Fired IT Workers at Billboard, Hollywood Reporter Get Revenge with ‘Animal House’ Post

By Jordan Moreau

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – All the members of the IT team at Billboard and Hollywood Reporter have been laid off, according to a scathing post seemingly published by the fired IT staff on Billboard’s website.

The post was published on Tuesday night by a user with a byline titled “devops,” and it was quickly deleted. The announcement came with a photo of the character Flounder played by Stephen Furst in “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and included a quote from the movie.

“In the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, Valence Media has decided to lay off their entire web IT staff. Effective today. The online Billboard Charts are essentially perfect, so IT staff are no longer needed. Fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life… #SavingABuckAtYourExpense,” the post read.

Earlier on Tuesday, layoffs began at Valence Media , the parent company of The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Dick Clark Productions and Media Rights Capital. Several senior writers and editors lost their jobs and shared the sad news on social media later in the day. At least eight people were dismissed from Dick Clark Productions, a source told Variety, and around three staffers from MRC.

Last week, The Hollywood Reporter’s editorial director Matthew Belloni stepped down after disagreements with Valence Media and MRC executives. They pressured him and the editorial team to lighten their coverage on movies and celebrities that had a business connection with the companies.

See screenshots from the deleted post below.