Andy Cohn Stepping Down as President and Publisher of The Fader

Cohn was suspended earlier this month after the music publication’s editor-in-chief was fired amid misconduct accusations

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The FADER

The Fader announced Wednesday that longtime president and publisher Andy Cohn will be stepping down, according to an internal email reviewed by TheWrap. Cohen’s departure follows the dismissal of editor-in-chief Eric Sundermann earlier in November over misconduct allegations.

The memo went out to staff Wednesday and was signed by co-CEOs Jon Cohen and Rob Stone. It read, “We recognize that some of you are traveling for the holiday but wanted to update you in real time about the results from the independent investigation we commissioned into workplace culture, following recent allegations of misconduct.”

The statement continued, “We acknowledge that structural change also requires new leadership. Together with Andy Cohn, we have agreed it is time for a change. After 16 years, Andy will be leaving The Fader. We are proud of what we have built together and we are very grateful for all of his contributions in helping us grow The Fader during this time.”

On Nov. 8, The Fader suspended Cohn pending the investigation, a company spokesperson told TheWrap at the time.

Cohn’s suspension came days after the independent music and lifestyle site’s head of content, Eric Sundermann, was terminated following accusations of sexual misconduct that first circulated on Twitter and were followed by an extensive report on Jezebel.

In addition, The Fader announced that it had hired outside attorneys to launch an “independent investigation into our company’s workplace policies and systems  — not just to find out where we went wrong, but how we can improve our culture moving forward.”

The Wednesday letter listed what the company will be doing going forward. That list includes “improving our internal HR function,” engaging “an outside consultant to help us improve our hiring process, including the vetting of employees prior to hiring,” incorporating “mandatory diversity and inclusion training” and more.

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