltrow couldn’t hide her contempt: "When Driver wasn’t looking, Gwyneth rolled her eyes to friends and mimed vomiting by putting her finger in her mouth."
It’s hard to overstate how volatile Hollywood social circles were in the late ‘90s. Relationships were alliances. Roles were power. Loyalty was currency. And Paltrow, fresh off her Oscar win for Shakespeare in Love and dating Affleck, was ascending fast. Ryder, meanwhile, was battling personal demons and public scrutiny after her 1996 arrest for shoplifting. The power imbalance was real—and it may have fueled the bitterness.
What the Silence Says
Neither Paltrow nor Ryder has addressed these claims directly. But in 2009, Paltrow published a now-infamous Goop blog post titled "The Frenemy." She wrote: "Back in the day, I had a 'frenemy' who, as it turned out, was pretty hell-bent on taking me down... I was deeply upset, I was angry... But one day I heard that something unfortunate and humiliating had happened to this person. And my reaction was deep relief and happiness."
Readers immediately connected the dots. The timing, the tone, the specifics—it all matched the timeline Odell laid out. Ryder never responded publicly. But her silence speaks volumes. In an industry where reputation is everything, choosing not to engage isn’t weakness—it’s strategy.
Why This Still Matters
This isn’t just gossip. It’s a window into how women in Hollywood were pitted against each other long before #MeToo. The narrative wasn’t about talent—it was about access, influence, and who got to be seen as the "good" girl. Paltrow, with her clean-cut image and aspirational lifestyle brand, became the poster child for female success. Ryder, with her edgy, emotionally raw performances, was painted as unstable. The biography doesn’t prove any of these claims. But it doesn’t need to. The story has already stuck.
And now, nearly 30 years later, it’s resurfacing—not because we care about celebrity drama, but because it reflects a system that still rewards silence over truth. When a woman is called a name like "Vagina Ryder," it’s not about the name. It’s about control. About making her feel small so someone else can feel big.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the claims in Odell’s biography proven?
No, none of the allegations—including the nickname, the stolen script, or the fabricated robberies—have been independently verified. Odell’s biography is presented as a work of investigative journalism based on interviews and insider accounts, but it lacks documentary evidence. Both Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder have declined to comment, and no court records, emails, or third-party witnesses have surfaced to corroborate the claims.
Why did Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder stop being friends?
According to Odell’s account, their friendship collapsed after a combination of factors: Paltrow’s belief that Ryder fabricated robbery stories to gain sympathy from Matt Damon, the competitive tension over the lead role in Shakespeare in Love, and a growing sense that Ryder was undermining Paltrow. The nickname "Vagina Ryder" reportedly emerged as a cruel shorthand for that resentment. But without direct confirmation from either woman, the exact trigger remains speculative.
How did the Hollywood environment of the 1990s contribute to this feud?
The late ‘90s were a time when Hollywood’s power structure heavily favored women who conformed to certain images. Paltrow was marketed as the wholesome, intelligent beauty; Ryder as the troubled, artistic rebel. The industry often pitted them against each other, subtly rewarding one while marginalizing the other. Roles were scarce, and competition was brutal. This context made personal betrayals feel like career threats—not just emotional wounds.
Did Winona Ryder ever get another major role after Shakespeare in Love?
Yes. Though Paltrow won the Oscar for Shakespeare in Love in 1999, Ryder rebounded with critically acclaimed roles in Girl, Interrupted (1999), which earned her an Oscar nomination, and later in Black Swan (2010) and Stranger Things (2016–present). Her career has endured far longer than Paltrow’s film roles, and she’s widely respected as a character actress with depth. The role may have gone to Paltrow, but Ryder’s legacy has only grown.
Why is this story resurfacing now?
The biography by Odell is being promoted as part of a broader cultural reckoning with how female celebrities were treated—and how they treated each other—in the pre-social-media era. With renewed interest in Hollywood’s toxic dynamics, stories like this gain traction not because they’re sensational, but because they reflect patterns still visible today: silence as survival, rivalry as a tool of control, and the way women are made to compete for scraps of power.
What’s the significance of the nickname 'Vagina Ryder'?
The nickname isn’t just crude—it’s a deliberate erasure. It reduces a woman’s identity to her body, weaponizes sexuality, and isolates her socially. In the context of their friendship, it suggests Paltrow didn’t just dislike Ryder—she sought to humiliate her. Such language was rarely documented in public, but it was common in private circles. The fact that it’s now being reported shows how deeply these wounds ran, and how rarely women had the platform to speak up.