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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
John Plunkett

Holy Moly gossip website closes after 13 years

Holy Moly: launched by Jamie East in 2002
Holy Moly: launched by Jamie East in 2002. Photograph: Screengrab

Gossip website Holy Moly, now owned by the makers of Big Brother, has closed after 13 years.

The brainchild of Jamie East, Holy Moly launched in 2002 as a competitor to Popbitch, tapping into a seemingly endless appetite for celebrity gossip.

Its owner, Endemol Shine Group, said on Tuesday that the site was no longer financially sustainable.

“Over a decade after the launch of Holy Moly, the articles being published this week will sadly be the last,” it said in a statement.

“Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the site but also accepts that the digital publishing world is a very different place from the one Holy Moly started out in 13 years ago and unfortunately it just isn’t financially sustainable anymore.

“HM is signing off with a brilliant retrospective and it’s great to see it go out with a bang.”

It is understood that one of the site’s three full-time staff has already found a new job and Endemol Shine will look for new roles for the other two members of staff.

East has not had anything to do with the site for some time. He will return to Sky Atlantic next month presenting a fan show about Game of Thrones.

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