Today we learned that Us Weekly editor Janice Min was considering leaving her post at the magazine when her current contract expires in two weeks. Tonight she issued a statement announcing her plans to move on.

Here's the text of the memo sent to Us Weekly staffers:

Dear Us Staff,

After six years as the editor of Us Weekly, I am leaving. In short, I
decided it was time to try something else in my life, do a little Gosselin
detox and occasionally go out on Monday nights. There are no immediate
plans, except to enjoy the month of August, take some tennis lessons, and
maybe finally edit my wedding album.

With more certainty, I can say that it has been an immense privilege working
with every last one of you here. What we've done with this magazine is
unprecedented — you have helped make Us Weekly into one of the greatest
success stories in publishing history. Back in 2003, the year many of you
started with me,the magazine's rate base was 1 million; now it is nearly
double that at 1.9 million; we didn't have a website until recently, and now
it's one of the biggest entertainment websites with more than 6 million
unique visitors a month (up 328 percent in just one year!). Along the way
the magazine has received countless accolades - among them Ad Age's Magazine
of the Year and Top Performer of the Decade by Cappell's Circulation Report.
Most significantly, you've made Us Weekly into a phenomenal buzz machine,
synonymous with all things pop culture and celebrity. In Chasing Cool,
author Gene Pressman of Barneys devotes a section lauding Us Weekly. He
calls our magazine "the iPod of its industry," adding, "like crack on
newsprint, it made an entirely dormant segment into a monster loyal
audience." Indeed, it's always been one of the most gratifying things about
working here: to toil for a magazine not in vain, but for one that 13
million people actually read every week.

Last year, the LA Times said, "It's Us Weekly's world, we just live in it."
And now I will be just a spectator looking in. But I speak from the heart
when I say thank you for all you've done: the endless hours, never saying no
to any request, and for being all around fun, kind and generous people with
whom to spend my days and nights. I've never worked with such a fiercely
talented, dedicated, collegial and quality group of people. You made being
here pure joy and sorely will be missed.

Now, please join me in congratulating executive editor Mike Steele in his
promotion to interim editor in chief. Mike will be returning early from his
vacation on Wednesday to begin work.

As for me, my last day will be some time next week - and hopefully we will
have some kind of celebration (that doesn't involve Sterno!).

All best,
Janice

Min's future plans are unknown at this time, but she hinted to the New York Times that she might be considering a career change:

"As long as I'm here, I can't really even begin to think about what I'm going to do next," she said. "But I'm 39 and I'd like to have another career. I felt like I'd done every possible thing at US Weekly to make it successful."

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