Milo Yiannopoulos no longer works for Breitbart. The conservative provocateur announced his official resignation from the publication on Tuesday, following the surfacing of two interviews in which he defended pederasty, or sex between tween boys and older men.
On Monday Simon & Schuster canceled his book, Dangerous, which was due for publication in June. Milo was also disinvited from CPAC, where he was set to present a keynote address.
Known for his conservative politics and outrageous stunts, Milo entered the public limelight upon launching his “Dangerous Faggot Tour,” where he traveled throughout campuses in the United States to share his political views. Some of his appearances were canceled, while others were met with acts of violence—his event at the University of Washington ended after an Antifa protester was shot following an altercation with an event attendee.
After the riots in UC Berkeley, Milo appeared on Bill Maher’s show on HBO and spoke to Tucker Carlson on Fox News.
In an official press release on Tuesday, Milo announced his resignation from Breitbart, and defended the publication for standing by him. “Breitbart News has stood by me when others caved,” he wrote. “They have allowed me to carry conservative and libertarian ideas to communities that would otherwise never have heard them. They have been a significant factor in my success. I’m grateful for that freedom and for the friendships I forged there.”
“I would be wrong to allow my poor choice of words to detract from my colleagues’ important reporting, so today I am resigning from Breitbart, effective immediately. This decision is mine alone,” he continued.
“When your friends have done right by you, you do right by them,” he added. “For me, now, this mean stepping aside so my colleagues at Breitbart can get back to the great work they do.”
Milo’s resignation from Breitbart follows reports that the company held “discussions” Monday about his future at the company. One report originating from a “senior editor” suggested that “half a dozen employees were ready to walk out if Milo is not fired.”
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
