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Jeff Sneider

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Jeff Sneider
Bornc. 1984
Needham, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationTisch School of the Arts
Occupations

Jeff Sneider (born c. 1984) is an American entertainment journalist and podcaster who founded the entertainment newsletter The InSneider. He graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts in 2006. Sneider started working at Ain't it Cool News under the name "MiraJeff" in 2003, then interned at Variety in 2006. He joined TheWrap in 2010 before returning to Variety in 2011, though he was fired in 2013 after making a tweet about killing himself because he lost a story to a The Hollywood Reporter writer. He rejoined TheWrap thereafter but was suspended in early 2016 following a dispute with a public relations representative about a lost scoop.

Sneider was senior film reporter for Mashable later in 2016, with his tenure at that site ending following a racially insensitive declaration about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy at the Academy Awards. Sneider served as editor-in-chief of the Tracking Board from 2017 to 2018, and he joined Collider from 2018 to 2021. Sneider contributed to The Ankler from 2021 to 2022, and had a tenure as the editor-in-chief of Above the Line from 2022 until 2023, leaving because of a pay dispute. He founded his independent newsletter The InSneider in November 2023 and co-hosts his weekly entertainment podcast The Hot Mic with film critic and content creator John Rocha, where they discuss his reports.

Sneider has engaged in publicized disputes with several figures in Hollywood and the media, including allegations of harassment and threats by Deadline Hollywood founder Nikki Finke, who rejected him from the publication, and fights with his "nemesis" Deadline writer Mike Fleming Jr. over "exclusive" story credits. He has clashed with actress Sydney Sweeney over a reported role in the Johnny Depp film Day Drinker (2027) which she denied, made claims about Sony scrapping the majority of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027) that drew the attention of producer Christopher Miller and composer Daniel Pemberton, and took issue with the representatives of actress Inde Navarrette over his criticized and unrequited public offers to journalistically cover her.

Career

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Career beginnings, trade reporting, and industry feuds (2003–2016)

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Jeff Sneider wrote for Harry Knowles's (left) website Ain't It Cool News at the beginning of his career, and once fought director Uwe Boll (right) on behalf of the publication[1]

Born c. 1984,[a] and from Needham, Massachusetts,[3] Sneider graduated in 2006 from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, from where he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing.[4] He is Jewish.[5][6] From 2003, Sneider wrote for Ain't It Cool News under the alias "MiraJeff",[4] a portmanteau of his own name with the name of his favorite film studio, Harvey and Bob Weinstein's Miramax.[1] In 2006, Sneider represented the website in a boxing tournament by director Uwe Boll, who fought contributors to websites that criticized him. Since the site's founder Harry Knowles exceeded the 190-pound weight limit, Sneider fought in the tournament despite not having reviewed one of Boll's films—he figured that since Ain't it Cool was known for criticizing Boll, the director had them in mind; Sneider even said he was Boll's "highest-profile target". He considered himself disadvantaged, and he progressed to the second round of his match before being taken down twice by Boll, at which point his cornerman then threw in the towel.[1]

He joined Variety as an intern in August 2006 but was laid off in January 2009, then joined TheWrap in March 2010,[4][7][8] where he anchored their Deal Central column until January 2011.[9][8] Sneider returned to Variety in February of that year as a film reporter.[4] In late January 2013, Sneider was fired from Variety. The outlet was reported to have fired him for "unprofessional" behavior, though it did not specify an incident. Sneider had recently been tracking a scoop on Christopher Nolan's then-prospective Interstellar, though lost this to The Hollywood Reporter's Kim Masters. As a result of Masters getting the scoop on the story over him, Sneider had tweeted about driving his car into a tree and declared his blood would be "on Hollywood's hands", and reportedly was asked by editors at Variety to write a letter of apology to a publicist who had promised to update him on the deal, from whom Sneider never saw confirmation of the story.[7][10]

At the beginning of April 2013, he rejoined TheWrap to reprise his role covering casting and deals. Sneider stated he was grateful for the "second chance" and was impressed with the growth the outlet experienced since he had left.[9][11] Sneider had been accused of harassment by Deadline Hollywood's founder Nikki Finke; she alleged in 2013 he had targeted her in 2009 with threatening emails and comments on the site referencing bodily harm after he was rejected from a position there. Finke had Sneider's IP address traced and threatened to involve law enforcement; Sneider later in 2010 and 2011 allegedly staked out Finke's apartment to find a photograph of her, eventually circulating a college yearbook photo on TheWrap in a campaign called 'Mission: Take Down Nikki'.[12] Sneider had tweeted an exclaimed reaction on Finke's last day of work in June 2013.[13]

Sneider disputed with Deadline's editor-in-chief Mike Fleming Jr. in September 2014 regarding an "exclusive" scoop on a project by Michael Eisner's Tornante Company, asserting that Dave McNary of Variety had scooped the same information days before Fleming.[14][15][16] Sneider and Fleming had come to be described as "nemeses" in the media.[2][16] In May 2016, Sneider lost a scoop to Fleming about a planned film to be directed by Brett Ratner, The Libertine, that would have starred Johnny Depp. He blamed the public relations representative Simon Halls, disclosing screenshots of their emails together, and was asked to delete them. On May 11, Sneider tweeted that he was suspended from TheWrap without pay.[2] Sneider had a tenure at Mashable starting in August, serving as senior film reporter.[17][8]

Post-trades career, independent journalism, and public controversies (2016–present)

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Sneider's tenure at Mashable ended in December 2016 following racially charged comments about #OscarsSoWhite, a hashtag that gained popularity online due to a controversy that no people of color were nominated for major acting awards during a stretch of time. Sneider claimed that the movement was "canceled" following the prospects of non-Whites receiving consideration at the 89th Academy Awards, and posted this in a Mashable article and a subsequent tweet. Online backlash followed, with Sneider being criticized as he is a White man who attempted to declare a movement started by a Black woman as "dead". Mashable entertainment editor Josh Dickey expressed regret for the controversy, attaching a correction to the article and tweeting acceptance of responsibility; Sneider was unapologetic in his response, while Mashable's director of communications Paul Cafiero confirmed that this ordeal resulted in Sneider leaving the website.[17][18][19]

Following his termination from Mashable, Sneider served as editor-in-chief of the Tracking Board from January 2017 to April 2018.[3][8] In June 2018, Sneider joined Collider as Video News Director and a contributor to Movie Talk until August 2021.[3][8] He contributed to Richard Rushfield's publication The Ankler from December 2021 to December 2022.[20][8] Sneider served as editor-in-chief of Above the Line from September 2022 until leaving in October 2023, claiming publisher Patrick Graham owed him US$15,800.[21][8] Sneider launched his independent newsletter The InSneider in November 2023,[22][23][8] and co-hosts the weekly entertainment podcast The Hot Mic with film critic and content creator John Rocha, where they discuss Sneider's reports and rumors, as well as industry news and analysis.[24][22]

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Jeff Sneider's publicized controversies have involved figures such as Sydney Sweeney,[25] Christopher Miller, Daniel Pemberton,[26] and Inde Navarrette[27]

Sneider started a rumor in March 2024 that actress Sydney Sweeney would star in the film Day Drinker (2027) with Johnny Depp, sparking online controversy.[25] Sneider quote tweeted a tweet of denial from the actress, claiming it was a "non denial".[25][28] Sneider claimed it was the fault of Sweeney's representatives, saying that the "mess" he caused by reporting what his sources told him was spoiling a "big Cannes [Film Festival] announcement".[25] In September 2024, Sneider claimed that Sony Pictures scrapped the majority of the animated film Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027) due to creative reasons and would not be released before 2027. Producer Christopher Miller denied the report on social media, and composer Daniel Pemberton disputed the accuracy of Sneider's Internet reporting.[26][29] The film was later rescheduled for a 2027 release.[30] Sneider reignited his feud with Fleming in late July 2026, who had become editor-at-large with Deadline, over a story about a $2.4 million deal for publishing rights to Call Me, I'll Hide The Body being terminated regarding concerns about artificial intelligence use in its writing, though Sneider did not name the author or book title in his story. Fleming's story on the matter, published a day later and marked as "exclusive", named the book title. Sneider called Fleming out on X (formerly Twitter), with other journalists commenting, including Showbiz411 writer Roger Friedman who supported Sneider.[16]

In September 2026, Sneider took issue with the representatives of actress Inde Navarrette, posting on X about wanting to write about her and offering to become "a useful friend" to Navarrette. Responses to his post were negative, with comments describing it as "creepy, unprofessional and inappropriate" according to PinkNews. Sneider received no attention from the representatives and threatened to publish indiscriminate, constant rumors about the actress if this continued.[27][31] Sneider subsequently wrote in his newsletter that he had no personal feud with Navarrette; rather, he sought to "outsmart" her talent agency, the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and be put on their radar so they would hire him. He jokingly compared himself to "Pat McAfee with Stephen A. Smith's hairline", and scrutinized some commenters who defended CAA, calling it "notoriously one of the biggest bullies in the world" for its association with Harvey Weinstein.[22] Sneider later backtracked and apologized for his comments about Navarrette, blaming his ego and claiming he went overboard in his "victory celebration". He claimed his critics were "way worse" than he was, declared he would remain on social media "because we deserve each other", and claimed he received death threats or antisemitic comments, despite not referencing any examples, while no antisemitic comments appeared under his previous exchanges according to Complex.[29] The controversy resulted in the Marvel Studios subreddit banning Sneider as a source for leaks and rumors.[31][29]

Notes

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  1. ↑ A December 2006 piece in Wired described Sneider as 22 years old,[1] and a May 2016 piece in The Observer described him as 31 years old.[2]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Baker, Chris (December 1, 2006). "Raging Boll". Wired. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, Oliver (May 16, 2016). "In Cannes and Los Angeles, Two Hollywood Old Guard Publicists Flex Their Muscles". The Observer. Archived from the original on May 23, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Jeff Sneider Joins Collider Staff as Collider Video News Director". Collider. Complex Networks. May 25, 2018. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Jeff Sneider". Variety. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  5. ↑ Sneider, Jeff [@TheInSneider] (October 25, 2022). "I'm Jewish and this is an absurd suggestion. Obviously, provocative clickbait, I know. But still, ridiculous" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 5, 2026. Retrieved September 5, 2026 – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Sneider, Jeff [@TheInSneider] (December 14, 2025). "Praying for my fellow Jews in Sydney and around the world on the first night of Hanukkah. ..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 5, 2026. Retrieved September 5, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  7. 1 2 Kaufman, Alexander C. (January 29, 2013). "Variety Fires Reporter Jeff Sneider (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sneider, Jeff. "Jeff Sneider | LinkedIn". Archived from the original on September 5, 2026. Retrieved September 5, 2026 – via LinkedIn.
  9. 1 2 Waxman, Sharon (April 1, 2013). "Casting Ace Reporter Jeff Sneider Rejoins TheWrap!". TheWrap. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  10. ↑ Horgan, Richard (January 29, 2013). "@TheInSneider Is Suddenly a Variety Outsider". Adweek. Archived from the original on September 6, 2026. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  11. ↑ Horgan, Richard (April 9, 2013). "Josh Dickey, Jeff Sneider Separately Cut the Ribbon at TMZ, TheWrap". Adweek. Archived from the original on September 6, 2026. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  12. ↑ Goldstein, Patrick (November 21, 2013). "Pulp Friction". Los Angeles. Emmis Communications. Archived from the original on September 5, 2026. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  13. ↑ Zakarin, Jordan (June 2, 2013). "Notorious Hollywood Blogger Nikki Finke's Boss Denies Firing Her". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  14. ↑ Horgan, Richard (September 24, 2014). "Deadline EIC Responds to a Rival's Tweeted Accusations". Adweek. Archived from the original on September 4, 2026. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  15. ↑ Horgan, Richard (September 24, 2014). "TheWrap's Jeff Sneider Fires Back at Deadline EIC". Adweek. Archived from the original on September 4, 2026. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 Mohr, Ian (August 3, 2026). "Bitter Hollywood trade journo feud reignites over 'stolen' scoop about AI book scandal". Page Six. News Corp. Archived from the original on August 3, 2026. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  17. 1 2 "US writer sacked after declaring #OscarsSoWhite is over". The New Zealand Herald. news.com.au. December 7, 2016. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  18. ↑ Aran, Isha (December 1, 2016). "Despite what you may have read, #OscarsSoWhite is not canceled". Fusion.net. Fusion Media Group. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  19. ↑ Hicks, William (December 6, 2016). "WTF? Mashable Fires a Reporter for Saying #OscarsSoWhite Is Cancelled". Heat Street. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  20. ↑ Pompeo, Joe (February 22, 2023). "How Richard Rushfield's The Ankler Took on Hollywood". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  21. ↑ Gonzalez, Umberto (March 1, 2024). "Above the Line Editor Quits by Posting Screed Against Publisher Patrick Graham on Site, Accuses Him of Not Paying Employees". TheWrap. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  22. 1 2 3 Roy, Madhurima (September 4, 2026). "Who is Jeff Sneider? Entertainment journalist sparks outrage after openly threatening Inde Navarrette with public blackmail". Primetimer. Archived from the original on September 19, 2026. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  23. ↑ Sneider, Jeff [@theinsneider]; (November 9, 2023). "I'm proud to announce that I'm launching my own newsletter. Head to www.theinsneider.com to SUBSCRIBE NOW! Scoops are coming…". Archived from the original on September 4, 2026. Retrieved September 4, 2026 – via Instagram.
  24. ↑ Rocha, John; Sneider, Jeff. "The Hot Mic". Spreaker (Podcast). iHeartMedia. Archived from the original on September 19, 2026. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Leishman, Rachel (March 30, 2024). "Sydney Sweeney Had the Perfect Response to a Rumor About Her Next Project". The Mary Sue. Gamurs. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  26. 1 2 Evans, Greg (September 12, 2024). "Spider-Verse producer calmly denies claim about final film that worried fans". The Independent. ISSN 1741-9743. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  27. 1 2 "Journalist threatens Inde Navarrette with 'non-stop rumours' if her team keeps ignoring him". PinkNews. September 4, 2026. Archived from the original on September 4, 2026. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  28. ↑ Netzley, Sara (March 30, 2024). "Sydney Sweeney shuts down reports that she will star in a new movie with Johnny Depp". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  29. 1 2 3 Giacomazzo, Bernadette (September 5, 2026). "Jeff Sneider Apologizes to Inde Navarrette After Saying He'd Subject Her to 'Non-Stop Rumors'". Complex. NTWRK. Archived from the original on September 5, 2026. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  30. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 31, 2025). "Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse Back On The Release Date Calendar, This Time In 2027 – CinemaCon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 13, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  31. 1 2 Giacomazzo, Bernadette (September 4, 2026). "Journalist Threatens 'Non-Stop Rumors' About Inde Navarrette After Claiming Her Team Ghosted Him". Complex. NTWRK. Archived from the original on September 4, 2026. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
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