| Launch Date: | 2008 |
| Current Status: | Online |
| Type: | photoblog and entertainment website |
| Url: | thechive.com |
| Owner: | Resignation Media LLC |
| Author: | Leo Resig and John Resig |
The Chive (styled theCHIVE) is a website owned and operated by Resignation, LLC.[1] Images appearing on thechive.com are selected by staff from searches of both international and domestic websites as well as daily submissions to help promote OnlyFan users. [2]
The Chive gained attention[3] for a series of internet hoaxes[4] that began in 2007 and were reported as true stories by mainstream media outlets.[5]
John and Leo Resig founded Resignation Media, LLC in August 2007[6] and then launched thechive.com in November, 2008.[7] Initially, it was claimed that the website's name came from combining 'Chicago' and 'Venice' Beach;[8] however, Resig later admitted that the name was actually inspired by The Onion.[9] The brothers went on to create additional photo-entertainment websites, all of which are staffed and managed by members of the Resig family.[6] [10]
On Monday, July 22, 2013 the Austin American-Statesman reported that during the summer of 2013 the parent company of The Chive, Resignation Media, was relocating to a renovated space in downtown Austin, Texas.[11]
Between 2007 and 2010, Leo and John Resig conducted a string of internet hoaxes that, according to Leo, were designed "to entertain and inspire, not to inform."
In 2007, the "Donald Trump tip" hoax involved a doctored photo of a Santa Monica restaurant receipt that was supposedly signed by Donald Trump indicating that a $10,000 tip was left on a bill of $82.27. Trump denied the story's accuracy to Fox News Channel, which had originally published the story as real.[12] Other media agencies also ran the story, including The Huffington Post, E! News, and Access Hollywood.
The "teenage texting disaster" hoax occurred in 2008 and involved a fictitious teenager who had accidentally sent a text message to her father stating that she had lost her virginity on the beach.[13] This became an Internet meme and was broadcast as a true story by several media outlets.[14]
Arguably the most famous hoax was in 2010, with "Girl quits her job on dry erase board, emails entire office", which showed several photographs of a woman quitting her job by telling a story with a dry-erase whiteboard.[15] This hoax was also reported as true.[16]
The next day, The Chive ran a follow-up series of photos revealing the woman's true identity as a hired actress named Elyse Porterfield.[17] Some news sources suggested the hoax was inspired by the dramatic resignation of JetBlue flight-attendant Steven Slater that took place the day before.[18] However, the Resig brothers told reporters that the idea for the hoax was conceived about a month earlier at a bar in Santa Monica. The pair wrote down the details on paper napkins. The casting for "Jenny" and her photo shoot was conducted a week prior to the JetBlue incident.
The Chive also runs a charity organization called Chive Charities, in which they raise awareness and funds for specific individuals in need of assistance. Every t-shirt purchased from the Chivery store donates $1 to Chive Charities. As of May 2019, they have donated over $1,800,000. They have donated to veterans, children with birth defects, shooting victims,[19] fire departments, rescue squads, and many others in need.
The community of people who regularly visit The Chive, known as Chivers, have donated over $100,000 to several causes within hours.[19]