Essence shakeup: editor-in-chief axed

Essence axed its fashionable editor-in-chief, Constance White, the first day of Fashion Week, Page Six can reveal. The Time Inc.-owned magazine, which recently laid off 500 people in a cost-cutting move, dismissed White on Thursday after two years at the helm, we’re told. White’s staff drew some controversy during her tenure — a white male managing editor was reassigned to another division after his Facebook page revealed racially charged comments about the Rev. Al Sharpton. And Australian-born fashion director Ellianna Placas, who was the subject of protest when she was hired at the African-American-targeted mag in 2010, was let go a year after White took over. On Friday, an Essence rep confirmed White had left the company and said executive editor Vanessa Bush would serve as acting managing editor.