The Cut editorial newsletter

September 28, 2026   SELF ‘Why Are You So Into This?’ Life before and after Heated Rivalry fan fiction. By Jen Ortiz Photo: Tonje Thilesen Fourteen million, give or take. That’s roughly how many words of Heated Rivalry fan fiction I’ve read so far this year. If a novel clocks in at an average of 70,000 words, then I’ve read the equivalent of 200. That’s like getting through Robert Caro’s entire Lyndon B. Johnson series, then rereading it a dozenish times, all before the Halloween candy has even gone on sale. Except it’s not like that at all. Obviously. In Caro’s books, is there a version of Lyndon B. Johnson who has the ability to turn himself into a dog so he can cuddle his downtrodden neighbor as the two of them fall in love? Or a veteran porn star who, instead of getting All About Eve’d by a young cocky camboy, lives happily and hornily ever after with him? The other versions of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov I’ve read fall for each other (and, often, fall into bed, in exquisite and extreme detail) include: as neighbors in an apartment building; as Love Island contestants; as a Bachelor producer and the Bachelor himself; as the guy working the late-night shift at a 7-Eleven and a rich Russian mob boss; as a bounty hunter and a guy with a price on his head in the Wild Wild West; as a yoga teacher and his student; as best-selling authors; as a restaurant’s head chef and pastry chef; as one guy looking for a roommate and another responding to his Facebook Marketplace listing; as college roommates, rival fraternity brothers, and professor and student. I haven’t yet read the one where Shane is a kitten and Ilya adopts him, but it’s on my TBR list. READ MORE   Celebrity News Gossip, revelations, and timelines. The best, worst, and weirdest VMAs red-carpet looks. Ben Affleck’s kids don’t want his dating advice. Anne Hathaway wasn’t allowed to go on Hot Ones. Gabourey Sidibe isn’t sure her daughter should act. What is Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” video about?   Today’s Top Stories Romance author Tia Williams writes a “Spice Diary,” a fictional spin on The Cut’s “Sex Diaries” series, about a woman with an inconvenient crush on an actor. READ MORE For New York’s first “Men’s Style” issue, we captured some of New York’s most stylish men shvitzing at the East Village’s Russian & Turkish Baths. READ MORE Leo Dell’Orco, the longtime partner of Giorgio Armani, has shunned the limelight for most of his life. Now, the fate of the late designer’s multibillion-dollar empire is in his hands. READ MORE We sent Flora, 25, and Ning, 24, out to Tin’s on the LES. Find out how it went in “Both Sides of a First Date.” READ MORE A Jane Doe sued Cornell and seven current and former students alleging the school failed to protect her after she was raped at a frat house. READ MORE Subscribe now to get unlimited access to everything New York, including subscriber-only newsletters, exclusive perks, the New York app, and more. Subscribe Now   ADVERTISER CONTENT   The Mini Cut Shop For more shopping advice, sign up to get the Cut Shop newsletter every Friday. The Cut Fashion Closet These are the core pieces in our wardrobes. A New Perspective on Lindberg’s Eyewear The Danish brand’s latest frames are a work of art. 3 Ways to Make Your Dinner Party Cool Once-dull cookware and pantry staples are now display-worthy status symbols. READ MORE FROM THE CUT   ASTROLOGY Your Daily Horoscope by Madame Clairevoyant Take advantage of the good energy today with the sun in Libra and Uranus in Gemini. Read more.   ADVERTISER CONTENT   Sign up for Personals A newsletter about sex and relationships. SIGN UP follow us on instagram • tiktok • twitter • facebook unsubscribe | privacy notice | preferences This email was sent to you@example.com. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get this newsletter in your inbox. View this email in your browser. Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036