Us Weekly Bought For $100M By the Owner of The National Enquirer and Radar Online

Us Weekly, the celebrity gossip rag known for iconic features like “25 Things You Don’t Know About Me” and “What’s In My Bag?” that’s somewhere in the bottom-center of the Approval Matrix, has reportedly been purchased by American Media (the owners of The National Enquirer and Radar Online) for $100 million after a months-long bidding war with Tronc (which owns The LA Times and The Chicago Tribune).

What makes this more notable and less snooze-worthy than a typical media acquisition is that Us Weekly has spent the past several months filling its covers with images and stories that are sympathetic—if not downright in love with—President Donald Trump and his family.
Feeling pity for Jared Kushner? Calling Ivanka “Daughter In Chief”? Giving Tiffany more cover real estate than Khloe Kardashian? It’s almost as if Us Weekly has spent the past few months trying to brand themselves as the glossy, airplane-friendly supplement to the more blatant pro-Trump propaganda being printed by The National Enquirer.


“They have a young audience and a terrific digital platform,” said David Pecker, AMI’s chief executive, said of Us in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “They also have an incredible database, plus 500 advertisers we don’t have.”
The psychics over at Page Six reported the purchase was a “done deal” earlier this week, and that “up to 100 layoffs may ensue” once finalized.