Leslie Jones said ‘Ghostbusters’ led to death threats

Leslie Jones faced death threats

Leslie Jones received death threats after being cast in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot. She starred alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Kate McKinnon in the all-female version of the movie, directed by Paul Feig.

The casting sparked a lot of hate online. People targeted Jones with racist and sexist comments. She spoke out, saying she was shocked people would do this over a movie role. Jones said, “This is awful. I am in a movie. Death threats for something as small as that?”

Jones called out Twitter for abuse

After the threats, Jones turned to Twitter leadership for help. Back then, Twitter wasn’t called X yet. She said, “The platform is the first thing I went after.” She believed Twitter had a duty to protect users like her.

Jones explained she didn’t want to ignore the hate. People told her to stay silent, but she refused. She was tired of being the bigger person. Instead, she said, “Meet these motherf**kers where they at and fight back.” She wanted to stop pretending things were okay.

Racism and misogyny were at the core

Leslie Jones wrote about the backlash in her 2023 memoir, Leslie F*ing Jones. She explained the hate wasn’t just racism or sexism, it was both. Many people mocked her role as an MTA worker in the film. Jones didn’t stay silent.

As a comedian, she was used to hecklers. She clapped back at trolls on Twitter. Still, the abuse got worse. People sent her disturbing images, including threats of violence and sexual hate. She couldn’t believe people acted like that just because of a movie.

Jones revealed horrific threats

Jones shared some of the sickening threats she got. Trolls sent her videos of lynchings and sexual violence. She said men even sent videos of themselves doing horrible things to her photo and called her racial slurs.

She asked, “Why are people being so evil to each other?” She couldn’t understand how people typed things like “I want to kill you” just because she played a part in Ghostbusters. These threats forced her to take a break from social media for her safety.

Her SNL time was also tough

Jones’s rise to fame began when she joined Saturday Night Live at age 47. She had struggled for years in comedy and lost both her parents. SNL gave her a big break, but she wasn’t prepared for the pressure.

She said she wasn’t acting out on purpose, but she was struggling mentally. She apologized to SNL creator Lorne Michaels for her behavior. He told her to talk to someone else about her feelings. That’s when SNL found her a therapist to help her cope.

She spoke out about set conflicts

Leslie talked more about her SNL experience in a podcast. She described one unnamed sketch director as a “narcissistic dickhead.” She felt disrespected and said the director acted like the sketches were more important than the people.

One night, tensions boiled over. Jones said she and Tiffany Haddish almost fought the director. They were filming late, and Jones had hurt herself on set. When the director said, “What makes you so special?” Jones got angry and stood her ground. Tiffany backed her up.

She fought for fair pay

Jones revealed she was paid much less than her co-stars for Ghostbusters. Her first offer was only $67,000, while others like McCarthy and Wiig were offered more. She had to fight to raise her pay to $150,000. She felt disrespected.

She had worked hard in comedy for years and didn’t want to be treated like she was lucky just to be there. People told her, “This is gonna blow you up.” But instead of success, she got hate and a painful experience.

She criticized Hollywood inequality

Jones said the way she was treated during the movie made her feel like she didn’t belong. She felt like people were sending her a message: she should just be grateful to be in the film at all.

She believed her race and gender played a big part in how she was treated. She said, “We can build an iPhone, and we still can’t beat racism.” Even after years in show business, she was still fighting to be seen and heard equally.

Jason Reitman upset her deeply

After Ghostbusters 2016, a new movie was announced. Director Jason Reitman said he wanted to return the franchise “back to the fans.” Leslie took that as a slap in the face to her and the 2016 cast.

She felt Reitman’s comments were a shout-out to the people who hated the all-female reboot. She called his words “unforgivable.” Even though he later apologized and praised the cast, the damage had been done. She saw it as support for the people who attacked her.

She compared the reboot decision

When the male-led Ghostbusters sequel was announced, Jones said it felt like a personal insult. She tweeted that the move was “so insulting” and compared it to something Donald Trump would do.

She imagined Trump saying, “Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men.” She believed making another movie with men made it feel like the original cast didn’t matter. She said if it succeeded, it would make people think “boys are better.” That thought broke her heart.

She didn’t stay silent

Jones kept tweeting about the situation. She said, “Like f*** us. We didn’t count.” She believed the message was clear: the women in Ghostbusters 2016 weren’t seen as real Ghostbusters by some fans and filmmakers.

Even though people told her to stay quiet, she refused. “I don’t give f*** I’m saying something,” she tweeted. She reminded everyone she had feelings, too. Her goal wasn’t to hurt anyone, but she wanted people to understand how their actions made her feel.

Milo Yiannopoulos fueled hate

Far-right figure Milo Yiannopoulos made things worse for Jones. He was banned from Twitter after encouraging people to harass her. Some fans followed his lead and made Jones a target of hate.

Jones later criticized Simon & Schuster for giving Milo a $250,000 book deal. She tweeted, “You still help them spread their hate to even more people.” Milo even gloated after Jones’s Twitter account was hacked and her private photos were leaked online.

She’s still speaking her truth

Jones has continued sharing her experiences. She recently told The Guardian and other outlets about the racism and abuse she faced. She said, “I am not a victim – you’re an asshole,” making it clear she will never be silenced.

She explained that being strong doesn’t mean staying quiet. She’s tired of people telling her to ignore hate. Jones said she’ll keep fighting back. Her words inspire others who’ve faced the same. Her comedy is powerful, but so is her voice.

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Jones will keep fighting forward

Today, Jones continues her stand-up work. She’s touring and speaking openly about what she went through. In fall 2025, she’ll perform in Saginaw, Michigan, showing she’s still in the game.

Jones’s story is a reminder that being in the spotlight can come with a cost. But she’s not backing down. She’s faced racism, threats, and unfair pay and still pushes forward. Leslie Jones didn’t just survive Ghostbusters. She turned the pain into power.

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What do you think, should movie roles ever lead to this kind of backlash? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.