It’s not unusual for friends to talk about politics that impact their lives. What is unusual is for those friends to be Karlie Kloss and Phoebe Gates, a pair of multimillionaires in the millennial and Gen Z age brackets, each with her own name recognition—and in Kloss’s case an entire media company. The women are the executive producers, with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, of Everybody’s Fight: An In Bloom Series, set to release on YouTube on October 22, just days ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
“I think we all know what’s at stake, but I think [it’s also important to] understand in a more personal way the day-to-day implications on millions of people’s lives—whether you’re somebody living in a state with a complete ban, or a ban of any kind—and the barriers that exist to seek vital care,” Kloss told Vanity Fair, speaking along with Gates over Zoom.
Gates, the 22-year-old daughter of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, is an activist with a special focus on reproductive rights and climate justice, and has cofounded an as-yet-unreleased digital fashion platform. Kloss, a former model, owns Bedford Media with her husband, Joshua Kushner (the brother of Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of Donald Trump, who orchestrated the fall of Roe v. Wade—in case you forgot). As a teenager in her native Missouri, Kloss volunteered as a care escort for Planned Parenthood patients, and in 2022 founded the Gateway Coalition, a collective that helps with access to abortion in the Midwest.
She and Gates consulted with experts in the space—like Jessica Valenti, who writes about abortion in her newsletter, “Abortion, Every Day,” and Kwajelyn Jackson, the executive director of Atlanta’s Feminist Women’s Health Center—and dove into the data to determine “how to be of the highest impact and support the landscape” on a hot-button issue that changes on a near-daily basis.
“Especially young people, young voters like ourselves who might not be reading the long, in-depth storytelling, but are on socials—how can we reach them where they are and tell them about what’s happening?” Kloss says.
“Honestly, we’re only beginning to understand all the ways that ending the federal right to abortion is affecting people’s lives, and we wanted to support films that paint a true picture of reproductive freedom today in the US and what a better future could look like,” Gates says. “From my perspective, my generation is about to have less rights than all the generations that came before us. And there’s 40 million of us, or 41 million Gen Z eligible voters in this election.” She calls this messaging play, which has MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation as another partner, “only one piece of the puzzle.”
“We are not stopping there,” Gates says. “There is so much more we need to do, like filling urgent gaps in access and care, getting women their rights back in as many states as possible, supporting young activists too.”
Asked who they wished they could require to watch the films, both first said “all men,” and then amended that to lawmakers who have the power to make and change the restrictive policies.
“So much of this is actually just about understanding a lived experience that might not be yours,” Kloss says. That’s where the series’ title comes in: This is everybody’s fight. “It’s not just for women.”
“We wanted to reach people who might be undecided, and men who might not be a father or be interested in becoming a father, or informed on what’s happening or understand how this might affect them and their choices,” Kloss says. The shorter length of the films means that they’re easier to access and share, unlike a long-form documentary that a person would have to decide to commit 90 minutes to, get to physically, and pay for before the the opening credits even roll.
While some of their viewers may be undecided voters, Kloss and Gates are not.
“I’m pro-Kamala all the way through, but I think this film is not really just about politics,” Gates says. “This is about so much more. This is everybody’s fight. Men, women. If you are involved in a child’s life, this decision and having the right to a decision, having the right to IVF, having the right to go get an abortion, it matters to you.
“This is really about getting people to understand that this is their issue too, and to learn something new about abortion. But of course, yeah, that’s who I’m supporting.”
“Likewise. And I could not agree more,” added Kloss, who attended a “Hotties for Harris” party thrown by the Harris campaign in September. “We really wanted to talk to people who already care about this, but more importantly, talk to people who aren’t maybe informed about what’s happening. And maybe we can change their heart and their mind, and inform them on the reality of this moment and what’s at stake.”
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