CHICAGO — After only seven months as Playboy.com editor, Scott Smith was let go by the company Friday.
Published reports said that a Playboy spokesperson cited “creative differences” as the reason for Smith’s firing.
His responsibilities will be split by Sam Jemielity, the website's executive editor, and Sarah Preston Gorenstein, its managing editor.
Both Jemielity and Gorenstein will now report to Playboy magazine and Playboy.com Editorial Director, Jimmy Jelinek.
Smith was the former web editor at Time Out Chicago and also did a stint at the Chicagoist. He was considered the perfect choice by Jelinek who voiced his approval of the 35-year-old Smith after he was promoted to editorial director last August.
A post on the Chicago Tribune website reported that an email sent by Smith read, "Playboy seems to be moving in a different direction with the website's editorial content so they can better serve (dot com's) subscription-based business model. It's a challenging media environment for everyone, so I understand the need to make this change, even if it's less than ideal for me personally.”
It was also reported that Scott Alexander, the print magazine's New York-based Modern Living senior editor was also terminated. The position will be filled in the Chicago office.
More heads may roll as Playboy continues to struggle to remain competitive. XBIZ recently reported that by year's end, the company was preparing to cut its number of employees by half as business partners take over its existing operations and expand into new ventures.