The Village Voice fires Michael Musto, who is arguably one of the most high-profile writer remaining in the company after the layoffs that have been initiated by it’s parent company, Voice Media Group.

According to the New York Times, The Village Voice continues to shed crucial parts of its staff as it was announced Friday that Michael Musto, the paper’s gossip columnist, and Robert Sietsema, its restaurant reviewer, have left the New York paper.

The news was first reported by web site Gawker.

Michael Musto confirmed the news Saturday when he posted on his Facebook Profile a message with the message, “Hello, everyone. Yesterday, I was laid off from the Village Voice after 28 years of writing there, as you've probably read.” He added that, the response has been astounding and blended the message with his known brand of humor when he said, "I think I got more Facebook posts and tweets than Angelina's breasts, lol! People came out in droves to support me and said they've appreciated my work through the years."

Musto has been seen by many groups, particularly by the New York gay community, as an effective social commentator. He has built a huge fan base along the way, building his own brand. He completed his statement by saying, "The performers, artists, and party people I've long trumpeted rallied to give me love and show their loyalty. The readers who've followed me came out to say how tragic they felt this turn of events was. And I want to tell you how incredibly touched I am by the outpouring. I don't do earnestness very well--and this may well be the last time I even try--but all of your comments have really buoyed me and made me heartened to know that I'm appreciated, and I just want to say THANK YOU for the love. I've tried to thank each person personally--feeling like Joan Crawford as I've done so--but if I missed someone, this is my way of saying I am EXTREMELY grateful the support. To know that none of this happens in a vacuum is a great thing because we can use these social tools to lift each other up and help each other to more glory. Soon I will update you on my future activities (which will be plentiful, I'm sure). In the meantime, MWAH!!!!!!"

The high-profile departures follow news last week of resignations by Will Bourne, the paper’s editor, and it’s deputy editor, Jessica Lustig. They said they were leaving because they could not carry out the layoffs the weekly’s owners, Voice Media Group, required them to make.

Jaimen Sfetko, a spokeswoman for the Voice Media Group, noted that in addition to Mr. Musto and Mr. Sietsema, The Voice’s longtime theatre critic, Michael Feingold, would also be leaving the weekly. She said, however, that the paper is hiring and adding new staff members to boost its film, food and restaurant coverage.

“The net effect of these changes will be to slightly reduce the number of editorial employees at the publication — by less than one full-time position — and better align The Voice with the long-term business and editorial goals of the company,” according to Ms. Sfetko. She added that, “This restructuring will allow The Voice to continue offering superior content and products to its New York audience — specifically film, music, restaurant, and breaking news easily accessible across both print and digital platforms — while also ensuring the sustainability of the publication."

Like many print publications, The Village Voice, founded in 1955, has suffered a steady current decline; the circulation was 148,862 in December 2012, down from 240,102 in December 2007, based on data collected by the Alliance for Audited Media.

News spread on Twitter about the departures of Mr. Musto and Mr. Sietsema, with a lot of readers noting that Musto leaving the paper is a major loss for The Village Voice.

Philip Gourevitch, a staff writer at The New Yorker tweeted, “The @villagevoice firing @mikeymusto amounts to @villagevoice firing itself: auto-da-fé.”