TheWrap
U.S. center-left (entertainment trade focus)
Background
TheWrap launched on January 26, 2009, founded by Sharon Waxman, who had previously covered Hollywood for The New York Times and The Washington Post. It was conceived as a digital-first competitor to established entertainment trades such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, with an emphasis on transparency and accountability reporting within the entertainment business. Early financing came from venture capital firm Maveron and private investors, with roughly $3.5 million raised across multiple rounds; Waxman has remained CEO and Editor in Chief throughout, and the outlet markets itself as the only independently owned major Hollywood trade. TheWrap won the SoCal Journalism Awards for best online news website in 2009, 2012, and 2018, and earned National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards in 2018 and 2019, the latter for its '#AfterMeToo' investigative series on the aftermath of Hollywood sexual misconduct allegations. In 2025, it expanded its senior editorial leadership and moved to build subscription revenue alongside its advertising base. Media Bias/Fact Check rates TheWrap as left-center in editorial orientation with mixed factual reporting, citing occasional sensationalism; Ground News similarly rates it lean-left. Its Trump administration coverage is primarily filtered through entertainment-industry concerns — threats to media companies, FCC policy, trade tariffs affecting production — and reflects the broadly critical posture common to left-leaning entertainment press.
Sources
- TheWrap – Wikipedia
- TheWrap – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
- The Wrap Media Bias – AllSides
- TheWrap – Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding
- About Us – TheWrap
- Sharon Waxman – Wikipedia
- The Wrap Bias and Reliability – Ad Fontes Media
Profile compiled 2026-06-29; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.