A factual answer to the OP’s question, of sorts.
Playgirl’s circulation was around 500,000 copies in the late 1990s. By 2002, however, that number had dropped to 350,000. In contrast, Playboy’s circulation is a bit over 3 million in the US and around 4.5 million worldwide, and is described as “stable” (all links are work-safe).
I don’t know how rigorously checked these numbers are or how long Ms. Zipp has held her post at Playgirl, but it’s plausible to argue that she was sacked for lack of performance rather than political leanings.