Monday, the New Yorker announced that former Breitbart News chairman, White House chief strategist and current alt-right dirt bag Steve Bannon would be headlining the publication’s festival. However that was until other speakers for the festival caught wind of the publications plans and decided to pull out themselves if the New Yorker followed through on their Bannon invite.
If Steve Bannon is at the New Yorker festival I am out. I will not take part in an event that normalizes hate. I hope the @NewYorker will do the right thing and cancel the Steve Bannon event. Maybe they should read their own reporting about his ideology.
— Judd Apatow 🇺🇦 (@JuddApatow) September 3, 2018
I’m out. I genuinely support public intellectual debate, and have paid to see people speak with whom I strongly disagree. But this isn’t James Baldwin vs William F Buckley. This is PT Barnum level horseshit. And it was announced on a weekend just before tix went on sale. https://t.co/oYk1llNgvV
— John Mulaney (@mulaney) September 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/JimCarrey/status/1036734398702309376
I’m out. Sorry, @NewYorker. See if Milo Yiannopoulos is free? https://t.co/pDjlZkUdfO
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) September 3, 2018
found out about brannon’s inclusion when you did. i would have appreciated to make a decision on this before it was announced. i would ask the new yorker to consider in the future that participants in the festival deserve to make a choice to appear alongside someone this hateful
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) September 3, 2018
I’m out. https://t.co/JkIOGqCxaM
— Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon) September 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/briankoppelman/status/1036736489223335938
In response to the backlash New Yorker editor and moderator for the festival David Remnick disinvited Bannon saying he ‘didn’t want well-meaning readers and staff members to think I’ve (Remnick) ignored their concerns.’
A statement from David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, explaining his decision to no longer include Steve Bannon in the 2018 New Yorker Festival. pic.twitter.com/opayiw5GQ2
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) September 3, 2018
No matter how this is sliced unfortunately Bannon and his alt-right cronies will score a win off this. If he spoke, it was a win however it may be an even bigger win since they can feed off some absurd claim that their first amendment rights are being trampled on. The only way the New Yorker would’ve won this one is simply not hand out the invitation.