Andy Cohn is stepping down from his role as President and Publisher of The FADER, Variety reports and Pitchfork can confirm. The decision comes after The FADER commissioned an independent investigation to look into the “company’s workplace policies and systems.” Cohn was at The FADER for 16 years.
The FADER’s co-CEOs Jon Cohen and Rob Stone revealed the news of Andy Cohn’s departure in an email sent to the staff today (November 27). In the email, obtained by Pitchfork, Cohen and Stone write, “The FADER aspires to be the most welcoming place in the industry for creative minds to share their talents with the world. Achieving this means holding ourselves accountable when we fall short—and implementing and improving processes, policies, and procedures that ensure prompt reporting of any potential issues and promote inclusivity.”
Addressing Andy Cohn, the co-CEOs write:
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. As we
work to determine the best path forward for our executive team, we
will be taking a more active role in the management and operations of
The FADER.
The email also lists a number of goals Jon Cohen and Rob Stone plan to achieve “immediately,” including “improving [their] internal HR function by dedicating more resources to it and doing a better job of encouraging employees to take advantage of the assistance HR can offer with all aspects of their jobs, including ensuring everyone understands the process for reporting concerns or complaints.”
Earlier this month, The FADER suspended Andy Cohn following the publication of a Jezebel article that included allegations of inappropriate behavior against Cohn. In addition, the Jezebel report claimed that Cohn was aware of sexual misconduct allegations against Eric Sundermann when the magazine hired him as the Head of Content in 2018. Sundermann and The FADER parted ways a few days prior to Jezebel’s exposé.