Celebrity magazine Us Weekly is reportedly gutting nearly half its workforce and abandoning its New York headquarters as insiders warn the onetime tabloid staple is in a \u201cdire\u201d situation \u2014 the latest layoffs to slam the struggling publishing industry.<\/p>\n
Staffers learned Monday of sweeping layoffs impacting close to half of the magazine\u2019s more than 50 employees, with management citing weak first-quarter performance as the driving force behind the cuts, the Status newsletter reported on Thursday.<\/a><\/p>\n The bloodletting hit multiple departments \u2014 including the entire social media team and the brand\u2019s Spanish-language operation, according to Status.<\/p>\n Us Weekly is reportedly cutting nearly half of its workforce. Christopher Sadowski<\/p>\n At the same time, owner McClatchy is shuttering the magazine\u2019s New York office, with staff set to go fully remote beginning May 1 as executives scramble to stabilize operations, sources told the newsletter.<\/p>\n The cuts mark a stunning reversal for a publication that once dominated supermarket checkout lines with splashy celebrity gossip and glossy covers.<\/p>\n Founded in 1977, the magazine built its business on print circulation and ad dollars tied to its mass-market reach \u2014 a model that has since collapsed under the weight of digital disruption.<\/p>\n As audiences migrated to social media for real-time entertainment news, advertisers followed, draining revenue from legacy print outlets and leaving titles like Us Weekly struggling to adapt.<\/p>\n The glossy magazine is also said to have vacated its New York City-based offices. Getty Images for Us Weekly<\/p>\n \u201cThe business is totally shot,\u201d one former magazine editor told Status. \u201cAnd there\u2019s a lack of effort to adapt for the digital space in a relevant way.\u201d<\/p>\n The layoffs come just months after Cond\u00e9 Nast rocked the industry with cost-cutting moves, including shutting down SELF as a standalone brand and trimming staff at Glamour and other titles.<\/p>\n