Apple Martin Makes Debut and Gets Called a Mean Girl

By Jason P. Frank, a Vulture writer covering comedy, theater, and music

And now for a sentence so rich that you’ll feel poorer just for reading it: Apple Martin made her debut into society at 2024’s Le Bal des Débutantes on December 1. Martin is the 20-year-old daughter of ski -trial winner Gwyneth Paltrow and Beyoncé and Bruno Mars opening act Chris Martin. Le Bal des Débutantes is an annual event in which young women get to put on haute couture and dance. This event has everything: insane European names, mean-girl allegations, and, through it all, beautiful enigma Apple Martin enjoying her rich, wealthy life. Congrats and thank you to her. We will accept what charity we can get (living vicariously through her).

Le Bal des Débutantes is a yearly ball held in Paris where young women get to show their “individuality,” per Vogue. That basically means that some participants wore ostentatious and gaudy dresses, which we are of course in favor of. (This year, we particularly hate-love the white-and-black two-piece.) Celeb kids you might know who previously attended include: Lily Collins, in a white feather-, lace-, and crystal-bedecked gown in 2007; Margaret Qualley, who wore a sheer brown number in 2012; and Ava Phillippe, who was in a full-coverage gold dress that would be perfect for only this or as a costume for a glamorous governess, in 2017.

Apple Martin wore a custom blue Valentino dress with tiers that, according to Vogue, took 750 hours to make. We kind of hoped that she’d wear Ralph Lauren à la her mother’s most famous “a star is born” moment at the Oscars, but why would a child of celebrities invite more parental comparisons? She’s already got all the attention anyway.

Count Leo Henckel von Donnersmarck, of course. Try count-ing the consonants in that. He’s the younger brother of Countess Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck, who opened last year’s Bal des Débutantes and is now a TikTok influencer who pulls in over a million views any time she posts, in case you were wondering if this ball really matters. Their father is film director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who made the 2006 Academy Award winner for Best International Film, The Lives of Others. At that same ceremony, Gwyneth Paltrow presented Best Cinematography, so it seems entirely possible that she connected the two kids. Or maybe it was just the organizers, since many girls will typically rely on them to pair them up with their “cavaliers.”

Both Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin attended the ball. News outlet Paris Match posted a video of the two Martins dancing together, which he laughed his way through (what a goofball!). Paltrow posted about her “special long weekend in Paris” on Instagram, including a pic of her and Apple looking into each other’s eyes and a pic of the family together — including both her and her ex-husband Chris Martin. That total lack of post–conscious-uncoupling acrimony is what’s really aspirational.

Allegedly. In a TikTok shared by Paris Match, the non-famous (but, reminder, incredibly wealthy) Countess Alienor Loppin de Montmort is posing for the camera when Apple comes over and starts serving. Suddenly, the photographer focuses on her instead. That’s it, that’s the whole moment. The debutante on the receiving end mostly just keeps smiling. She seems fine. Still, TikTok comments included “They could never make me like you Apple Martin,” and “How did Apple Martin even get invited to this? I thought a semblance of grace and decorum was a qualification.” We expect that Apple Martin will be okay regardless.