• by Ray Schultz , November 10, 2023

Jezebel, the feminist website that has served readers for 16 years, is closing, resulting in the loss of 23 jobs, owner G/O Media announced in a memo on Thursday. 

"While G/O Media is a lean, nimble organization, we are not immune to the economic headwinds rattling our business," wrote CEO Jim Spanfeller. "Unfortunately, our business model and the audiences we serve across our network did not align with Jezebel’s."

G/O Media failed to find a buyer for Jezebel. But Spanfeller seemed to imply it could return. 

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

Reaction to the closure was swift. 

"I’m obviously boiling and have too much to say on this subject," wrote Laura Bassett, former editor in chief, who left in August. "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."

Spanfeller acknowledged that the staff’s “urgent, breakthrough coverage of reproductive rights in this post-Roe era, as well as other key issues core to modern women, affirmed the brand’s trusted, storied legacy as the website that changed women’s media forever.”