The 2025 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Barely a few months after imposing a new return-to-office mandate—a move seen internally as an effort to thin the ranks—Jay Penske has quietly moved to initiate another round of cuts within his Hollywood media empire, Status has learned. On Monday, Rolling Stone laid off at least two writers, including Andre Gee and Brittany Spanos. According to Gee, his layoff was unexpected, and the outlet’s “recent merger with VIBE eliminated the need” for his position.
"This termination leaves me in immediate peril,” Gee wrote on a GoFundMe page seeking donations in the wake of his exit. “My salary was not commensurate with New York’s tremendous cost of living, so I haven’t been able to amass the savings needed to weather this period."
Staffers at Rolling Stone weren’t alone. Last week, at least three employees at the Penske Media Corporation-owned Variety were also quietly let go, including…
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Donald Trump speaks to reporters about the sale of Warner Bros. Discovery. (Screen grab via Snapstream/CNN)
Trump's CNN Ultimatum: Donald Trump, taking a page straight from the autocratic playbook, declared on Wednesday that any transaction involving Warner Bros. Discovery’s assets must include CNN. “I think it’s imperative that CNN be sold,” Trump fumed, inserting himself directly into the Netflix-vs-Paramount bidding war over the future of the David Zaslav–led conglomerate. He then unloaded on the network, accusing it of “spreading poison” and calling it a “disgrace,” while smearing the people “running CNN” as “either corrupt or incompetent.” (Apparently Mark Thompson’s recent White House visit didn’t buy much goodwill.)
🔍 Zooming in: Of course, while outrageous, it's not surprising Trump is fixated on CNN's future in the WBD auction. He has long villainized the news organization and sought to break its back. What is cause for concern is that Trump's remarks aren't happening in a vacuum. Paramount boss David Ellison has signaled he is willing to play ball with Trump and make sweeping changes to CNN. In fact, earlier this week, Ellison…
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