In true Gawker form, the controversial website said “f— it” on the last day in operation before new owner Univision shuts it down.
Readers visiting Gawker.com on Monday are greeted with a headline that literally says, “F— It.” Once the story with the subhead “Goodnight, friends” is clicked, visitors are simply directed to a list of Gawker classics that have a “f— it” theme.
Univision won an auction last week for parent company Gawker Media and will retain the digital media conglomerate’s other assets while shutting down operations for the namesake website. Gawker.com staff will soon be assigned to other editorial roles, either at one of Gawker Media’s six other sites or elsewhere within Univision, according to the site.
14-year-old Gawker.com has been the center of controversy for years for its often snarky and gossipy coverage of the media landscape. Most recently, it has been under attack by Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, who admitted earlier this year he was bankrolling lawsuits against the company in an attempt to shut down the site that he claims once outed him as gay.
In March, a jury awarded former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan a total of $140 million after Gawker published portions of a sex tape featuring the wrestler and the then-wife of his close friend, Todd “Bubba the Love Sponge” Clem.
After awarding Hogan $115 million in damages in the Thiel-backed suit, the jury tacked on another $25 million in punitive damages. The site has filed an appeal over the judgement.
Back in June, Gawker editors published a story titled, “Here’s What Gawker Media Does,” that admitted, “Gawker Media has not put a lot of effort, over the years, into being likable. We have earned a long list of enemies.”
But the story was published to shed light on what Thiel was trying to destroy it, but sadly for Gawker fans, Thiel got his way and the site is expected to shut down on Monday.