Simon & Schuster has abruptly canceled publication of Milo Yiannopoulos’ controversial book Dangerous following the surfacing of an old video in which the provocateur defended pederasty, or sex between tween boys and older men.
Industry bible Publishers Weekly first reported the cancellation on Twitter, saying the storied publishing house had scrapped the book “after careful consideration.”
Milo has personally confirmed that the book is canceled. He wrote on Facebook: “They canceled my book.” Milo attempted to clarify the statements he made in a video, stating that he wasn’t referring to underage boys when he used the term “boys.”
The revelation of Milo’s pederasty comments had already today prompted the Conservative Political Action Conference to rescind its invitation to Milo, who’d been scheduled to perform a keynote address.
Well prior to the pederasty kerfuffle, Simon & Schuster had already been enduring widespread opprobrium from celebrities , liberal journalists and social justice warriors for giving Milo a book deal in the first place. Milo is enormously controversial for his barbed comments about women and other groups. Earlier this month, a violent riot erupted in Berkeley, California when he was supposed to give a speech, and last year he was permanently banned from Twitter for encouraging the online trolling of comedienne Leslie Jones, whom he called “barely literate” and “a dude.”
Dangerous had originally been slated to be published in March, had already raced to the number one spot on Amazon’s bestseller chart when it was first announced. It was delayed to June to add a new chapter on the Berkeley riot, and made its way again to the top of Amazon following those events.
Celebrities like filmmaker Judd Apatow and comedian Sarah Silverman were among those demanding the cancellation of Milo’s book deal.
The Chicago Review of Books even vowed to stop reviewing all Simon & Schuster books in objection to Dangerous, and publications like The Guardian and Huffington Post called for a ban.
Dangerous had been defended by the Association of American Publishers on free speech grounds, stating that its censorship would undermine Yiannopoulos’ and other authors’ right to free expression.
A full announcement by the publisher is forthcoming.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
