On December 30, Simon & Schuster released a lengthy statement that attempted to explain why they handed Milo Yiannopolous a $250,000 book deal under its Threshold House imprint, writing that they “do not and have never condoned discrimination or hate speech in any form.”
Related: ABC Reporter Calls Gay Trump Supporter Milo Yiannopoulos A “13-Year-Old Idiot”
The boilerplate statement prompted stand-up comic Leslie Jones to write a caustic response on Twitter.
“yea but you still help them spread their hate to even more people,” she said.
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Related: Conservative Mouthpiece Milo Yiannopoulos Admits He’s Sexually Attracted To Trump
The Ghostbusters star, who Yiannopolous targeted over the summer in a series of racist Twitter posts that got him banned from the site, said she “literally wants to put hands to a jaw right now.”
@SimonBooks @threshold_books @simonschuster yea but you still help them spread their hate to even more people.
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) January 2, 2017
I literally want to put hands to a jaw right now. So tired of stupid people!! And I can't say shit cause if I do I'm the "bitch"!!
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) January 2, 2017
Related: Gay alt-right supertroll Milo Yiannopoulous lands $250,000 book deal with Simon & Schuster
Xzamilloh
You don’t help your case by saying someone is spreading hate and then follow it up with saying you want to put hands to a jaw right now. All that shows is that even without a Twitter presence, Milo still has control. Let him have his book… Milo in all of his trollish glory had a good line when he said that attempting to silence people only emboldens their base. If you want an idiot to be exposed as an idiot, let them expose themselves as idiots. You let idiots talk and they will show themselves as idiots.
At the same time, Milo is an attention whore and all this does is give the whore what he wants.
everybodywinsyay
She’s spreading unfunny idiocy every time she tries to keep her lies alive.
Mo Bro
The word “hate” has officially become meaningless when trumpeted by those who throw it around so recklessly. It carries as much weight as a helium balloon (and is every bit as edgy).
I’m no fan of Yiannopolous, but calling for censorship of those with whom you disagree—as liberals are fond of doing—is much, much more Hitlerian than Donald Trump will ever be. I have to wonder if Ms. Jones is in favor of burning other books she disagrees with.
@Xzamilloh:
I’d love to upvote your comment, but since that’s no an option . . . consider yourself upvoted.
flybyKnight
The sad truth is that we are in a post LGBT world not because of all the gay, lesbian, bi and trans people fighting the good fight for our cause, but because an effete, queer, egomaniacal hate-monger like Milo Yiannopolous can be the “mainstream” standard-bearer for neo-nazis.
WEBOne
“Milo Yiannopoulos Admits He’s Sexually Attracted To Trump.” No brains or taste.
BriBri
Hackneyed regurgitation, that’s all I see here.
Paco
People like Milo thrive on controversy and unfortunately, controversy sells books. Quit talking about it and advertising for him. There are a group of people that will buy his book no matter what, but there are also people that will buy it out of curiosity due to all the media coverage.
edfu
The really sad part of this whole debacle is that Threshold Editions, the Simon & Schuster division that signed up this book, has an Editorial Director and Vice President who claims to be gay, Mitchell Ivers. Mr. Ivers has also published Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, and one D. J. Trump. Sometimes (shades of Peter Thiel!) we truly are our own worst enemies.
RomanHans
Somehow I knew a positive piece after a strong, smart, funny black woman would bring out the trolls. We’ll have an intelligent discussion in Queerty’s comments section when Trump appoints Ricky Martin ambassador to Cuba.
Thad
I lover Leslie Jones. She’s fresh and funny and a ray of sunshine. My mind boggles at the thought of anyone disliking her.
Kieran
Who the hell is Leslie Jones?
Brian
S&S could have chosen to support countless other writers, and that’s what bothers me the most. How many interesting and intelligent people were denied before they wrote that quarter-million dollar check? Is there really a lack of fresh material in a world where people frequently make jokes about “unemployed English majors”?