As Gawker.com Shuts Down, Commenters Mourn Nick Denton's Announcement

Gawker announced Thursday that after nearly 14 years of operation, its flagship website Gawker.com will be closing next week. The news follows this week's announcement of Univision's successful bid to buy six of Gawker Media’s websites for $135 million.

The Thursday announcement was made by Gawker founder and CEO, Nick Denton, who is expected to leave the company after the sale to Univision). News broke merely hours before a bankruptcy court in Manhattan was set to approve Univision’s bid for “Gawker Media’s other assets.”

On Wednesday, Univision won a bankruptcy auction on nearly all of Gawker’s assets. According to Politico, Denton would be one of the only Gawker employees not moving to Univision.

Business Insider reports that Univision, an American Spanish broadcast television network, would be shutting down Gawker.com but maintaining its other properties, including Jezebel, Gizmodo and Deadspin, among others.

Following the recent news of Gawker.com’s closing, comments have flooded the site's page.

One commenter mourns the site’s closing, stating, “I’m sorry, guys. I may not have agreed with some of your decisions or thought you always were on the right side of certain issues, but you really did a ton of excellent work over the years and it shouldn’t have to end like this,” wrote The Noble Renard. “I hope the best for all of you in your next place of work, even if it’s elsewhere in the former Gawker Empire. It’s (mostly) been a real pleasure commenting here.”

While many offered their condolences for the site’s closure and its staffers, other commenters did what they did best – they joked.

“Offices all over the country will see a sudden uptick in productivity with no clear explanation,” one wrote.

Other commenters were saying goodbye to more than just the website.

Another wrote, “I’m going to miss this place and my comments section peers :/ I’ve really appreciated all of the witty repartee with you folks.”