Right-wing “provocateur” Milo Yiannopoulos has offended countless people and groups over the years, but nothing quite matched up to this week’s controversy. The Breitbart tech editor was due to hold a New York City press conference at 3:00pm EST, which rolled as planned (see below). Yet in light of newly surfaced audio — in which he advocated for pedophilia and praised priests who molest underage boys — he has already decided to leave his position at Breitbart. Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times posted a copy of Milo’s resignation letter, in which he claims that decision was his:
“Breitbart news has stood by me with others caved. They have allowed me to carry conservative and libertarian ideas to communities that would otherwise have never heard them. They have been a significant factor in my success. I’m grateful for that freedom and for the friendships I forged there.
“It 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.
“When your friends have done right by you, you do right by them. For me, now, that means stepping aside so my colleagues at Breitbart can get back to the great work they do.”
That’s the official word from Milo, which arrives after Breitbart Editor-In-Chief Alex Marlow condemned Yiannopoulos’ words while also blaming “the left” for a “coordinated hit” to destroy Milo by releasing the footage. Although Breitbart stuck by Milo, his career has taken a number of other hits in less than 48 hours. Simon & Schuster canceled his book, and the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) disinvited him after deciding that “free speech” doesn’t excuse every statement.
During Milo’s subsequent press conference, he stressed that he will never stop relying on “black comedy and gallows humor.” He acknowledges that he might come across as flippant, yet he remains “horrified by pedophilia.” Yiannopoulos also took several shots at the media while claiming that his status as a political figure makes him a target:
“I will never stop making jokes about taboo subjects. Go into any drag bar or gay club and you will see performers cracking jokes about clerical sexual abuse. I am not afforded that same freedom, because the media chooses to selectively define me as a political figure in some circumstances, and a comedian in others.”
He then added that being “a conservative” makes him a target, but while he maintains that he was “deceptively edited,” he acknowledges that he said a few things that he didn’t mean. And then he laid into the press again:
“But let’s be clear what is happening here. This is a cynical media witch hunt from people who don’t care about children. They care about destroying me and my career, and by extension my allies. They know that although I made some outrageous statements, I’ve never actually done anything wrong. These videos have been out there for more than a year. The media held this story back because they don’t care about victims, they only care about bringing me down. They will fail.”
With that, Milo vowed to announce a new media venture soon. He’s embarking upon a new chapter while promising that he will continue to be “offensive and provocative” and “a warrior for free speech.” Watch below.