Richard Johnson continues to shuffle the lineup card at the world’s most famous gossip page. A week after hiring Emily Smith away from Life & Style [1] to replace Paula Froelich as his new top lieutenant, it appears that Bill Hoffman, longtime New York Post staffer and Page Six columnist, is the odd man out.

Johnson did not return an e-mail seeking comment. A call to Steve Rubenstein, who handles public relations for the Post, was not immediately returned.

An e-mail to Hoffman was redirected to Johnson. Hoffman was taken off the masthead [2] today, with Johnson, Neel Shah and Corynne Steindler kept on.

Froelich left her post in late July. A number of candidates [3], including ex-Daily News’ gossipist Ben Widdicome, were rumored to have been considered for the vacant position.
 

 

 

Smith, formerly the U.S. editor of U.K. newspaper The Sun, spent less than three months at Life & Style before jumping to the Post. She had been hired in June.

In a statement distributed by the Bauer glossy last week, Smith called Page Six her "dream job.”

 

Hoffman, who once anchored the paper’s city desk, replaced Jared Paul Stern in 2006 after Stern became embroiled in a bizarre scandal involving supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle.]

 

UPDATE: Rubenstein's office called back, but declined to comment.

 

[Photo via Gawker [4]]