This afternoon, at the end of an interminable post about Keith Gessen or something—we're not really sure what it was about, actually; the thing goes on and on—Gawker editor Emily Gould casually announced that both she and the site's managing editor, Choire Sicha, would be leaving the site. The post did not mention whether or not the two had other jobs lined up, or even when they'd be leaving, and a request for clarification from Sicha was met with a simple response of, "We Quit, the end."

Speculation as to reasons for the pair's departure is varied, with some positing that the all-consuming nature of the job makes it impossible to do for an extended period of time, while others suggest that Gawker Emperor Nick Denton's new pay-for-traffic structure made the editors uncomfortable with the material they found themselves producing. However, Radar can exclusively reveal the explanation behind the stunning and sudden exit: The recent departure of long-time editor Alex Balk made the job a joyless burden which Gould and Sicha were no longer willing to bear. "Without Balk around," a source tells us, "what's the point? He was the best part about that job. It's amazing they lasted as long as they did after he left." Replacements for the departing editors have not yet been named (or even found), but they will surely have big shoes to fill: the shoes of Alex Balk, Gawker legend, whose abandonment of that site caused a ripple effect which culminated in today's stunning developments.