Leslie Jones Recalls Jason Reitman's 'Unforgivable' 'Ghostbusters' Comment: 'Damage Was Done'

The comedian said Jason Reitman's previous comments about the 2016 'Ghostbusters' was a "pretty clear shout-out to all those losers who went after us"

In her new memoir, Leslie Jones calls out Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman for what she felt was an "unforgivable" comment.

In Leslie F*cking Jones, the comedian, 51, details her life and career, including her time making the 2016 female-led Ghostbusters film. Jones starred alongside Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy in the film directed by Paul Feig.

Years after that movie's release, Reitman, whose late father Ivan directed the original two 1980s Ghostbusters films, released Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), which ignored what Feig's film established in the franchise.

After announcing his plans to make Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Reitman said on Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast he was “trying to go back to the original technique and hand the movie back to the fans."

Related: Paul Feig Slams 'Ghostbusters' Box Set for Excluding His 2016 Reboot: 'Must Be a Mistake'

“I’m not making the Juno of Ghostbusters movies,” the Juno director said at the time. “This is gonna be a love letter to Ghostbusters…. I want to make a movie for my fellow Ghostbusters fans.”

Reitman’s comments drew backlash from those who felt he was suggesting the 2016 film was not for fans. The director clarified his comments on Twitter, writing that what he said "came out wrong" and he thought the film was “amazing."

However, Jones writes in her memoir that "the damage was done."

Related: The Biggest Bombshells from Leslie Jones' New Memoir: From 'Ghostbusters' Drama to Private Health Battle

“Bringing up the idea of giving the movie ‘back to the fans’ was a pretty clear shout-out to all those losers who went after us for making an all-female [movie]," wrote Jones, referring to the sexist backlash her Ghostbusters film received.

A rep for Reitman did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

In her memoir, Jones also reflected on the racist and sexist messages she received online over her Ghostbusters role. She said she "got taken through the ringer" during that time.

"Why are people being so evil to each other? How can you sit and type 'I want to kill you.' Who does that?" she wrote, also adding that the "online abuse" started even before the movie debuted in theaters.

"... Sad keyboard warriors living in their mother's basements hated the fact that this hallowed work of perfect art now featured — gasp! horror! — women in the lead roles," wrote Jones. "Worst of all, of course, was that one of the lead characters was a Black woman. For some men this was the final straw."

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Jones deactivated her Twitter account soon after the film's release, tweeting at the time: “I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart. All this 'cause I did a movie. You can hate the movie but the s--- I got today ... wrong.”

The comedian exclusively told PEOPLE that writing her memoir has been "very therapeutic.”

She explained, “I think I learned the trials and tribulations, how much I've triumphed, how much I've changed, how much I've grown. Just a lot of things. A lot of self-realizations."

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