A French debutante has come to the defence of Apple Martin after a social media users called her a “mean girl” following a viral video.
Martin, the 20-year-old daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, was making her society debut at the Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris in November. The ball is an annual fashion event meant to introduce around 20 women between the ages of 16 and 22 into society.
In the footage, shared by French magazine Paris Match, fellow debutante Loppin de Montmort is posing for a photo dressed in a black gown. Martin then steps into the picture, forcing de Montmort to move aside, as she poses and pouts confidently for the camera. The woman behind Martin is also forced to step back as she takes up space.
The video has since racked up nearly 6 million views, with over 3,000 comments, sparking debate online.
“Mean girl of a teenage film vibe,” wrote one person, as another added “the apple’s rotten to the core”.
Others praised the elegance of the women around Martin as they said, “The way the girl behind her waits her turn, very confident, very demure.”
However, not everyone agreed as at least one person said, “Apple Martin is so cute, I like her energy”.
De Montmort has now come to Martin’s defence following the experience.
“[Apple’s] genuinely the nicest girl ever!” she told People. “She really doesn’t deserve an ounce of what she’s getting.”
She added: “She was the nicest girl ever towards not only me but all the debs!”
To attend the fashion event, Paltrow’s oldest daughter was seen wearing a custom Valentino gown which took Valentino Creative Director Alessandro Michele’s atelier 750 hours to make, according toVogue.
To show their support, Apple’s parents and brother, Moses all wore Valentino outfits, with the Iron Man actor wearing a gown from Valentino’s spring 2025 collection and the men wearing custom suits.
@parismatch #applemartin #baldesdebutantes #chrismartin #gwynethpaltrow #valentinocouture
♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS) - Tommy Richman
Paltrow shared various photos from the event in an Instagram post, some of which featured Martin. “A special long weekend in Paris,” she captioned the carousel of images. She also shared photos of her daughter’s dress on her Instagram Stories. “My beautiful daughter in @maisonvalentino,” she wrote.
To attend the event, Apple flew to Europe during her Thanksgiving break from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, while Moses flew in from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
