‘Bad Day’: Shashi Tharoor’s Son Ishaan Loses Job As Washington Post Lays Off One-Third Staff

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Washington Post Layoffs: Ishaan Tharoor, son of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was among the journalists laid off by The Washington Post on Wednesday as the US newspaper cut nearly one-third of its workforce in a sweeping restructuring drive.

The job losses form part of a broader shake-up at the Jeff Bezos-owned publication, which has also shut down its sports desk, closed several overseas bureaus, and discontinued its long-running books coverage, according to reports.

Ishaan Tharoor Confirms Layoff

Tharoor, a senior international affairs columnist at the paper, confirmed his layoff in a series of posts on X. The New York Times reported that more than 300 of the roughly 800 journalists in the newsroom were let go.

Sharing what appeared to be an image from the newsroom, featuring the paper’s iconic slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness”, Tharoor captioned the post simply: “A bad day.” The message was reshared by his father on X.

A bad day pic.twitter.com/cIX8rIjJPu

— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) February 4, 2026

In a subsequent post, he described the decision as devastating. “I have been laid off today from The Washington Post, along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues,” he wrote. “I’m heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally — editors and correspondents who have been my friends and collaborators for almost 12 years.”

Reflecting on his work, Tharoor said he launched the WorldView column in January 2017 to help readers better understand global affairs and America’s role in the world. He thanked the column’s “half a million loyal subscribers” who followed it over the years.

Deep Cuts Across Desks And Bureaus

The scale of the layoffs has sent shockwaves through the newsroom of the 148-year-old paper. Executive Editor Matt Murray called the decision painful but unavoidable, saying the organisation needed to adapt to changing technology and reader habits. “We can’t be everything to everyone,” Murray said in a note to staff, according to the Associated Press.

The cuts affect the international, editing, metro, and sports desks. Several journalists took to social media to confirm their departures. Cairo bureau chief Claire Parker said she and all Middle East correspondents and editors had been laid off, calling the decision difficult to comprehend.

The layoffs come days after The Washington Post reduced its coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics as it continues to grapple with financial losses, Reuters reported.

Founded in 1877, the newspaper was acquired by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2013, when he bought it from the Graham family for $250 million.