You Can Probably Believe What Happened Next After Viral Site Upworthy Laid Off Chunk Of Staff

Evie Fordham

News site Upworthy, known for its “You won’t believe what happened next” headlines, let go of more than 30 employees because of “an increasingly challenging media environment,” according to parent company Good Media Group.

The layoffs come as Upworthy editor-in-chief Liz Heron resigned Thursday, and co-founder/board member Eli Pariser resigned in late July, reported CNN.

“Almost my entire team at Upworthy/GOOD was laid off,” Heron wrote on Twitter Thursday.

Good Media bought Upworthy in 2017 and laid off employees then, too, reported CNN.

“Today, we had to make the hard decision to say goodbye to esteemed colleagues,” Good Media said in a statement, according to CNN. “An incredible team remains, and our mission is as relevant now as ever.”

Upworthy, called the “grandaddy of viral publishers” by Digiday, rose to popularity in 2013. Facebook shares prompted by its curiosity-inducing headlines contributed to its success. At its peak, Upworthy had 85 million visitors per month. As of June, that number had fallen to 6.4 million, reported CNN.

Other media companies have laid off editorial staffers recently, including the New York Daily News, which cut half of its reporters, editors and photographers.

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