Paul Feig Sparks Twitter Movement After 'Ghostbusters' Star Leslie Jones Shares Hate Posts
Leslie Jones arrives at the L.A. premiere of ‘Ghostbusters’ on July 9, 2016 (Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
By THR Staff
The Ghostbusters reboot has been hit with its fair share of internet attacks, and director Paul Feig continues to say: Enough.
Speaking up against people on social media who are personally attacking one of his stars, Leslie Jones, the director of the reboot quickly had the hashtag #LoveForLeslieJ trending on Monday night.
“Leslie Jones is one of the greatest people I know,” he tweeted. “Any personal attacks against her are attacks against us all. #LoveForLeslieJ @Lesdoggg”
Leslie Jones is one of the greatest people I know. Any personal attacks against her are attacks against us all. #LoveForLeslieJ @Lesdoggg
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig)
Quickly after Feig’s message, #LoveForLeslieJ sat near the top of Twitter’s trending list as others in Hollywood followed Feig’s lead, including the film’s co-writer Katie Dippold (see below).
Jones, who has taken to Twitter to decry the sexist attacks she’s received on social media before, fought back by retweeting many of the racist and misogynistic posts she’d received on Monday.
Related: Box-Office Analysis: Why the 'Ghostbusters’ Reboot May Haunt Sony
“Exposing I hope y'all go after them like they going after me,” she tweeted Monday afternoon. She then followed that tweet with hours of reshared posts she’s received.
Jones’ tweeting continued well into the night, with the actress calling on Twitter to delete and block several of the accounts, seemingly to no avail.
“I didn’t do anything to deserve this,” she said, adding later: “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 shit I got today…wrong.”
Twitter I understand you got free speech I get it. But there has to be some guidelines when you let spread like that. You can see on the
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg)
I feel like I’m in a personal hell. I didn’t do anything to deserve this. It’s just too much. It shouldn’t be like this. So hurt right now.
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg)
Profiles that some of these people are crazy sick. It’s not enough to freeze Acct. They should be reported.
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg)
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 shit I got today…wrong
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg)
Feig’s take on the 1984 classic — which also stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon as the Ghostbusters, along with Jones, in the Sony reboot — opened to an estimated $46 million in North America this past weekend.
See some of the social media reactions supporting Jones below.
I love @lesdoggg
Not only brilliant but one of the kindest people I’ve ever met— Katie Dippold (@katiedippold)
The vile acts of racism and white fragility that @Lesdoggg is facing on her Twitter feed is absolutely disgusting. #America2016
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry)
Stand with @Lesdoggg #loveforlesliej she is an inspiration and a legend in the making pic.twitter.com/dqotlPAETd
— Margaret Cho (@margaretcho)
Hey, @twitter & @twittersupport: You need to head to @Lesdoggg’s feed & start deleting the accounts of the racist shits spewing crap at her.
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage)
PD & I met @Lesdoggg on a plane 3 years ago. She was unbelievably kind, funny & shone so bright, it was crystal clear that she’d be a star 💗
— zoe kazan (@zoeinthecities)
‘Ghostbusters’: Watch the character vignette for Leslie Jones’ Patty:
