A Kristina Carol

Kristina O'Neill
Can O’Neill, a traditional magazine-maker of the glossy era, make a product that these hard-core collectors truly value? Photo: Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for WSJ.
Lauren Sherman
September 3, 2024

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What does a magazine maker do when there are no magazines left to make? Kristina O’Neill, the editor who made WSJ. magazine for more than 10 years, didn’t have many options on that front when she was dismissed in April 2023. Yes, O’Neill is still one of those people whose name gets floated every time one the few remaining desirable-ish top jobs comes open (Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair), but there are really only three, maybe four, positions that would not be considered a step down from her gig at the Journal, where she enjoyed a tremendous amount of creative freedom despite the continually disappointing rigidity of that institution. Plus, even if she was let go for budgeting reasons—and new Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker’s understandable desire to start fresh—going back into traditional magazines would not be a good look.