Nikki Finke Leaving Deadline, Promises ‘The Real Truth About Hollywood’
Sharon Waxman, eat your heart out! Feared, powerful and nigh-mythical Hollywood journalist Nikki Finke is leaving Deadline, the breaking entertainment news site that she herself founded.
Though it has been rumored for months, Finke announced Thursday night that she is absolutely leaving Deadline after months of apparent quibbling with Jay Penske, whose company has owned the site since 2009.
Though Penske’s contract with Finke keeps her under his thumb until 2016, she argues that he violated the agreement and that she should be allowed to leave. She also admitted to BuzzFeed that she has been trying to break off their partnership for some time.
There are a few reasons why we’ll never know what went down. For one, Finke is incredibly private, and two, her relationship with Penske has always been rumored to be combative (if not mutually beneficial). Ironically, the most in-depth reporting on the fallout comes from Finke’s rival, Sharon Waxman (of Deadline competitor TheWrap).
But even Waxman’s revelations need to be taken with the requisite grain of salt. More than a rival, Waxman is essentially Finke’s nemesis and “arch-enemy,” so, you know… conflicts of interest and what-not.
Still, it seems obvious that Finke’s split from Deadline must have been extremely bitter. Look what was posted (and removed) this afternoon:
Is that Finke’s final Deadline post? Gauging from her Twitter feed, probably. There, she has been taunting Penske non-stop since yesterday in between breaking news tweets and announcements about her next endeavors.
I am building out http://t.co/8vaMwz16aD and will unveil it right after the new year. Can’t wait to report the real truth about Hollywood.
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) October 25, 2013
All that’s left is for the lawyers to disentangle me from Penske. I have no idea why he has fought so hard to keep me. I’ll be free soon.
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) October 25, 2013
I have been locked out of the Deadline Hollywood website which I founded 7 1/2 years ago. Jay Penske gave the order. Not even the staff knew
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) October 25, 2013
I now only have very limited access inside the Deadline website’s admin after 7 1/2 years of full access. What a very sad day.
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) October 25, 2013
For weeks now Jay Penske pledged to me he would wage ‘nuclear war’ on me unless I obeyed him and stayed at Deadline. He started it Wednesday
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) October 25, 2013
I actually had to go to the Deadline website home page and see if I was still listed as Editor in Chief and Founder.
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) October 25, 2013
Penske has given the Deadline redesign to the same guy that redesigned Variety’s unreadable website. I’ve still had zero input.
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) October 25, 2013
Penske keeps sending me legal letters since I began giving interviews. Latest one this am demands I remove and retract my tweets.
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) October 25, 2013
Earth To Penske: Hollywood tried and failed to intimidate me. Big Media tried and failed to intimidate me. I like to brawl, remember?
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) October 25, 2013
Like everyone else, we’re waiting with bated breath to see what Nikki Finke does next… and, perhaps more importantly, what will become of Deadline without her.
