The Fall of Chrissy Teigen

If you've been keeping up with celebrity news, you may know that Chrissy Teigen is in hot water for a past of cyber bullying. To date, Courtney Stodden, model, and Michael Costello, fashion designer, have come forward with visual proof of Chrissy’s mean girl past. In both cases, Chrissy urged that her targets ought to kill themselves. That's pretty harsh. As an astrologer, I'm always interested in the inner workings of planetary energies that underpin this kind of acute news. While some don't agree with looking at celebrity charts, I find that it is tremendously helpful in learning planetary archetypes, timing techniques, and the general effect that planetary movements can have on us mere mortals. So, in this take, I investigate the natal chart of Chrissy Teigen, and pinpoint some of the planetary energies that could be at play for her now.

But first some housekeeping. Whenever you are looking into the chart of a politician, or a musician, or any other kind of public figure, you're going to want to make sure that their birth data is accurate. There are a lot of websites out there that purport to have the accurate natal charts of certain celebrities, but some of them are less reputable than others. I suggest using Astro.com. There you can find the rating of a chart. Chrissy’s chart is rated A, meaning there is a strong likelihood of accuracy. (The best rating is AA!).

The first thing in Chrissy Teigen’s chart that is of note is, of course, or Scorpio ascendant. People born with a Scorpio ascendant are in some way seen or known for their intensity. Where that intensity goes depends on a myriad of factors. But one way to start delineating the effect of Scorpio energy is to look to the placement of Mars, which rules the sign of Scorpio. Chrissy Teigen has her Mars in the sign of Libra in her 12th house. To me, this is a set-up of secrecy. For one, it explains why Chrissy was able to get away with this type of behavior without it reaching the public. The 12H tends to rule spaces that are private or unseen. Second, Mars is a malefic force. So it is not surprising that Chrissy’s own maleficence was something that was shielded from our eyes. And because it is in what is called aversion to (or, cannot “see”) the ascendant, sometimes the way this malefic energy comes out can be extremely disproportional. There is also something morbidly resonant about urging someone to kill themselves, when you have the ruler of your ascendant, or your embodiment, in the 12H of self-undoing—especially when that ruler is Mars—a planet that enjoys violence, a planet that severs and harms. Mars in Chrissy’s chart is also sextile Uranus, revving up the excitement and speed with which Chrissy made her own cancellation grave—off the cuff remarks and inappropriate sarcasm. Uranus also adds a certain quirk and irreverence to Chrissy’s demeanor, which certainly inflames the desire to say or do things to get a rise out of others.

Chrissy is 35, meaning she is in a 12H year (everyone at 35 is!), kicking up all those Mars-related issues.

“As you know, a bunch of my old awful (awful, awful) tweets resurfaced. I’m truly ashamed of them. As I look at them and understand the hurt they caused, I have to stop and wonder: How could I have done that?”

That is a potent question to ask. When the ruler of your ascendant is in the 12H, having a sense of whiplash or delayed realization about the ways your actions have affected others is certainly par for the course. Mars is essentially, for Chrissy, operating in a blind spot.

Why now? Transit Mars in Leo is in her 10H, the most visible part of the sky. Her martial mean girl behavior and other cringe celebrity-obsessed behavior is being publicized. Mars is also squaring her natal Pluto, so let’s go there next.

Chrissy Teigen has Pluto in Scorpio in her 1H. One of the ways that Pluto in the 1H can manifest is someone desperate to be seen as important or consequential. This is a placement that comes with a lot of power, but the way one wields that power or approaches that power or homes that power, is completely individual. In the case of Michael Costello, Chrissy essentially delighted in being able to blacklist him within the industry. That means that she was able to pull some levers in the background using her influence to derail this person’s career. And that is all Pluto. In her chart Pluto is conjunct her south node, meaning that she is coming into this lifetime with some unresolved Pluto issues. In my practice of astrology, I assume planets conjunct the south node showed up maladaptively in prior lifetimes. That Christy appears to be working through this, realizing her mistakes, and apologizing, is certainly reminiscent of the growth one makes from their south node to their north node. But it is clear that she wielded that Plutonian power in less than desirable ways in the past. I also want to mention that Mars is the ruler of her Aries 6H. And so, using her energy or her power against individuals in her same industry, or in her same work environments, is extremely appropriate here. The square transit Mars is making to this natal Pluto placement sets Chrissy up for a battle of wills—where on one hand she is trying to regain her public persona in the face of extreme backlash for that public persona.

“In reality, I was insecure, immature and in a world where I thought I needed to impress strangers to be accepted. If there was a pop culture pile-on, I took to Twitter to try to gain attention and show off what I at the time believed was a crude, clever, harmless quip. I thought it made me cool and relatable if I poked fun at celebrities.”

Let’s talk about those quips. Chrissy has a retrograde Mercury in Sagittarius—double homicide! Not only is Mercury in detriment in Sagittarius, it’s retrogradation makes things even more tricky. Mercury here is classic foot-in-mouth syndrome, where the expansiveness, boundarylessness, and affable nature of Jupiter (which rules Sagittarius), can certainly get you in trouble. Chrissy explains in the quote above and the larger apology, that she was essentially joking around. Even more, Mercury is the ruler of her Virgo midheaven. The midheaven (MC)         the highest point in one’s natal chart, usually conflated with the 10H. And while the thematic similarity is there, the MC can float between the 9H, 10H and 11H. Chrissy has her MC in the 11H. The 11H can capture communities at large that share like-minded goals or interests, and for a celebrity, this house represents other celebrities. The 11th also carries connotations of social media—where you can interface with a lot of people at once. Chrissy’s love for Twitter is indicated here, yet so is her ultimate downfall. Those Sagittarius Twitter fingers echoing across the 11H can be problematic—picking on peers, always trying to be seen as “edgy” or funny. You run the risk of being known for what you write (Virgo 11H), and without intention behind your words, Chrissy has become an example of our increasingly cringe public foibles—post something once, it stays on the Internet forever. Her Mercury has a loose opposition to and rules her Chiron in Gemini in the 8H—that she used words to mask a deep personal pain makes sense. Chiron in Gemini folks tend to have pain around communication, both as an internal complication and as an external coping mechanism. Word’s hurt—and Chrissy’s certainly did.

Chrissy’s sensitive Moon in Cancer forms a square by sign to her Mars in Libra. I have no doubt that girl is probably GOING THROUGH IT right now. The issue at play is that Mars in Libra and Moon in Cancer are working at cross-purposes. Cancer wants desperately to belong and is vulnerable to even the most transient emotions. But Mars in Libra is a cool, brute force of social savvy and intellect, desperate to assert in the 12H. The stabbing imagery and mentions of physical sensitivity to the pain one has caused that Chrissy mentions is Mars square Moon incarnate:

“Now, confronted with some of the things that I said, I cringe to my core. I’ll honestly get sharp, stabbing pains in my body, randomly remembering my asshole past, and I deserve it.”

The transiting NN is in Gemini, right on top of Chrissy’s primordial Chiron wound. The NN appears to be amplifying, or making ravenous, the legacy of Chrissy’s hot takes and the pain they have caused. The transiting SN is in Sagittarius conjunct her natal Sun and approaching her Mercury. This is a karmic sea change around the way Chrissy’s words and identity have been misappropriately used. The amplified Gemini energy also represents the medium through which Chrissy has reckoned with her past—sound bites, news articles, gossip rags, and blogging. (She published her self-written apology on the website Medium no less!). Transiting Saturn is also conjunct her natal Jupiter in Aquarius, severely restricting or even providing karmic receipts for Jupiter’s past behavior as ruler of her Mercury.

And lastly, Chrissy’s Moon has newly progressed into Scorpio, conjunct that natal Pluto and SN. This is uncomfortable and corresponds to a chapter of Chrissy’s life where she is dealing with the emotional wreckage (Moon conjunct Pluto) of all her exposed skeletons. Moon in Scorpio periods are great for deep soul-searching, but that searching is likely always prompted by confrontation or crisis.

Will she bounce back? Maybe. The ruler of Chrissy’s Sun and Mercury, Jupiter, has newly entered Pisces where it can say YES to things again. This can shield her a bit or insulate the impact on her finances and sponsorships as a result of this fallout (Chrissy’s Sun and Mercury are in her 2H of personal resources). But Jupiter is slowing and will retrograde back into Saturn-ruled Aquarius. She may fall back into a quieter version of herself for now, focused on home and family. When she turns 36 in November, she will enter a 1H year, a period of life that is more face-forward. It’ll activate all her 1H Scorpio placements, and indicate, as Scorpio always does, some profound transformations regarding her identity. Jupiter will be in Pisces again on December 29th, making 2022 a year where Chrissy is more visible. But until then, the vibe is damage control.

JoJo & The Blessing of a Saturn Return

Random but it had to be written. UPROXX recently uploaded a short documentary on JoJo and it resonated so well with what I saw in her chart, rated AA.

At 13, JoJo experienced massive success (2nd house profection year, hers ruled by expansive Jupiter, which trines her MC--more on that later), but was subsequently held hostage by a greedy (and now defunct) music label. As a result, she couldn't release music for more than a decade.

JoJo is an Aquarius Rising, and her Saturn is at 24 degrees of Capricorn, placing it in the 12th. When the ruling planet of the ASC is averse or "hidden" from the ASC, a theme of "delay" can prevail, as the steersman of your ship cannot see where it is going. Very frustrating. In JoJo's case, it is further compounded by the fact that her ASC ruler is the planet of delay and restriction. And that is further compounded by the fact that its a 12th house placement of loss. Whew!

In the midst of recording additional songs, her label dissolved (12th), yet she was still bound (Saturn) by the terms in her contract. She continued to record music but was not allowed to release any of it. We need to note that JoJo has a massive 12th house Capricorn stellium--Mercury RX, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and NN. That she was forced into relative obscurity reinforces 12th house themes of things hidden, things ending, doing things in secret. Music studios are also the 12th house--forced creative isolation. She remarked in the documentary that she would constantly read articles that proclaimed she must have died. She recalled how frustrating it was to see musicians who started after her start to pass and out-pace her. (Personally, this is such a huge Saturn struggle. It is the bane of my existence. Anyway....)

JoJo has Neptune and Venus closely conjunct in the 12th. In the documentary, she was gaslit into taking medication to make her thinner, under the guise that her label just wanted her to be "healthy". The fogginess of Neptune playing out next to her creative planet, Venus, is also indicative of being sold a bill of goods that never comes to be. In the beginning, she was very glamourized by Hollywood, private jets, opening for Usher, etc.--but when the fog settled, she was completely and utterly screwed by signing that contract: Mercury RX in the 12th. RX Mercury begs of you to dive into the details, to double check, to be sure, transit or natal. And music contracts are complicated and obtuse already. Placed in the 12th, she became a victim of her own pen. (Not blaming her, by the way.)

What ensued were years of substance abuse, another 12th house theme, especially with Venus ad Neptune co present. Unable to release or perform music, JoJo became "a shell of herself" and had to be "buzzed" in order to function. Only the realization that her dad was an addict (who died of his addiction it seemed--went to sleep and never woke up) snapped her back into reality, and she begun to take control. She hired a lawyer and became embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with her former label. Her Venus, in the 12th and conj. Neptune, rules her 9th house Libra of contracts, law, legal endeavors. So she was in for an uphill battle. But she has Mars square her ASC, which, yes, can render one a victim to martial energies from others (her label), but also energizes you for battle as a result. In Taurus, it also meant/means she has to fight for her art.

In the meantime, she decided to release free mixtapes. A Saturn theme is stripping down to bare essentials. Ideally wanting to release music for profit, she had to settle for releasing music for free, and self-funding a lot of her creative endeavors. Though not firmly in her Saturn Return when she released these mixtapes, Saturn themes prevail for as it is her final dispositor.

Anyway, the story gets happier. In 2014, she was freed from her contract. It was a 12th house profection year, and during Capricorn season. So matters of the 12th house were doubly activated. And Saturn lurked still behind it all. Mars trine Saturn natives also never give up no matter how steep the odds are stacked. Go JoJo!

"Just imagine how the free bird will sing after being caged for so long," wrote one reporter. Holy 12th house! Only now, instead of entering a prison, she was leaving it. And thus began a new cycle for her, as she entered a 1st house year soon after. She signed to Atlantic Records.

Despite being away for almost a decade, JoJo still had very loyal fans. During her legal battles "#FreeJoJo" was used on social media as a means of support for the singer, and many media outlets and blogs publicized her struggle. Fans and celebrities alike stood in solidarity. And when she was finally able to tour and release music again--she sold out shows, was streamed/downloaded tens of millions of times, soared to #1 on iTunes, and recouped all her expenses. Why? Sun and MC in the 11th house in Sag, ruled and trined by benefic Jupiter in Leo in her 7th. The 11th house describes the nature of our fans and friends. Though a "victim" of her business relationships early on, Jupiter in the 7th and ruling the 11th ensured JoJo would always have support from others. It also ensured that her public image, career, and reputation would always remain afloat and gifted positivity and expansion. The Sun and Jupiter also have mutual reception, each in the sign that the other rules. That's a wonderful tag-team to have by yourself to mediate the 12th house loss. Jupiter and Sun inflate you up again---and again and again. Jupiter also rules her second house so: money.

As her Saturn Return started, JoJo re-recorded and re-released her first albums, as her former label removed all of her music from the Internet. Having to go back and re-do everything, and with precision and perfection, (Mercury RX) is Saturnian, but JoJo found it extremely cathartic. She also changed some of the lyrics to reflect that she was in her late 20s now, and not an adolescent. Saturn as ruler of time and maturity.

As her Saturn Return became exact in early 2020, JoJo won her first GRAMMY for a comeback single released in 2019. She went on to be nominated for several other awards, and is slated for bigger things in the future. She announced a new album and tour for Spring 2020.

Whew, won't Saturn do it y'all! After he hits you with 2 by 4 after 2 by 4.

I hope this is reflection for people with heavy 12th house, and retrogrades, and heavy Saturn. Or people just curious/afraid of the Saturn Return. Mine is exact today so I found JoJo's story extremely resonate and because I'm also a trapped musician with Saturn in aversion to the ASC. Yes, shit does end up sucking hard---but never forever. And usually for the better. Saturn came back around for JoJo and as a result, all the planets in the 12th were loosened up to express more freely, retribution was delivered, debts were paid and money was flowing, and most importantly, life purpose was solidified and confirmed.

p.s. One of her collaborators noted that she had a wise soul trapped inside the body of a young girl. Apropos for Saturn dominate people.