American Media exec behind Jeff Bezos ‘extortion’ emails quietly sidelined

Dylan Howard, the embattled editorial director of American Media Inc. who was accused of holding a penis pic over the head of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, has been sidelined from working on the National Enquirer and other celebrity magazines in David Pecker’s troubled media empire, Media Ink has learned.

“He’s not doing any print,” a source told Media Ink. “It’s being kept very hush-hush.”

“His office has been converted to a podcast studio, and he moved to the corporate offices,” another source told Media Ink.

As editorial director, Howard had been approving magazine covers and stories at various AMI publications, including the National Enquirer, Us Weekly and OK! — as well as sending “confidential not for distribution” emails about Bezos’ affair with Lauren Sanchez.

We hear Howard is now instead keeping busy working on podcasts and ongoing TV projects, including one on the late NFL player Aaron Hernandez, who committed suicide in prison, and another on drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

The changeover comes after Howard’s name emerged in an alleged shakedown of Bezos tied to racy photos detailing his affair with Sanchez, a former Fox TV host.

According to Bezos, Howard sent the billionaire an email offering to spike a second round of stories highlighting the photos, including one “below the belt selfie ,” on the condition that Bezos issue a statement saying that its coverage of him was not politically motivated.

The email followed the Enquirer’s Jan. 9 exclusive about the explosive affair and shows the publication held back on publishing some of its racier evidence, including a photo of Sanchez “smoking a cigar in what appears to be a simulated sex scene.”

Bezos released the email in a blog post in February, claiming it was proof he was being blackmailed by AMI, whose boss, Pecker, is a longtime friend of President Trump.

Bezos owns the Washington Post, which has been a target of Trump’s ire. Trump called it the “Amazon Washington Post,” even though it is a personal investment, not an Amazon holding.

Both Pecker and Howard were already in hot water for arranging a six-figure payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

She claimed she had a brief affair with Trump years earlier.

The Manhattan feds, who at the time were building a case against ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, granted Pecker and Howard immunity for their testimony.

And of course, the story got more complicated when AMI, under pressure from principal owner Chatham Asset Management, headed by Anthony Melchiorre, put the National Enquirer up for sale last month.

James Cohen, CEO of magazine wholesaler Hudson News, said he would buy the title for $100 million, but would not commit to keeping Howard in his top spot editing the tabloid.

Those acquisition talks are still underway.

Howard did not return calls seeking comment. AMI declined to comment.