The co-founder of Vanity Fair’s business and media site, The Hive, is leaving Condé Nast.
Jon Kelly co-founded The Hive in 2015 to help the mag beef up its digital news coverage. Since launch, it has recruited buzzy editors and reporters like John Homans, Gabe Sherman, Emily Jane Fox and Nick Bilton.
Reached by The Post, Kelly declined to comment on his next move except to say that it “was the right time to pursue something new.”
Kelly, who gave two weeks notice, will not likely reemerge at the side of his mentor Graydon Carter, the larger-than-life editor in chief of Vanity Fair who stepped down in 2017, a source said.
Carter recently launched Air Mail, an email newsletter for young, snobby people.
Graydon’s replacement at Vanity Fair, Radhika Jones, is searching for Kelly’s replacement, the company said.
“Jon is a terrific editor with a wicked wit who built a phenomenal team of editors and reporters at the Hive,” Jones told The Post.
Since taking the helm at VF, Jones has had to live in Carter’s shadow. Described as more of a “bookish wonk” than a Hollywood connector, Jones has received some blow back for the magazine’s recent covers flip-flopping from traditional celebs like British royal Meghan Markle to up-and-comers like Lena Waithe.
The magazine also lost some top talent under Jones, including writers Michael Lewis and Sarah Ellison.