Feminist Publication Jezebel Shutting Down Amid ‘Economic Headwinds’

A woman types on a laptop on a train in New Jersey on May 18, 2021. Jenny Kane/AP Photo

Feminist publication Jezebel is shutting down after 16 years following a downturn in online advertising, its parent company, G/O Media, announced on Nov. 9.

Jim Spanfeller, CEO of G/O Media, revealed the closure in an internal memo to the company’s staff, noting that 23 individuals will be laid off amid “economic headwinds” such as “high interest rates” and “global crises.”

The job cuts are part of a broader restructuring of editorial and business teams, he said.

The New York-based company also announced the departure of G/O Media Editorial Director Merrill Brown.

“As of this week we are making the very, very difficult decision to suspend publication of Jezebel,” reads the memo, which was widely shared online. “Few decisions over the course of my career have been as excruciating, and I want to make clear this is in NO WAY a reflection on the Jezebel editorial team.”

Mr. Spanfeller went on to note that the team at Jezebel has worked to “meet and exceed their audience needs and wants in an increasingly important time for the core topics of the site” and praised their “breakthrough coverage of reproductive rights” following the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“Unfortunately, our business model and the audiences we serve across our network did not align with Jezebel’s. And when that became clear, we undertook an expansive search for a new, perhaps better home that might ensure Jezebel a path forward,” he wrote.

Talks with more than two dozen potential buyers of the publication had ultimately failed, according to Mr. Spanfeller.

“It is a testament to Jezebel’s heritage and bonafides that so many players engaged us. Still, despite every effort, we could not find Jez a new home,” he wrote.

‘Media Is Nothing if Not Resilient’

“I haven’t given up on Jezebel. Media is nothing if not resilient. So are its practitioners. I will keep you apprised if circumstances change,” Mr. Spanfeller said.

Jezebel, a gender-focused media site, was launched in 2007 by Gawker Media, predominantly providing feminist commentary on gender identity-related topics.

However, the publication also sparked controversy over what some journalists referred to as its “angry” tone, as well as its decision to splash out $10,000 for unretouched photos of actress and director Lena Dunham following a photo shoot with Vogue.

The site became part of the G/0 Media portfolio in 2019, along with Gizmodo, Quartz, The Onion, and The Root.

In March, the parent company sold its life advice publication, Lifehacker. It also laid off 13 staff members in June.

In August, Laura Bassett quit as Jezebel’s editor-in-chief, writing in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she had “reluctantly resigned” because “the company that owned us refused to treat my staff with basic human decency.”

In a separate post commenting on the latest layoffs and shutdown on Nov. 9, Ms. Bassett wrote: “I’m obviously boiling and have too much to say on this subject. But for now, I’ll just say my heart is with the entire Jez staff who just got laid off, including incredible abortion reporters at a time when the beat couldn’t be more relevant to national politics. Please hire them.”

Jezebel is the latest publication facing “economic headwinds,” with Vice Media filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year and Buzzfeed News announcing in April that it was shutting down as part of a cost-cutting drive by its corporate parent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.