Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Resigns Amid Bezos’ Outcry Over Super Bowl Trips During Staff Cuts
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Nominee for Secretary of State, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) Founder of Amazon and Blue Origin Jeff Bezos and U.S. Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Kimberly Thune (2nd L) attend a luncheon following inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Will Lewis stepped down Saturday as publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, days after the newspaper announced sweeping layoffs.
Owner Jeff Bezos was reportedly angry that Lewis planned to attend Super Bowl events in the Bay Area while cuts were underway.
Lewis announced his departure in a brief email to staff, according to reports that came three days after the paper said it would lay off one-third of its staff.
The Post named its chief financial officer, Jeff D’Onofrio, as acting publisher.
One newsroom source described Bezos’ reaction to Lewis’ Super Bowl week trip as “the last straw.”
Senior Post managers were reportedly angry when they learned Lewis was attending Super Bowl-related events around the time job cuts became public, with one source describing the optics as “callous.”
The Post’s layoffs eliminated its sports section and reduced or ended some coverage areas, including book coverage and certain foreign reporting positions.
Newsroom frustration was also tied to the FBI search of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home and the seizure of her devices. Reports indicated that Lewis was criticized for failing to “rally behind” her.
However, Lewis reportedly issued a statement backing Natanson and calling the search an “outrageous action.”
D’Onofrio joined The Washington Post as CFO in June 2025 and previously held leadership roles at Raptive, Tumblr, Google, and other companies.
