Mike Arrington's jowls and brash questions have been a staple of TechCrunch's annual green-tinted festival of self-congratulation. But a well-informed source tells us the former main act won't be attending this year.

It would be the first time in the conference's five-year history that Arrington hasn't made some sort of appearance at what's basically his own conference—even during his most tense times with AOL. He's the mascot. Our source demurred on the question of whether this has anything to do with recent allegations against Arrington, which will do nothing to stop attendees from whispering about it.

We'll know for sure when Disrupt 2013 kicks off next week, drenching New York in a cocktail of Bacardi and conflict of interest.