Major Layoffs Hit Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Variety

Photo Credit: Ashley King (Penske Media Website)

Penske Media Corporation (PMC) has conducted multiple rounds of layoffs across its music and entertainment outlets in 2025. These cuts have impacted writers at Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Variety as the corporation faces revenue pressures from Google’s AI summaries.

Rolling Stone laid off writers Andre Gee and Brittany Spanos on Monday. Gee stated the recent merger with VIBE eliminated his position. “This termination leaves me in immediate peril,” Gee wrote on a GoFundMe page seeking donations following the 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.”

“After 11 years I was laid off from Rolling Stone,” Spanos wrote on X on Monday. “Kinda surreal feeling to start over but excited to see what’s next.” Spanos notes that over the course of her time with the publication, she wrote three cover stories this year alone.

Rolling Stone also cut staff in September, with losses then including executive digital director Lisa Tozzi and chief television critic Alan Sepinwall.

Variety let go at leasts three employees last week. Affected staff included senior entertainment writer Adam B. Vary and associate news editor J. Jim Murphy. “The great axe of modern journalism has come for me—today was my last day at Variety,” Vary wrote on December 5 on Bluesky. “Not my choice at all and I will miss my tremendous colleagues and friends there enormously.’“

“More Variety layoffs, sad to say I’m among those impacted,” Murphy wrote on X on Monday. “Grateful for my five years there and proud of all the work I did—breaking news, editing, reviews, interviews, social and more. Looking back, I did a lot. It was a job I loved.”

Billboard also saw significant layoffs this week. Departures included editors Robert Levine and Steve Knopper, senior director Dave Brooks, and lead analyst Glenn Peoples. Executive editor Frank DiGiacomo also updated his Instagram profile to reflect his exit from the publication without an official statement.

PMC sued Google in September 2025 over the company’s AI summaries in search results. These summaries appear ahead of any links and summarize journalism without consent or compensation. The suit claims these summaries cut traffic, ad revenue, and affiliate earnings by more than 33% in 2024. PMC says it faces a dilemma in allowing the content to be used for AI summaries or risk dramatic search declines.

“As a leading global publisher, we have a duty to protect PMC’s best-in-class journlists and award-winning journalism as a source of truth,” Penske Media CEO Jay Penske said in a statement at the time the lawsuit was filed. “Furthermore, we have a responsibility to proactively fight for the future of digital media and preserve its integrity—all of which is threatened by Google’s current actions.”

Penske is seeking treble damages, a permanent injunction halting the alleged practices, restitution or disgorgement of profits earned from its content and attorneys fees. The company is also demanding a jury trial to settle the matter.