Outlander exec Karen Bailey to leave Starz after 20 years
Karen Bailey, the Starz executive who brought Outlander to the network, will leave at the end of October after 20 years.
She departs as executive vice president of original programming, the department that buys and develops new series. Her exit was reported by Variety on 2 October.
The departure comes with a re-alignment of the originals team under Kathryn Busby, head of original programming. Starz is organising that group around an owned-IP strategy, meaning a focus on shows the company owns and controls itself, and a broader mix of programmes. The shift follows Starz's separation from Lionsgate, which was completed in May 2025.
Bailey joined Starz in 2006 and stayed through several changes at the top. She was promoted to senior vice president of original programming in August 2012, alongside fellow executive Marta Fernandez, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter at the time. Starz raised her to executive vice president in January 2021, according to Deadline.
Six months after that promotion, she took charge of programming and development on an interim basis. That followed the exit of programming chief Christina Davis in June 2021. During that period she reported to Jeffrey Hirsch, who then led the network.
Her development record covers several distinct genres. She is credited with bringing The White Queen and The White Princess, both historical dramas, to Starz. She also brought Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult, a documentary series, and Gaslit, a political drama.
Bailey later served as covering executive, meaning the senior executive who oversees a production day to day, on two continuing series. Those were Outlander: Blood of My Blood and P-Valley. The credit puts her close to both production teams, from scripts through delivery.
Starz offered her a first-look producing deal before her exit, meaning the network would get first refusal on new projects she develops. She declined the offer.
For fans, this means a change in the office rather than on screen. Series reach viewers because a team commissions them, funds them and holds a slot for them. Bailey held that role at Starz for two decades, and her departure closes one of the longest runs in the company's programming team.
