Taylor Lorenz announced her retirement from "legacy media" on Tuesday, several weeks after calling President Joe Biden a "war criminal" on social media. The former New York Times reporter, who specializes in TikTok and other aspects of internet culture that have transformed Gen Z into one of the dumbest generations to ever walk the planet, is leaving her current job at the Washington Post to launch an independent publication called User Magazine on Substack.
Paid subscriptions start at $7 per month or $70 per year. "Unfortunately, I am not independently wealthy," wrote Lorenz, who reportedly got a lucrative advance for Extremely Online, her poorly received 2023 book about social media influencers. There's also a "founding member" option that starts at $1,000 annually and includes juicy perks such as "Subscriber-only Zoom events with interesting online figures." Fun!
"I like to have a really interactive relationship with my audience. I like to be very vocal online, obviously. And I just think all of that is really hard to do in the roles that are available at these legacy institutions," Lorenz told the Hollywood Reporter. "I write about the content creator industry, and I just want complete autonomy to write and do and say whatever I want, and engage a little bit more directly with my readers, with the public when it comes to my work."
The news of Lorenz's departure from the Post comes as she prepares to celebrate her 40th (or 47th) birthday. A Washington Free Beacon investigation determined that Lorenz was born Oct. 21, 1984, but Lorenz has claimed on several occasions to have been born in 1978. (She might not have been telling the truth; Lorenz has previously advocated for lying to appear "older than you are" in order to receive compliments for looking young.) The journalist's advanced age has raised eyebrows due to her enthusiasm for "reporting" on teen culture, as evidenced by her attendance at the 16th birthday party of TikTok influencer Brooklyn Queen.
Internet commentators were not surprised to hear of Lorenz's retirement from traditional media. "Father time is undefeated," wrote John Ekdahl, a prominent media consumer and cultural scholar. "When you reach a certain advanced age, it's time to hang it up." Many were surprised it took so long for Lorenz and the Post to part ways. The relentlessly online journalist has a history of courting controversy and lashing out at "legacy media" outlets, including her former and current employers, for stifling her ability to cultivate a personal "brand" and "use the internet as a modern internet person," whatever that means.
Rumors about Lorenz's future with the Post began to swirl in mid-August after she posted an image of President Biden on Instagram along with the caption, "war criminal [frowny face emoji]." Lorenz, who constantly warns about the dangers of "misinformation," initially implied the image was doctored before claiming she never "denied it was real." She has repeatedly criticized Biden's handling of the war in Gaza while promoting anti-Semitic disinformation and has referred to the president as "Genocide Joe" for being "complicit in mass death/disability" from the "ongoing" COVID-19 pandemic. The Post announced an investigation into the matter but told Semafor last week there was "no change" in Lorenz's employment status despite credible reports that she was preparing to leave.
Lorenz rose to prominence in 2018 after complaining about the quality of the $22 avocado toast she ordered. She left the Times for the Post in 2022 amid reports of a "blow-up" argument with Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who took issue with Lorenz's obsessive coverage of Claudia Conway, the 15-year-old daughter of then-White House adviser Kellyanne Conway.
FURTHER READING:
• Adult Reporter Taylor Lorenz Attends TikTok Celeb's 16th Birthday Party
• Taylor Lorenz Age Controversy Sparks Free Beacon Investigation
• The Taylor Lorenz 'Lizard Person' Scandal, Explained
• Taylor Lorenz Cited in Chinese Propaganda Broadcast
• Taylor Lorenz Slams WaPo Colleague, Peddles Anti-Vax Conspiracy, Admits to Multiple Crimes