Publisher cancels Milo Yiannopoulos's book deal
Milo Yiannopoulos, the conservative provocateur known for brusque and controversial political commentary, just had his book deal canceled by publisher Simon & Schuster.
"After careful consideration, Simon & Schuster and its Threshold Editions have canceled publication of 'Dangerous' by Milo Yiannopoulos," a statement from the company read Monday afternoon.
Yiannopoulos confirmed the cancellation on his Facebook page.
Civil-rights advocates railed against Simon & Schuster after the $250,000 book deal was announced last year, citing Yiannopoulos' far-right politics that often delved into discriminatory language. The publisher defended the deal at the time, saying "We do not and never have condoned discrimination or hate speech in any form."
Check out photos of Yiannolpoulos
The book cancellation was announced shortly after the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) disinvited Yiannopoulos as a speaker over a video that recently surfaced showing Yiannopoulos commenting on pedophilia.
Yiannopoulos has been on a speaking tour to promote the book in recent months. Some of his appearances were heavily rebuked by critics and protesters. A Yiannopoulos speaking engagement at the University of California, Berkeley sparked campuswide protests earlier this month.
President Donald Trump scolded the university and suggested federal funds could be pulled if the school "does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view."
In response to the comments that led to Monday's events, Yiannopoulos issued an apology on his Facebook page:
"I'm partly to blame. My own experiences as a victim led me to believe I could say anything I wanted to on this subject, no matter how outrageous," he writes. "But I understand that my usual blend of British sarcasm, provocation and gallows humor might have come across as flippancy, a lack of care for other victims or, worse, 'advocacy.' I deeply regret that. People deal with things from their past in different ways."
RELATED: Controversies surrounding Milo Yiannopoulos' college speaking tour
See Also:
