Here's why Caitlyn Jenner was not paid for the Vanity Fair cover

Vanity Fair shocked the world Monday with its latest cover, in which Bruce Jenner emerged publicly as a woman with the headline "Call me Caitlyn."

While many magazines would have paid a pretty penny for the epic exclusive, a Vanity Fair representative told Mashable the magazine had been in discussion with Jenner since January and "did not give her any compensation for the exclusive."

"Vanity Fair does not pay for interviews," a rep for the magazine told Business Insider.

That Jenner wasn't paid for the cover is slightly surprising in a world in which celebrities shill their personal wedding, baby, or other photos in exchange for a payday.

While many pocket the funds, some use such opportunities to raise money for charity. In 2008, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie reportedly received $15 million in exchange for photos of their biological twins to appear on the covers of People and Hello magazines. The couple reportedly donated the entire amount to charity.

Below is a list of the most expensive celebrity photos of all time (via Wikipedia):

Judging by Monday's interest in Jenner — she already beat Obama's Twitter record to 1 million followers— the former Olympian could have fetched a high amount for a cover.

But by choosing Vanity Fair as the outlet, Jenner kept it classy and proved she's just as media savvy as her famous daughters. And people noticed:

"Vanity Fair's particular brand of celebrity-drive journalism has held up as other magazine have struggled to make the transition to the internet,"Mashable said.

"The brand's combined print and digital audience has risen 17% in the first quarter of 2015 when compared to the same period a year ago and has more than double its mobile audience," according to the Association of Magazine Media's 360° report.

SEE ALSO: Here's how Vanity Fair managed to keep the Caitlyn Jenner cover so secret

MORE: Caitlyn Jenner breaks Barack Obama Twitter record for fastest to one million followers

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