Leslie Jones condemns Simon & Schuster over Milo Yiannopoulos book deal
Just before New Year’s, Simon & Schuster was widely pilloried when news broke that the publisher had handed a $250,000 book deal to Breitbart’s Milo Yiannopoulos, known for, among other things, being banned from Twitter for inciting racist harassment against Leslie Jones. Jones, understandably, is now among those criticizing the decision to give Yiannopoulos a forum.
Simon & Schuster released a statement essentially arguing that acquiring a book written by a vitriol-spewing troll does not mean the company supports the viewpoints of said troll. The missive was posted to Twitter, and read: “We do not and have never condoned discrimination or hate speech in any form.”