Nikki Finke, the seasoned journalist who founded the entertainment trade website Deadline.com and whose sharp-tongued tenacity made her the most feared columnist in the entertainment industry, has passed away. She was 68 years old.
According to Deadline, Finke passed away on Sunday in Boca Raton, Florida, following a protracted illness.
Finke, a notoriously secretive writer, began writing the “Deadline Hollywood” column for LA Weekly in 2002 and elevated it to must-read status. Four years later, she started the website Deadline Hollywood Daily.
A Tribute To A Fierce Game-Changer: R.I.P. Nikki Finke https://t.co/S5YnDwC8m5 pic.twitter.com/uScez8kyqZ
October 10, 2022 Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE)
Finke, known for her “live-snarking” award events and story updates that blared “TOLDYA!” when one of her earlier exclusives proved to be accurate, amassed a media empire of scoops and gossip by blogging at Deadline.com.
Finke’s abrasive manner won her many enemies in Hollywood. But the native of Long Island’s consistent flow of exclusives demonstrated her great power with executives, agents, and publicists. In 2010, Forbes ranked her among the “most powerful women in the world.” Finke was unrepentant, refusing to modify her technique for the most dazzling celebrities or the most influential studio executives.
In 2015, Finke told The New York Times, “They play tough.” “I, too, must play rough.”
Finke did much of her work from her residence in west Los Angeles, as opposed to networking at red carpet premieres or cocktail parties. Finke could, however, fiercely criticize executives whose decisions she disapproved of from her seclusion. She once described then-NBC Universal president Jeff Zucker as “one of the most kiss-ass incompetents to lead an entertainment corporation.”
“I cannot resist!” In 2009, Finke told The New Yorker. “It’s as if cruelty spills from my fingers!”
Jay Penske acquired Deadline Hollywood in 2009, and his business, Penske Media Corporation, would eventually acquire Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Finke and Penske frequently engaged in conflict, especially following Penske’s acquisition of the Deadline competitors. After months of public conflict, she left the site in 2013 but remained under contract as a consultant. Finke at the time noted, “He attempted to buy my silence.” “No sale.”
“At her finest, Nikki Finke embraced the spirit of journalism and was never hesitant to convey the unpalatable truths with an incisive style and a mysterious spark. She was bold and honest “Penske stated on Sunday in a statement. “Working with Nikki was never simple, but she will forever be one of the most unforgettable persons in my life.”
Finke pursued numerous projects after her leave, but never returned to entertainment journalism. Reportedly, her contract with Penske banned her from reporting on Hollywood for ten years, but she had threatened to go solo with NikkiFinke.com. Instead, she established HollywoodDementia.com, which features fictitious entertainment stories rather than true ones.
2015: “There is a great deal of truth in fiction,” she told the Times. There are certain things I will be able to say in fiction that I cannot say in journalism at this time.
Finke spent years as a reporter for The Associated Press, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and The New York Observer prior to her fame with Deadline. She was the inspiration for a 2011 HBO pilot starring Diane Keaton as journalist Tilda Watski.