Fashion icon Rachel Zoe is opening up about the deeply personal reasons behind her decision to step away from celebrity styling more than a decade ago.
Speaking to People, the 54-year-old stylist-turned-entrepreneur revealed that while her growing family and expanding businesses played a role, a breakdown of trust with her assistants ultimately pushed her to leave the high-pressure world of Hollywood styling.
“In full disclosure, I just couldn’t trust assistants,” Zoe admitted. “After being completely betrayed, for lack of a better term, in various ways by enough assistants, it just wasn’t worth it anymore.”
‘There Was No Margin for Error’
Zoe, who styled some of the biggest stars of the 2000s—including Jennifer Garner, Lindsay Lohan, Kate Hudson, Mischa Barton, and Nicole Richie—said her clients felt like “extended family,” making trust non-negotiable.
“I never wanted to let them down,” she said. “But if you have five clients going through awards season, you physically can’t be with all of them at the same time. You have to trust people to represent your work—and if you can’t, the system is broken.”
Zoe has previously spoken about her fallout with former assistant Brad Goreski, who appeared on her Bravo series The Rachel Zoe Project before leaving her company in 2010. In a 2011 interview with New York magazine’s The Cut, Zoe alleged that Goreski pursued her clients shortly after his departure—something she described as deeply hurtful.
In October 2024, Zoe confirmed she is still not in contact with Goreski, saying simply, “I don’t talk to him.”
Motherhood Changed Everything
Zoe also explained that becoming a mother made the demanding lifestyle of celebrity styling increasingly unsustainable. She shares two sons—Skyler, 14, and Kaius, 12—with her ex-husband Rodger Berman.
“Styling requires nonstop, unpredictable travel—jumping on planes every other day, fittings at 2 a.m., working entirely on other people’s schedules,” she said. “That’s very hard to do when you’re a CEO, running multiple businesses, and raising a newborn and a toddler.”
Reflecting on that period, Zoe acknowledged the toll of trying to do everything at once. “You can’t be 100% everything to everyone in every area of your life and business. You just can’t.”
A New Era for the Fashion Mogul
Since stepping away from styling, Zoe has built an empire that now includes nearly 50 brand extensions and licensing partnerships. She has also returned to reality television, joining season 15 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
“I’m very honest about where I am and what I’m dealing with on the show,” Zoe said. “My goal is to share the reality of my life. Everyone’s going through something.”
Zoe filed for divorce from Berman in July, adding another personal chapter to her story—one she says she’s no longer afraid to share publicly.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo, with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.
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