The ongoing Kathleen Kennedy leaving Star Wars saga has taken an amusing turn as two Hollywood journalists, Puck’s Matt Belloni and Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr., are now publicly feuding over the story of her rumored exit from Lucasfilm.
What makes this clash particularly entertaining is that both reporters seem to be saying the same thing—just in wildly different ways.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm attends the launch event for Lucasfilm’s new Star Wars series The Acolyte at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
On one side, Belloni is doubling down on his report that Kennedy is set to leave Lucasfilm by the end of 2025. On the other, Fleming is acting as Kennedy’s personal hype man, insisting that she’s in control of the situation—despite Kennedy herself confirming a leadership transition is in motion.
This is no longer just about Kennedy’s departure—it’s about who controls the narrative.
Mike Fleming Jr.: “Sorry, Matt, the Woman is a First-Ballot Hall of Famer”
It all started when Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. published an astonishingly fawning interview with Kathleen Kennedy, which many saw as a blatant attempt at damage control following Puck’s initial report that she was leaving Star Wars.
Fleming attacked Belloni personally, dismissing his reporting as some kind of vendetta against Kennedy.
“Belloni for years has been beating on Kennedy like she owes him money,” Fleming said, despite Belloni in his initial report giving Kennedy props for her accomplishments in the film industry.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Kathleen Kennedy attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
He then dismissed the idea that Kennedy was being “pushed out,” despite her own admission that succession planning has been happening for years.
“The takeaway was chaos and that Kennedy was being pushed,” he said. “The reality is different and far more orderly.”
Fleming then pivoted to an extended career obituary disguised as a defense, rattling off Kennedy’s past achievements and declaring, “Sorry, Matt, the woman is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, not someone who deserves to be batted around like a piñata.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Kathleen Kennedy onstage during the Andor studio panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
Yet, despite Fleming’s theatrical defense, Kennedy herself didn’t actually deny the core of Belloni’s story.
In her own words, Kennedy said, “I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob and Alan about what eventual succession might look like. We have every intention of making an announcement months or a year down the road.”
That… is exactly what Belloni reported.
So why the meltdown?
Matt Belloni Fires Back: Claims Deadline Apologized for Fleming’s Behavior
Belloni wasted no time hitting back, mocking Fleming for his sycophantic tone and calling his Kennedy interview “hilariously sycophantic.”
He then ripped into Deadline’s credibility, saying: “Mike Fleming, who never saw a movie producer’s an*l cavity he couldn’t burrow inside, did a hilariously sycophantic interview with Kathleen Kennedy after I broke the news.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: (L-R) Daisy Ridley, Kathleen Kennedy and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attend the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
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He also corrected Fleming’s mischaracterization of his reporting, pointing out that he never said Kennedy was “retiring”—only that she would be leaving Lucasfilm but continuing to produce films elsewhere.
“Instead of acknowledging the confirmation, Fleming attacked me personally and bizarrely claimed I had reported that Kennedy ‘was retiring.’ Stupid,” he said.
Belloni then added an even more damning piece of information—that someone from inside Deadline’s parent company, Penske Media, reached out to apologize to him.
“One influential figure at Penske Media, which owns Deadline, already reached out to me to apologize for Fleming’s behavior,” he said.
That suggests Fleming’s over-the-top defense of Kennedy may not have been sanctioned by his own higher-ups, but rather an effort to protect his personal connections within Hollywood’s elite.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 15: Kathleen Kennedy arrives at the special 3-episode launch event for Lucasfilm’s original series Andor at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on September 15, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Belloni wrapped up by shifting focus back to the real issue—Kennedy’s looming departure.
“Kennedy’s exit announcement will come sometime later this year,” he said once again. “We will all move on, and Fleming will embarrass himself on other topics.”
The Narrative War: Kennedy’s Damage Control in Action
The Deadline interview appears to have been a desperate attempt to reframe the discussion after Puck’s report ignited widespread celebration among Star Wars fans—and even caused a small bump in Disney’s stock.
Kennedy’s defiant “I will die making movies” remark was meant to paint her as fully in control of her career, rather than someone being forced out after years of failure. But the fact that succession planning is already happening contradicts that idea.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Kathleen Kennedy onstage during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
Disney’s strategy now appears to be letting Kennedy manage her own exit as a face-saving measure rather than publicly pushing her out. It’s a corporate chess move—one that requires journalists like Fleming to run interference.
But no matter how many puff pieces are written, the writing is on the wall.
Final Thoughts: Kennedy’s Exit Is Happening—No Matter How Deadline Spins It
Despite all the verbal gymnastics from Deadline and Kennedy’s personal PR team, nothing in the past week actually contradicts Belloni’s original report.
- Kennedy admits succession planning is happening.
- She admits an announcement will come within a year.
- Belloni’s studio sources are standing by their timeline.
The Deadline interview was not a genuine denial—it was damage control in response to Puck’s report igniting celebration among Star Wars fans and a positive reaction in the stock market.
Kathleen Kennedy via Producer’s Guild of America YouTube
It seems as though Kathleen Kennedy will be out at Lucasfilm. The only question is how long her PR machine can pretend otherwise.
Do you think Kathleen Kennedy is leaving Star Wars? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!
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We’ve been jerked around by this exact story and other “Kennedy’s Kicked Out” rumors before. Until she leaves the building for a final time, I won’t believe any of it.
As for Belloni and Fleming? Those two need a swift kick in the ass–or to the head. Nobody cares anymore because there’s no fixing the damage Darth Kennedy has done to SW, IJ, and every other Lucasfilm IP so long as Disney owns them.
She’s so thoroughly ruined Star Wars, Indy, and Willow, what does it even matter? Her replacement will be heir to throne of ashes. The Steward of Dead Franchises.
It’s like a political leader. Once rumours of your departure become the narrative, so to speak, your power evaporates. Everyone works around you, not with you.
Kathleen Kennedy’s shameful failure sums up why DEI is destructive.