Leslie Jones speaks out after harasser Yiannopoulos lands book deal
Corrections & clarifications: An earlier version of this story misstated controversial affiliations for Milo Yiannopoulos.
Leslie Jones is not taking this lying down.
After controversial Internet personality Milo Yiannopoulos landed a massive book deal with a reported $250,000 advance, publisher Simon & Schuster has come under harsh criticism from those concerned that a book will elevate the voice of the Breitbart editor.
Yiannopoulos made headlines earlier this year when he was permanently banned from Twitter for his part in a targeted racist and sexist harassment campaign against Ghostbusters and Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones.
Due to the wave of backlash, Simon & Schuster has been forced to release a statement on the book deal, which calls Yiannopoulos' views "controversial" without disavowing them. (The book was acquired by Threshold, a Simon & Schuster-owned imprint that has also published works by Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Laura Ingram and Glenn Beck.)
That statement was not enough for Jones, who had retreated from online life briefly after the racist harassment. The comedian responded to the tweet on Monday, saying that publishing his book will help "spread ... hate to even more people."
Jones is not the only celeb to criticize the publisher. Comedian and author Sarah Silverman also slammed the deal on Twitter.