Leslie Jones has become the internet scums’ dumping ground.
She embodies everything that these disgusting trolls hate: an empowered woman who happens to be Black, who isn’t considered beautiful by Eurocentric beauty standards, who towers above most people regardless of sex or gender, and whose celebrity star is rising fast.
In short, Jones has found herself the target of many hateful, racist misogynist trolls with nothing better to do. The impetus? Something as simple as the all-female cast of the new Ghostbusters: Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon, who replaced the previous ensemble of Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis, respectively. These trolls did not attack Paul Feig, the writer and director of the reboot. They barely touched on McKinnon, Wiig or McCarthy. Instead, they chose Jones — because she is the most vulnerable.
Related: Why Aren’t Jones’ “Ghostbusters” Co-Stars Sticking Up For Her?
The attack on Jones’s website this week included doxxing the star with images of her driver’s license and passport, as well as nude photos. A video of Harambe, the gorilla who was shot and killed at a Cincinnati Zoo earlier this summer, taunted Jones and site visitors.
And — just like in Ghostbusters — Homeland Security has stepped in.
The trolls seriously effed up when they included Jones’ passport and driver’s license. You see, that gave the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement cause to investigate, since a passport is considered government property. USA Today attempted to get more details on the probe, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement Public Affairs Officer Rachael Yong Yow said that they do not provide information about currently active investigations.
Jones is not the only star to have had nude images spread across the internet. Jennifer Lawrence, Mila Kunis, Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera and Kate Upton are just a handful of others who have been victimized by hackers. Johansson, Kunis and Aguilera were all victim of the same Floridian man, Christopher Chaney. Chaney was charged and sentenced to 10 years in prison at a low-security prison in Mississippi.
“It’s hard to fathom the mindset of a person who would accomplish all of this,” Judge S. James Otero said regarding the Chaney case. “These types of crimes are as pernicious and serious as physical stalking.”
These acts are obviously retaliation for rabble-rousing male rights activist Milo Yiannopolous’s expulsion from Twitter, which was the result of his incredibly racist abuse of Leslie Jones back in July.
At least some of the folks on Twitter are strongly in Jones’ corner:
these acts against leslie jones….are sickening. its racist & sexist. it's disgusting. this is hate crimes. this aint "kids joshing round"
— Questo (@questlove) August 24, 2016
Will speaking up against Leslie Jones's harassment make the other female Ghostbusters cast targets, too? Probably. So what?
— OFMD Stan Account (@Jenny_Trout) August 25, 2016
https://twitter.com/thelindywest/status/768853658091913217
Imagine how absolutely terrified these racist, sexist trolls must be of Leslie Jones' power, talent and brilliance.
— Laura Benanti (@LauraBenanti) August 25, 2016
We live in a country where you can be attacked just for being a joyful black woman. @Lesdoggg deserves better. We can do better.
— Gabe González (@gaybonez) August 25, 2016
https://twitter.com/RoyalHoeliness/status/768657492691734528
https://twitter.com/rgay/status/768604404392005632
https://twitter.com/ilazer/status/768638113807728640
https://twitter.com/ItsThingsInLife/status/768627603565637636
i mean in the end Leslie Jones will still have a great career and they'll still have cheeto dust build-up that makes most keys unuseable so
— Alexis Wilkinson (@OhGodItsAlexis) August 24, 2016
If you are shaming Leslie Jones because you're not attracted to her, you're just as bad as the hackers. pic.twitter.com/xDT5aZyqB9
— Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) August 24, 2016
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