Entertainment Weekly

Lore & Background

Entertainment Weekly (EW) is an American digital-only magazine headquartered in New York City and published by People Inc. Its coverage spans film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused titles such as *Us Weekly* or *People*, EW concentrates on entertainment media news and critical reviews. It also differs from industry trade magazines like *Variety* and *The Hollywood Reporter* by targeting a general audience rather than insiders. The magazine debuted in print on February 16, 1990, as a sister publication to *People*. Its original television ads promoted it as a consumer guide to popular culture, offering reviews of movies, music, and books, along with occasional video game and stage critiques. The magazine won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 1996 and 2002. In 2016, it launched a joint online-video network with *People*, later rebranded as PeopleTV. By August 2019, EW had shifted to a monthly print schedule, and in February 2022, it ceased print publication entirely, becoming digital-only. Its final print issue was dated April 2022. The magazine’s typical content includes celebrity covers, television ratings, movie grosses, production costs, and in-depth articles on scheduling and producers. Its layout features recurring sections such as "Sound Bites" (memorable quotes), "The Must List" (staff and reader picks), "First Look" (previews of upcoming projects), and "The Monitor" (major events).

Reader's Guide

Entertainment Weekly served as a distinctive bridge in the media landscape, differentiating itself from celebrity-focused outlets like Us Weekly by concentrating on entertainment media news and critical reviews, and from trade magazines like Variety by targeting a general audience rather than industry insiders. Launched as a sister magazine to People, its original television advertising positioned it as a consumer guide to popular culture, covering movies, music, and books. The magazine won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice, in 1996 and 2002. At its peak, it generated $55 million in annual profit, though it was later squeezed as celebrity coverage expanded across all platforms and print advertising declined. Its integration with People, a top money-maker, convinced Meredith to keep the title after acquiring Time Inc. The magazine transitioned to a monthly model in 2019 and ceased print publication in 2022, moving to digital-only. Its typical content included celebrity covers, television ratings, movie grosses, and in-depth articles on scheduling and producers. Recurring sections included "The Must List," highlighting staff and reader picks, "First Look" with behind-the-scenes stills, and "The Hit List" with comedic commentaries. The magazine also launched a Greek edition in 2021, its first outside the U.S.

Did You Know?

• Entertainment Weekly was formed as a sister magazine to People.

From Industry Review to Celebrity Fixture: The Long Road to Us Weekly

Us Weekly did not arrive fully formed. In 1977, the New York Times Company launched a bi-weekly publication simply called Us, conceived as an industry news and review magazine in the vein of titles like Premiere or Entertainment Weekly. The early years were financially rough — the title operated at a loss until it posted its first profit in 1980, the very year it was sold to Macfadden Media. Ownership shifted again in 1985 when Jann Wenner brought the magazine into his Wenner Media umbrella, the same company behind Rolling Stone and Men's Journal. By 1991, Us had settled into a monthly cadence, still focused on trade-style coverage of the entertainment world. For over two decades, the publication occupied a niche that felt more like a professional journal than a consumer magazine. That identity, however, was about to be dismantled entirely, setting the stage for one of the most dramatic reinventions in magazine publishing history.

The 2000 Rebrand: A New Voice for Celebrity Culture

In 1999, Wenner Media announced a sweeping overhaul: the monthly Us would become a weekly, and its editorial DNA would be completely rewritten. The new direction was a direct response to the commercial success of Entertainment Weekly and People, both of which had carved out lucrative celebrity-news territories. Jann Wenner articulated a distinct philosophy — the magazine would remain "celebrity-friendly" rather than gossipy, and he told The New York Times that he intended to be "nice to celebrities," noting that many of his own friends worked in entertainment. The transformation took effect in March 2000, when the title officially became Us Weekly. Bonnie Fuller, who served as editor-in-chief from 2002 to 2003, then redesigned the publication into the modern celebrity newsweekly readers recognize today, introducing signature features like "Stars Are Just Like Us." Janice Min assumed the editor-in-chief role in July 2003, further cementing the new identity and driving what would become one of the fastest-growing magazines in the industry.

Ownership Whirlwind and the Road to McClatchy

Us Weekly's corporate history reads like a case study in magazine-industry consolidation. After Wenner Media acquired the title in the mid-1980s, the company formed a partnership with The Walt Disney Company in February 2001, giving Disney a fifty-percent stake. That arrangement lasted until August 2006, when Wenner Media bought back Disney's share and regained full control. The next major transition came in March 2017, when American Media Inc. purchased the publication. The change in ownership triggered a leadership shakeup: editor James Heidenry stepped down and was succeeded by Jennifer Peros, while chief content officer Dylan Howard assumed oversight. American Media itself was later rebranded as A360media in October 2020, and in December 2024 it merged with the McClatchy local-news company to form the McClatchy Media Company. By April 2026, the magazine's New York headquarters had been shuttered, roughly half of its fifty-person staff were laid off — including the entire social-media and Spanish-language teams — and the remaining employees shifted to fully virtual work.

Signature Sections and Cultural Resonance

Us Weekly built its identity around a constellation of recurring features that gave readers a structured, almost ritualistic window into celebrity life. "Just Like Us" showed stars performing mundane, everyday activities — a concept the magazine credited to a Sesame Street segment about animals. "Who Wore It Best?" invited readers to vote on which celebrity pulled off an outfit better, while "Fashion Police" enlisted well-known comedians to mock or praise the week's most notable red-carpet looks. Other staples included "Hot Stuff" for Hollywood gossip, "The Record" for life events like births and divorces, and "Us Musts" for recommended films and television. By 2017, the magazine's paid circulation exceeded 1.95 million copies per week, with total readership surpassing fifty million. Tina Brown called it "a genius magazine" in a 2007 New York profile, and a New York Post piece that same year noted profits as high as ninety million dollars annually, with readership climbing 191 percent over five years.