Heavyweight, one of Gimlet’s flagship shows and a favorite among people in the industry, has been cancelled by Spotify. After the show finishes its current season, the team that makes Heavyweight will be laid off, a person familiar with the situation told The Verge. “We are extremely proud of the team who has supported these talented storytellers across each of the incredible episodes of Heavyweight,” Spotify spokesperson Rosa Oh said in a statement to The Verge.
In 2019, Spotify paid $230 million to acquire Gimlet, which at the time was the buzziest independent podcast operation in the business. But the studio failed to produce the kind of hit shows that Spotify was looking for and lost its biggest hit, Reply All, after co-host PJ Vogt and producer Sruthi Pinnamaneni were accused of fostering a discriminatory environment.