Washington Post CEO Will Lewis steps down amid backlash following mass layoffs

Washington Post CEO and publisher Will Lewis announced his resignation following the increasing backlash the newspaper has faced in recent days after announcing mass layoffs.

“After two years of transformation at The Washington Post, it is now time for me to step aside,” Lewis said in a memo to staff sent Saturday by Washington Post White House bureau chief Matt Viser and shared on X, formerly Twitter. “I want to thank Jeff Bezos for his support and leadership throughout my tenure as CEO and Publisher. The organization could not have had a better owner.”

“Throughout my tenure, difficult decisions have been made to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so that it can deliver high-quality, nonpartisan news to millions of customers every day for many years to come,” Lewis continued.

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Jeff D’Onofrio, who joined the newspaper as chief financial officer in June 2025, has been named acting CEO and publisher, effective immediately, according to a press release from the Post.

“The Post’s steadfast commitment to writing the first rough draft of history guides and marks its future,” D’Onofrio said in the press release. “I am honored to be a part of planning for this future and to take the lead in securing both the legacy and the business of this fierce, storied American institution.”

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Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, said in a statement: “The Post has a core journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Every day, our readers give us a road map to success. Data tells us what is valuable and where to focus. Together with Jeff [Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray and opinion editor Adam O’Neal]“They are positioned to lead The Post into an exciting and successful next chapter.”

The Washington Post this week announced mass layoffs affecting a third of all employees. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Lewis and Bezos faced intense backlash for not being seen as Washington Post editor-in-chief Matt Murray was tasked with announcing sweeping layoffs affecting a third of all employees on Wednesday.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Murray defended both Bezos and Lewis.

“The first time I heard the phrase ‘Save Post’ used was from Jeff Bezos,” Murray said, pointing to a December 2024 conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times. “I think people have different definitions of what that means, but together we share the common desire for a successful Post that grows again, has stronger financial footing, and is well positioned to become more relevant to people’s lives. And that’s what we’re all trying to achieve.”

“Will has been in very close contact with me for a long time about this,” Murray said of Lewis. “There were a lot of things the company was doing that Will was taking care of throughout the company, but I wasn’t. He had a lot of things he needed to take care of today.”

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Will Lewis resigned as publisher and CEO of The Washington Post amid intense backlash over the newspaper’s firing. (Elliott O’Donovan for Washington Post via Getty Images)

Lewis’s tenure at the Post got off to a rocky start when he bluntly told staff, “People aren’t reading what you write.”

“We’re going to turn this thing around, but let’s not sugarcoat it. It needs to turn around,” Lewis said at a June 2024 meeting. “We’re losing huge amounts of money. Your audience has been cut in half in recent years. People aren’t reading what you write. It’s true. I can’t sugarcoat this anymore.”

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Washington Post staffers have previously mentioned that he was not in the newsroom, especially after he made those comments.

Lewis further fueled the backlash against him following the dismissals. mottled at a pre-Super Bowl event in San Francisco on Thursday.

Fox News Digital editor and reporter Brian Flood contributed to this report.