Document and Entity Information [Abstract] Statement [Table] Class of Stock [Axis] Class of Stock [Domain] Class A common stock Class B Common Stock Class C common stock Represent redeemable warrants each whole warrant exercisable for one share of class A common stock member. Redeemable warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share Statement [Line Items] Document Type Document Annual Report Document Transition Report Document Period End Date Entity File Number Entity Registrant Name Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code Entity Tax Identification Number Entity Address State Or Province Entity Address, Address Line One Entity Address, City or Town Entity Address, Postal Zip Code City Area Code Local Phone Number Title of 12(b) Security Trading Symbol Security Exchange Name Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer Entity Voluntary Filers Entity Current Reporting Status Entity Interactive Data Current Entity Filer Category Entity Small Business Entity Emerging Growth Company Entity Ex Transition Period ICFR Auditor Attestation Flag Entity Shell Company Entity Public Float Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding Entity Central Index Key Current Fiscal Year End Date Document Fiscal Period Focus Document Fiscal Year Focus Amendment Flag Auditor Name Auditor Firm ID Auditor Location CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS Represents the information pertaining to Series A convertible preferred stock. Series A, convertible preferred stock Represents the information pertaining to Series A1 convertible preferred stock. Series A1, convertible preferred stock Represents the information pertaining to Series B convertible preferred stock. Series B, convertible preferred stock Represents the information pertaining to Series C convertible preferred stock. Series C, convertible preferred stock Represents the information pertaining to Series D convertible preferred stock. Series D, convertible preferred stock Represents the information pertaining to Series E convertible preferred stock. Series E, convertible preferred stock Represents the information pertaining to Series F convertible preferred stock. Series F, convertible preferred stock Represents the information pertaining to Series G convertible preferred stock. Series G, convertible preferred stock Assets [Abstract] Assets Assets, Current [Abstract] Current assets Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value Cash and cash equivalents Accounts Receivable, after Allowance for Credit Loss, Current Accounts receivable (net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,094, and $1,387 as at December 31, 2021 and 2020) Prepaid Expense and Other Assets, Current Prepaid and other current assets Assets, Current Total current assets Restricted Cash, Noncurrent Restricted cash Property, Plant and Equipment, Net Property and equipment, net Property and equipment, net Amount of internal use software net. Internal Use Software, Net Capitalized software costs, net Intangible Assets, Net (Excluding Goodwill) Intangible assets, net Goodwill Balance at the end Balance at the beginning Goodwill Identifiable intangible assets acquired of goodwill Prepaid Expense and Other Assets, Noncurrent Prepaid and other assets Assets Total assets Liabilities and Equity [Abstract] Liabilities and Equity Liabilities, Current [Abstract] Current liabilities Accounts Payable, Current Accounts payable Accrued Liabilities, Current Accrued expenses Deferred Rent Credit, Current Deferred rent Contract with Customer, Liability, Current Deferred revenue Employee-related Liabilities, Current Accrued compensation Other Liabilities, Current Other current liabilities Liabilities, Current Total current liabilities Deferred Rent Credit, Noncurrent Deferred rent Long-term Debt, Excluding Current Maturities Debt Outstanding borrowings Derivative Liability, Noncurrent Derivative liability Warrants and Rights Outstanding Warrant liabilities Other Liabilities, Noncurrent Other liabilities Liabilities Total liabilities Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and contingencies Temporary Equity, Carrying Amount, Attributable to Parent Convertible preferred stock Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest, Equity, Preferred, Carrying Amount Redeemable noncontrolling interest Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent [Abstract] Stockholders' deficit Common Stock, Value, Issued Common stock Additional Paid in Capital Additional paid-in capital Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax Accumulated other comprehensive loss Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit) Accumulated deficit Treasury Stock, Value Treasury stock, no shares at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively(1) Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent Total BuzzFeed, Inc. stockholders' equity (deficit) Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest Noncontrolling interests Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest Balance at end Balance at beginning Total stockholders' equity (deficit) Liabilities and Equity Total liabilities and equity Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss, Current Accounts receivable allowance Temporary Equity, Par or Stated Value Per Share Convertible preferred stock, par value Temporary Equity, Shares Authorized Convertible preferred stock, shares authorized Temporary Equity, Shares Issued Convertible preferred stock, shares issued Temporary Equity, Shares Outstanding Convertible preferred stock, shares outstanding Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share Common stock, par value Common Stock, Shares Authorized Common stock ,shares authorized Number of shares authorized Common Stock, Shares, Issued Common stock, shares issued Common stock shares issued Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding Balance at end (in shares) Balance at beginning (in shares) Common stock shares outstanding Treasury Stock, Shares Treasury stock, shares CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax Revenue from related parties Revenue Costs and Expenses. Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization Cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization Selling and Marketing Expense Sales and marketing General and Administrative Expense General and administrative Research and Development Expense Research and development Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization, Nonproduction Depreciation and amortization Costs and Expenses Total costs and expenses Operating Income (Loss) (Loss) income from operations Other Nonoperating Income (Expense) Other (expense) income, net Interest Income (Expense), Net Interest (expense) income, net Fair Value Adjustment of Warrants Change in fair value of warrants Change in fair value of warrants Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net Change in fair value of derivative liability Change in fair value of derivative liability Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Stock in Subsidiary Loss on disposition of subsidiary Loss on disposition of subsidiaries Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes, Noncontrolling Interest (Loss) income before income taxes Total income (loss) before income taxes Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Income tax (benefit) provision Total provision (benefit) for income taxes Net Income (Loss), Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest Net income (loss) Net income (loss) (including amounts attributable to the redeemable noncontrolling interest) Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest Net income attributable to the redeemable noncontrolling interest Allocation of net (income) loss Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Nonredeemable Noncontrolling Interest Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent Net income (loss) attributable to BuzzFeed, Inc. Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders, Basic Net income (loss) attributable to holders of Class A, Class B and Class C common stock , Basic Net income (loss) attributable to holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders, Diluted Net income (loss) attributable to holders of Class A, Class B and Class C common stock , Diluted Net income (loss) attributable to holders of Class A, Class B, and Class C common stock for diluted net income (loss) per share Earnings Per Share, Basic Net income (loss) per Class A, Class B and Class C common share - Basic Net loss per common share - basic Earnings Per Share, Diluted Net income (loss) per Class A, Class B and Class C common share - Diluted Net loss per common share - diluted Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic Basic weighted average common shares outstanding Weighted-average shares - basic Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding Weighted-average shares - diluted CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) Other comprehensive income (loss) OCI, Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Gain (Loss), after Adjustment and Tax Unrealized loss on marketable securities Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax Foreign currency translation adjustment Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax Other comprehensive income (loss) Other comprehensive income Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest Comprehensive income (loss) Amount after tax of increase (decrease) in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from net income (loss) and other comprehensive income (loss), attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests. Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable To Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest Comprehensive income attributable to the redeemable noncontrolling interest Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to BuzzFeed, Inc. Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract] Equity Components [Axis] Equity Component [Domain] Common Stock Additional paid-in capital Accumulated deficit Treasury stock Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income Parent [Member] Noncontrolling Interest [Member] Revision of Prior Period [Axis] Revision of Prior Period [Domain] Previously reported balance Retroactive application of the exchange ratio Business Acquisition [Axis] Business Acquisition, Acquiree [Domain] Represents information pertaining to HuffPost Acquisition. HuffPost Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward] APIC, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Increase for Cost Recognition Stock-based compensation Stock Issued During Period, Value, Stock Options Exercised Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period Exercised Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options Net Income (Loss), Including Portion Attributable to Nonredeemable Noncontrolling Interest Net income (loss) Stock Issued During Period, Value, New Issues Issuance of common stock Stock Issued During Period, Shares, New Issues Number of shares issued Issuance of common stock (in shares) Amount of increase in noncontrolling interest from a business combination. Noncontrolling Interest, Increase from Business Combinations HuffPost Acquisition, Noncontrolling interest Stock Issued During Period, Value, Acquisitions Shares issued for C Acquisition Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Acquisitions Shares issued for C Acquisition (in shares) Number of shares issued in acquisition Shares Issued, Value, Share-based Payment Arrangement, after Forfeiture Issuance of common stock in connection with share-based plans Shares Issued, Shares, Share-based Payment Arrangement, after Forfeiture Issuance of common stock in connection with share-based plans (in shares) Amount of decrease in noncontrolling interest from a business combination. Noncontrolling Interest, Derease from Business Combination Merger of BuzzFeed Japan and HuffPost Japan Noncontrolling Interest, Increase from Sale of Parent Equity Interest Disposition of subsidiaries Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Conversion of Convertible Securities Conversion of shares, class A common stock issued (in shares) Value of securities converted in conversion process. Conversion Of Securities, Value Of Securities Converted Conversion of shares, class B common stock converted Reduction in the value of shares during the period as a result of a reverse stock split. Stock Issued During Period, Value, Reverse Stock Splits Reverse recapitalization, net of transaction costs Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Reverse Stock Splits Reverse recapitalization, net of transaction costs (in shares) CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS Operating activities: Adjustments to Reconcile Net Income (Loss) to Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities [Abstract] Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization Depreciation and amortization Foreign Currency Transaction Gain (Loss), Unrealized Unrealized gain (loss) on foreign currency Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense Stock based compensation Amount of issuance costs allocated to the derivative liabilities. Issuance Costs Allocated To Derivative Liabilities Issuance costs allocated to derivative liability Amortization of Debt Issuance Costs Amortization of debt discount and deferred issuance costs Deferred Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Deferred income tax Total deferred (benefit) / provision Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Assets Loss (gain) on disposition of assets Gain (Loss) on Extinguishment of Debt Loss on extinguishment of debt Loss on extinguishment of debt Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments Unrealized gain on investment Accounts Receivable, Credit Loss Expense (Reversal) Provision for doubtful accounts Increase (Decrease) in Operating Capital [Abstract] Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Increase (Decrease) in Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable Increase (Decrease) in Prepaid Expense and Other Assets Prepaid expenses and other current assets and prepaid expenses and other assets Increase (Decrease) in Accounts Payable, Trade Accounts payable The increase (decrease) during the reporting period in deferred rent. Increase Decrease in Deferred Rent Deferred rent Increase (Decrease) in Employee Related Liabilities Accrued compensation Increase (Decrease) in Accrued Liabilities and Other Operating Liabilities Accrued expenses and other liabilities