More than 20 years after The Devil Wears Prada first introduced audiences to its sharp-tongued assistant Emily Charlton, the real-life inspiration behind the character is finally speaking out. Leslie Fremar, a former assistant to Anna Wintour at Vogue, recently confirmed that she was the basis for the role famously played by Emily Blunt.
The renewed attention comes as The Devil Wears Prada 2 has officially been released in theaters, bringing the iconic fashion story back into the spotlight nearly two decades later.
While the story drew from multiple real-life figures, Fremar’s role in Wintour’s office helped shape one of the movie’s most memorable characters. Find out more about Fremar, her connection to The Devil Wears Prada, and what she’s doing now.
Fremar worked at Vogue in the late 1990s, where she started as an assistant and was quickly promoted to become Wintour’s first assistant. During that time, she also worked alongside Lauren Weisberger, who later wrote The Devil Wears Prada.
Not entirely, but she is a key inspiration. Fremar has now publicly confirmed that she is the real-life inspiration for Emily Charlton, the assistant played by Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada.
The story itself is based on author Weisberger’s experience working at Vogue, so multiple real-life figures influenced the characters. Fremar said she felt the portrayal was a “betrayal,” explaining that the book drew heavily from real workplace dynamics and relationships.
She recalled learning about the novel when Wintour called her into the office, telling her she was portrayed even more harshly than expected. “I got a call from Anna’s office saying that she wanted to see me. I was petrified. [Wintour] said, ‘Who’s Lauren Weisberger? And I said, ‘She was your junior assistant. And she’s like, ‘Well, she wrote a book about us, and you’re worse than me’.”
