In December 2023, the comedy musical Gwyneth Goes Ski premiered at the Pleasance Theatre in London. It's a two-person extravagance starring comedic duo Joseph Martin and Linus Karp. The duo will play Terry Sanderson and Gwyneth Paltrow in the Sanderson v. Paltrow trial, which begins in spring 2023.
Retired ophthalmologist Terry Sanderson filed a lawsuit against Paltrow, known for her roles in “Shakespeare in Love,” “Sliding Doors” and “Iron Man,” seeking $3.1 million in damages in 2019. Sanderson claimed he and Paltrow suffered permanent bodily injuries after colliding while skiing at Deer Valley Resort in Utah in 2016. Paltrow's lawyers countersued, seeking a total of $1, plus legal costs.
In March 2023, the court acquitted Paltrow after finding Sanderson was at fault for the collision, and Paltrow walked away with her $1 winnings.
Surprisingly, Karp and Martin's winter show wasn't the only show to cover this horrific case that year: Discovery+ produced the documentary “Gwyneth v. Terry: The Ski Accident Trial,” an hour-long drama available on HBO's streaming service Max.
The comedic incident may be reminiscent of Depp v. Heard, the 2022 civil lawsuit that was not only broadcast live on television and YouTube but also inspired two documentary series, Netflix's “Depp v. Heard” and Discovery+'s “Johnny v. Amber: The US Court Case.”
In recent years, the concept of celebrity status has transcended traditional realms such as sports, entertainment and the arts. Paltrow, who gained critical acclaim for her starring role in the 1996 film Emma, is best known today as the CEO and founder of Goop, the wellness brand that made waves in 2018. Kim Kardashian's SKIMS, Rihanna's Savage x Fenty and Jaden Smith's JUST Water are all examples of celebrities turned entrepreneurs, ensuring a comfortable retirement from a career on stage or screen through the committed clientele of their fanbases.
Historically, celebrities have ranged from politicians to musicians to actors. In 1966, John Lennon of the Beatles was quoted in the London Evening Standard newspaper as controversially saying, “We're more popular now than Jesus.”
Nearly 60 years later, it's truly disturbing to see how much celebrity culture has permeated social culture. While Sanderson v. Paltrow was a laughable case at best (absurd enough to merit Broadway-level satire), the sensationalization of Depp v. Heard has had real-world repercussions in the form of increased misogynistic attitudes and treatment towards Heard and future victims of domestic violence.
In what has been called the “information age,” it is all too easy to know and share personal information about celebrities, good or bad. Americans are addicted to the tabloid genre of celebrity misconduct because, frankly, scandal is far more appealing than praise. Fans seem to want to see their idols tumble off their pedestals because it reminds them that celebrities are just as human as the rest of us. In the 2000s, this had particularly depressing consequences for Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and later Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus, and Demi Lovato.
It seems we've finally had enough. “Gwyneth Goes Skiing” is just one example of a collective fatigue with celebrity sensationalism. From Ice Spice to Olivia Rodrigo, the online term “industry plants,” coined in 2016, reflects audience bewilderment at the unprecedented speed with which 21st-century performers achieve global celebrity status. Celebrities are rising faster than ever before, circulating through fans' feeds faster than ever before.
Modern celebrity worship has been accompanied almost simultaneously by celebrity deprecation. Marilyn Monroe was the victim of scorn for being a womanizer. Elvis Presley was the epitome of hedonism. While jokes about Taylor Swift's relationships have certainly grown tired, the 14-time Grammy winner is now being criticized for over-promoting her successive albums and excessive use of private jets.
From Swift's 8,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year and her 13-minute city-to-city flights to Paltrow's marketing of pseudoscientific health products, public criticism has evolved from an initial desire to ostracize icons to genuine concern about the harmful effects of celebrity culture on our collective judgement.
“Industry operative,” “traitor” and “publicity stunt” are perhaps the darkest labels that can tarnish a star's career. Being labeled as disloyal risks commercial blacklisting. Merriam-Webster's 2023 word of the year, after all, is “authentic.” To accuse Sanderson of exploiting Paltrow's celebrity fortune was to argue that the actress is a human being behind the big money, fighting only to restore her reputation, not to profit from a settlement.
But in the age of information and social media, attention is exchangeable for real money: the more attention we get, the more these stars get paid — and, frankly, we, as celebrities, have no money.
