Milo Yiannopoulos (; ''
né
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
'' Hanrahan; born 18 October 1984)
is a British
far-right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
political commentator
A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...
. His speeches and writings criticise
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
,
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
, and
social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
.
Yiannopoulos is a former editor of ''
Breitbart News
''Breitbart News Network'' (; known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an Radical right (United States), American far-rightMultiple sources:
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* syndicated news, opinion, and commentar ...
'', an
American far-right
In the politics of the United States, the radical right is a political preference that leans towards ultraconservatism, white nationalism, white supremacy, or other far-right ideologies in a hierarchical structure which is paired with conspira ...
news and opinion website.
Yiannopoulos worked for ''Breitbart'' from 2014 to 2017. During this time, he rose to prominence as a significant voice in the
Gamergate controversy. In July 2016, he was banned from
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
for online harassment of actress
Leslie Jones.
He was permanently banned from
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
in 2019.
According to emails by Yiannopoulos leaked by ''
BuzzFeed News
''BuzzFeed News'' was an American news website published by BuzzFeed beginning in 2011. It ceased posting new hard news content in May 2023. It published a number of high-profile scoops, including the Steele dossier, for which it was strong ...
'' in late 2017, Yiannopoulos solicited
white nationalists
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wav ...
, such as ''
American Renaissance'' editor Devin Saucier, for story ideas and editing suggestions during his tenure at ''Breitbart''.
Yiannopoulos has been accused of advocating
paedophilia
Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...
after the emergence of several video clips in which he said that sexual relationships between 13-year-old boys and adults can be "perfectly consensual" and positive experiences for such boys.
Following the release of the video clips, Yiannopoulos resigned his position at ''Breitbart'', his invitation to speak before the
Conservative Political Action Conference
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC ) is an annual political conference attended by Conservatism in the United States, conservative Activism, activists and officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American ...
(CPAC) was rescinded, and a contract to publish his autobiography with
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
was cancelled. Yiannopoulos has said that he is not a supporter of paedophilic relationships and that his statements reflected his own victimhood as an object of
child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...
by a priest.
In 2022, Yiannopoulos served as an intern for United States Congresswoman
Marjorie Taylor Greene, then worked with
white nationalist
White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a Race (human categorization), raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara ...
Nick Fuentes
Nicholas Joseph Fuentes (born August 18, 1998) is an American Far-right politics, far-rightMultiple sources:
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* Pundit, political pundit, activist, and Online streamer, live streamer who promotes White supremacy, white supremacist, Hom ...
and rapper
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
on the latter's short-lived
2024 U.S. presidential election campaign.
In April 2024, Yiannopoulos was listed as Chief of Staff at
Yeezy Apparel, but stepped down on 15 May due to West's announcement of an
adult entertainment
The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related se ...
division at the company.
Early and personal life
Born as Milo Hanrahan, Yiannopoulos was born and raised in
Chatham, Kent
Chatham ( ) is a town within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. In 2020 it had a population of 80,596.
Th ...
, England.
His father is of half-Greek and half-Irish ancestry and his mother is
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, of German descent. He is described as a practising Roman Catholic. His parents divorced when he was a child.
Raised by his mother and her second husband, Yiannopoulos has stated that he did not have a good relationship with his stepfather. As a teenager, Yiannopoulos lived with his paternal grandmother whose surname, Yiannopoulos, he later adopted.
Yiannopoulos was educated at
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
from which he has said he was expelled. He attended the
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
but dropped out before graduating; he then read English at
Wolfson College, Cambridge
Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates. The college also admits "mature" undergraduates (aged 21 and above), with around ...
, but was expelled in 2010.
In 2017, Yiannopoulos was a U.S. resident alien on
O-1 visa status. He married his long term boyfriend in Hawaii in September 2017. In March 2021, during an interview with right wing publication ''
LifeSiteNews'', Yiannopoulos stated he was
no longer homosexual and that his husband had been "demoted to housemate".
Career
After he dropped out of university, Yiannopoulos initially secured a job at ''
The Catholic Herald''. In 2009, Yiannopoulos moved to
technology journalism
Technology journalism is the genre of Journalism, reporting that concerns the development, marketing, and application of technology. The field covers a wide variety of topics, including communications, artificial intelligence, the Internet, soci ...
with ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
''.
His ''Telegraph'' columnist biography described him in 2009 as one who "writes sceptically about
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 (also known as participative (or participatory) web and social web) refers to websites that emphasize user-generated content, ease of use, participatory culture, and interoperability (i.e., compatibility with other products, systems, a ...
and social media but enthusiastically about the internet in general."
In June 2022, Yiannopoulos became an unpaid intern for Representative
Marjorie Taylor Greene.
''The Kernel''
In November 2011, Yiannopoulos co-founded ''The Kernel''.
In March 2013, ''The Kernel'' was shut down amidst allegations of unpaid wages, at a time when Yiannopoulos was editor in chief and sole director of its parent company, Sentinel Media.
It was reopened later that year under Kernel Media, with Yiannopoulos remaining as editor in chief and having privately settled the previous debts.
In 2014, ''The Kernel'' was acquired by Daily Dot Media, the parent company of ''
The Daily Dot
''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. It was founded by Nicholas White in 2011, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometown newsp ...
''. After the acquisition by Daily Dot Media, Yiannopoulos stepped down as editor in chief, although he remained an adviser to the company.
''Breitbart News''
In 2014, Yiannopoulos started writing for ''
Breitbart News
''Breitbart News Network'' (; known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an Radical right (United States), American far-rightMultiple sources:
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* syndicated news, opinion, and commentar ...
'', and in October 2015, ''Breitbart'' placed Yiannopoulos in charge of its new "Breitbart Tech" section. The site had six full-time staff, including
esports
Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
specialist
Richard Lewis, and was edited by Yiannopoulos until his resignation on 21 February 2017.
Gamergate
In 2014, Yiannopoulos emerged as a "lead actor" in the Gamergate harassment campaign through his work at ''Breitbart'', becoming one of the most vocal of Gamergate's supporters. Yiannopoulos employed Gamergate as a basis for online attacks on women, and his role in Gamergate allowed him to become one of the central figures in the mainstream growth of the
alt-right
The alt-right (abbreviated from alternative right) is a Far-right politics, far-right, White nationalism, white nationalist movement. A largely Internet activism, online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late ...
. Before Gamergate, Yiannopoulos referred to gamers as "pungent
beta male bollock scratchers" and also said that "Few things are more embarrassing than grown men getting over excited about video games".
Association with neo-Nazism and the alt-right
In early October 2017, ''
BuzzFeed News
''BuzzFeed News'' was an American news website published by BuzzFeed beginning in 2011. It ceased posting new hard news content in May 2023. It published a number of high-profile scoops, including the Steele dossier, for which it was strong ...
'' published leaked email chains from Yiannopoulos' tenure at ''Breitbart''. According to the report, Yiannopoulos and his
ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a person hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
Allum Bokhari regularly solicited ideas for stories and comments from people associated with the
alt-right
The alt-right (abbreviated from alternative right) is a Far-right politics, far-right, White nationalism, white nationalist movement. A largely Internet activism, online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late ...
and
neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
movements. Among the figures Yiannopoulos contacted were
Curtis Yarvin, a central figure of the
neoreactionary movement; Devin Saucier, the editor of the white supremacist magazine ''
American Renaissance'';
Andrew Auernheimer, the administrator of neo-Nazi website ''
The Daily Stormer
''The Daily Stormer'' is an American neo-Nazi commentary and message board website that advocates for a Second Holocaust, second genocide of Jews. It is part of the alt-right movement. Its editor, Andrew Anglin, founded the outlet on July 4, ...
''; and
Baked Alaska, a commentator known for his
antisemitic
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
and pro-Nazi tweets.
The story also reported that Yiannopoulos had a penchant for using personal passwords with antisemitic overtones, such as 'Kristall', a reference to
Kristallnacht
( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
, and 'longknives1290', a compound reference to the
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives (, ), also called the Röhm purge or Operation Hummingbird (), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, ord ...
and the
Edict of Expulsion
The Edict of Expulsion was a royal decree expelling all Jews from the Kingdom of England that was issued by Edward I of England, Edward I on 18 July 1290; it was the first time a European state is known to have permanently banned their prese ...
.
In a ''Breitbart'' article, Yiannopoulos and a co-author described the alt-right movement as "dangerously bright". The ''
Tablet'' stated that many of these intellectual backers write for publications it describes as racist and antisemitic, such as
VDARE and ''
American Renaissance''. The ''Breitbart'' article was criticised by opponents of the alt-right for excusing the extremist elements of the movement, and also by the neo-Nazi website ''
The Daily Stormer
''The Daily Stormer'' is an American neo-Nazi commentary and message board website that advocates for a Second Holocaust, second genocide of Jews. It is part of the alt-right movement. Its editor, Andrew Anglin, founded the outlet on July 4, ...
'' which holds that racism and antisemitism are pillars of the alt-right.
The
Anti-Defamation League classifies Yiannopoulos as part of the
alt-lite, a term used to distinguish individuals sometimes associated with the alt-right from those who are openly
white nationalist
White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a Race (human categorization), raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara ...
and antisemitic.
These accusations, as well as Yiannopoulos's support for
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, have contributed to a feud between Yiannopoulos and
Ben Shapiro
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator, media host, and attorney. He writes columns for Creators Syndicate, ''Newsweek'', and ''Ami Magazine'', an ...
, a Jewish conservative political commentator who refused to support Trump in the
2016 presidential election. Shapiro accused Yiannopoulos, his followers, and other Trump supporters of racist and antisemitic behaviour. He criticised Yiannopoulos's attempts to distinguish between real racist or bigoted behaviour and trolling, stating that "words have meaning" and that the distinction that Yiannopoulos was attempting to make "simply doesn't exist in objective reality".
In 2017, Yiannopoulos was depicted singing "
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...
" at a
karaoke
is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone.
Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...
bar, where a crowd of neo-Nazis and white supremacists, including
Richard B. Spencer, cheered him with the Nazi
sieg heil salute. In response, Yiannopoulos denied observing the Nazi salutes while he was singing, citing what he claimed to be "extreme
myopia
Myopia, also known as near-sightedness and short-sightedness, is an eye condition where light from distant objects focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurry, while close objects appear normal. ...
". According to the bartender who was working on the night of the incident, Yiannopoulos, Spencer and their entourage came into the bar and asked to sing karaoke even though it had ended. When the bartender saw the Nazi salutes she rushed the stage and told Yiannopoulos and his friends to leave, at which point they began harassing her, chanting "Trump! Trump! Trump!" and "
Make America Great Again
"Make America Great Again" (MAGA, ) is an American political slogan most recently popularized by Donald Trump during his successful presidential campaigns in 2016 and in 2024. "MAGA" is also used to refer to Trump's ideology, political bas ...
!" According to her, Yiannopoulos was getting the others "roused".
Following these revelations, billionaire
Robert Mercer ceased his support for Yiannopoulos and condemned him, as did Yiannopoulos's former employer
Steve Bannon
Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist for the first seven months of president Donald Trump's first ...
.
In November 2019, Yiannopoulos released an audio recording which appeared to feature Spencer using the racial slurs '
octaroons' and '
kikes', referring respectively to African Americans and Jewish people. The recording appeared to date from the immediate aftermath of the
Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...
in Charlottesville in 2017 and the murder of
Heather Heyer.
Social media controversies and bans
In December 2015, Twitter briefly suspended Yiannopoulos' account after he changed his profile to describe himself as ''
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet mass media, media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John Seward Johnson III, John S. Johnson III to ...
''s "social justice editor." His
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account's blue "verification" checkmark was removed by the site the following month.
Twitter declined to explain its removal, saying they do not comment on individual cases. Some news outlets speculated that Yiannopoulos had violated its speech and harassment codes, as with an instance where he told another user that they "deserved to be harassed." Others worried that Twitter was targeting conservatives.
In July 2016, Yiannopoulos panned the ''
Ghostbusters
''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, three eccentric ...
'' reboot as "a movie to help lonely middle-aged women feel better about being left on the shelf." After the film's release, Twitter
trolls
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...
attacked African American actress
Leslie Jones with racial slurs. Yiannopoulos wrote three public tweets about Jones, saying "''Ghostbusters'' is doing so badly they've deployed Leslie Jones to play the victim on Twitter," before describing her reply to him as "barely literate" and then calling her a "black dude". Multiple media outlets have described Yiannopoulos' tweets as encouraging the abuse directed at Jones. Yiannopoulos was then
banned by Twitter for what the company cited as "inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others". He later stated that he was banned because of his conservative beliefs. Since the company was taken over by Elon Musk, his account has been reinstated.
In May 2019, Yiannopoulos and several others active in politics and culture, including
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A centralized and hierarchical organization, the NOI is committed to black nationalism and focuses its attention on the Afr ...
leader
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan (; born Louis Eugene Walcott; May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI), a Black nationalism, black nationalist organization. Farrakhan is notable for his leadership of the 1995 Million M ...
and conspiracy theorists and fellow right-wing pundits
Alex Jones
Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American Far-right politics, far-right radio host, radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas. ''The Alex Jones Show'' is the lo ...
and
Paul Joseph Watson, were permanently banned from
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
, which called them "dangerous." "We've always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology," a Facebook spokesperson said. "The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove these accounts today."
Tours
Yiannopoulos has appeared on a number of controversial tours, beginning in 2015 with ''The Dangerous Faggot Tour'', encompassing universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. Although few of his American speeches were cancelled, many were met with protests ranging from vocal disruptions to violent demonstrations. Yiannopoulos has had visas denied or cancelled on multiple occasions.
In January 2017, Yiannopoulos spoke at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
. The event led to large protests.
A 34-year-old man was shot while protesting and suffered life-threatening injuries. A witness recalled seeing someone release pepper spray in the crowd, which triggered the shooting confrontation.

On 1 February 2017, Yiannopoulos was scheduled to make a speech at
UC Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...
. More than 100 UC Berkeley faculty had signed a petition demanding the university cancel the event. Over 1,500 people gathered to
protest against the event on the steps of
Sproul Hall
Sproul Plaza is one center of student activity at the University of California, Berkeley. It is divided into two sections: Upper Sproul and Lower Sproul. They are vertically separated by and linked by a set of stairs.
History
Sproul Plaza as ...
, with some violence breaking out. According to the university, around 150 masked agitators came onto campus and interrupted the protest, setting fires, damaging property, throwing fireworks, attacking members of the crowd, and throwing rocks at the police. These violent protesters included members of
BAMN, who threw rocks at police, shattered windows, threw Molotov cocktails, and later vandalised downtown Berkeley. Among those assaulted were a Syrian Muslim in a suit who was pepper sprayed and hit with a rod by a protester who said "You look like a Nazi", and a woman who was pepper sprayed while being interviewed by a TV reporter. Citing security concerns, the UC Police Department cancelled the event. One person was arrested for failure to disperse, and there was about $100,000 in damage. The police were criticised for their "hands off" policy whereby they did not arrest any of the demonstrators who committed assault, vandalism, or arson. Berkeley police reported at least 11 arrests, but no injuries or damage to buildings. UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said afterwards that the media event amounted to "the most expensive photo op in the university's history."
In November 2017, Yiannopoulos began a tour of Australia, visiting Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth. During the
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
show, Yiannopoulos stirred controversy by projecting an unflattering photo of the feminist writer
Clementine Ford, taken when she was a teenager, with the word 'UNFUCKABLE' superimposed over the top. During events in Melbourne, he again stirred controversy when he described
Australian Aboriginal art as "crap" and "really shit". Seven people were arrested after clashing with police and outside the venue for Yiannopoulos's
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
event. Yiannopoulos claimed the violence was caused by "the left, showing up, being violent to stop freedom of speech". There was also violence outside his Melbourne events as protesters from the left-aligned
Campaign Against Racism and Fascism and right-wing
True Blue Crew clashed, eventually triggering a response by riot police, who used pepper spray to control the crowd
Victoria Policesubsequently issued tour organisers a bill for $50,000 for the extra police resources deployed at the event, a move promoter Damien Costas labelled as "political grandstanding".
Books
Yiannopoulos published two poetry books under the name Milo Andreas Wagner. His 2007 release ''Eskimo Papoose'' was later scrutinised for re-using lines from pop music and television without attribution, to which he replied that it was done deliberately and that the work was satirical.
An autobiography titled ''
Dangerous'' was announced in December 2016. Yiannopoulos received an $80,000 advance payment from the book's planned publisher,
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
. It was intended to be published under their
Threshold Editions. A day after its announcement, pre-sales for the book elevated it to first place on
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...
's list of best-sellers.
In February 2017, Simon & Schuster cancelled its plans to publish the book in the wake of the video and sexual-consent comments controversy that also led to CPAC withdrawing its speaking invitation and Yiannopoulos resigning from ''Breitbart''. Yiannopoulos began litigation against Simon & Schuster for "breach of contract" and "breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing", seeking $10 million in damages. He dropped the suit in February 2018.
In May 2017, Yiannopoulos announced that he would self-publish the book on 4 July 2017. Soon after the announcement, the book became the best-selling political humour book on Amazon. The book was a ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', ''
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' and ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' bestseller. The book further peaked at No. 1 on ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
''s nonfiction bestseller list and at No. 2 on the
''New York Times'' nonfiction bestseller list.
[Dangerous:
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Yiannopoulos published the book ''Diabolical: How Pope Francis Has Betrayed Clerical Abuse Victims Like Me – and Why He Has to Go'' in 2018. He stated: "The main purpose of writing this new book was to talk about the homosexual cancer that has infected the Vatican". The book repeated the discredited claim that
paedophilia and homosexuality are linked. Yiannopoulos promoted the book through
Michael Voris, a
traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholicism is a movement that emphasizes beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions and presentations of teaching associated with the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). ...
, celibate bisexual and anti-LGBT activist.
Yiannopoulos's self-published books ''How to Be Poor'' and ''How to Be Straight'' were also released in 2019. The former was released after the revelation of his alleged insolvency. He also wrote ''The Trial of Roger Stone'' and ''Middle Rages: Why the Battle for Medieval Studies Matters to America'', which discussed controversies surrounding
Rachel Fulton Brown, a professor of medieval studies at the University of Chicago.
Views
Paedophilia and child sexual abuse
In February 2017, it was announced that Yiannopoulos would address the
Conservative Political Action Conference
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC ) is an annual political conference attended by Conservatism in the United States, conservative Activism, activists and officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American ...
(CPAC). A conservative website, ''Reagan Battalion,'' then posted video of 2015 and 2016 clips of YouTube interviews at the request of a 16-year-old Canadian student who was opposed to Yiannopoulos' CPAC address.
In the interview from a January 2016 episode of the podcast ''
Drunken Peasants'', Yiannopoulos stated that sexual relationships between 13-year-old boys and adults can "happen perfectly consensually", because some 13-year-olds are, in his view, sexually and emotionally mature enough to consent to sex with adults; he spoke favourably both of gay 13-year-old boys having sex with adult men and straight 13-year-old boys having sex with adult women. He used his own experience as an example, saying he was mature enough to be capable of giving consent at a young age. He also stated that "
paedophilia
Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...
is not a sexual attraction to somebody 13 years old, who is sexually mature" but rather that "paedophilia is attraction to children who have not reached puberty". Later in the interview, after his previous comments received some pushback from the hosts, he stated: "I think the
age of consent
The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to Human sexual activity, sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is un ...
law is probably about right, that is probably roughly the right age ... but there are certainly people who are capable of giving consent at a younger age, I certainly consider myself to be one of them."
Yiannopoulos subsequently held a press conference, at which he said he had been molested as a child, and that his comments were a way to cope with it. He declined to identify his abusers or discuss the incidents in any detail. He characterised his comments as the "usual blend of British sarcasm, provocation and
gallows humour", and denied condoning
child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...
. He alleged that the video had been edited to give a misleading impression, and stated, "I will not apologise for dealing with my life experiences in the best way that I can, which is humour. No one can tell me or anyone else who has lived through sexual abuse how to deal with those emotions. But I am sorry to other abuse victims if my own personal way of dealing with what happened to me has hurt you."
[Paedophilia remarks:
*
*
*] In response to the controversy,
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
cancelled its plans to publish his autobiography in June 2017. Media outlets reported on 20 February that ''Breitbart'' was considering terminating Yiannopoulos' contract as a result of the controversy. Yiannopoulos resigned from ''Breitbart'' on 21 February, reportedly under pressure to do so.
Yiannopoulos was later criticised for attending Hollywood "boat parties" and "house parties" in which boys he described as "very young – ''very'' young" were sexually abused, but failing to report the abusers to the authorities or to identify them during an appearance on ''
The Joe Rogan Experience
''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It was initiated on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and produce ...
''. When asked about this by
Ryan Lizza
Ryan Christopher Lizza ( ; born July 12, 1974) is an American journalist. His 2017 interview with White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci resulted in Scaramucci's dismissal. He was a senior political analyst for CNN and formerly t ...
of ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
'' magazine, Yiannopoulos said he "didn't check anyone's I.D.s." and that he "had no idea what the ages of any of those people at the parties were." He stated that when he said "very young" he was assuming that they were sixteen or seventeen. He reiterated that he does not "advocate for any illegal behavior" or excuse it. When, on 10 March, an additional video emerged in which he said on a 2015 episode of
Gavin McInnes
Gavin Miles McInnes (; born 17 July 1970) is a Canadian writer, podcaster, far-right commentator and founder of the Proud Boys. He is the host of '' Get Off My Lawn with Gavin McInnes'' on his website, Compound Censored. He co-founded ''Vic ...
's show that child sexual abuse is "really not that big a deal. You can't let it ruin your life", Yiannopoulos was criticised for mocking child sexual abuse victims by calling them "whinging selfish brats" for "suddenly" remembering they were abused and "suddenly" deciding it was a problem 20 years after the abuse occurred. He also said there was a "huge, disproportionate overlap between homosexual men and paedophiles".
On 5 August 2024, Yiannopoulos tweeted "At 13, I was raped by a priest. His name was Fr Michael. He died years ago. I said some stupid shit trying to make sense of it which was used against me in 2017. The idea that this translates to 'Milo is a pedo' is so warped & dark that anyone who says it is dead to me. Forever."
[
]
Violence against journalists
In 2018, Yiannopoulos told at least two news organisations who had requested comments that he wanted vigilantes to shoot journalists. He wrote in a text message "I can't wait for vigilante squads to start gunning journalists down on sight". Two days later, following a
shooting at the ''Capital Gazette'' in
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...
, in which five people were killed, Yiannopoulos denied that his comments were responsible, adding that his remarks were a joke. He later posted on
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
that he sent the messages to troll journalists. On Facebook he wrote: "You're about to see a raft of news stories claiming that I am responsible for inspiring the deaths of journalists" and "The truth, as always, is the opposite of what the media tells you."
In October 2018, following several instances in which
pipe bombs had been sent to Trump critics, Yiannopoulos posted the following comment on
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
: "Just catching up with news of all these pipe bombs. Disgusting and sad (that they didn't go off, and
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
didn't get one)". After initially refusing to remove the comment when it was reported as hate speech, Instagram later deleted the post.
Political beliefs
In the United Kingdom, Yiannopoulos supported the
Conservative Party before applying to join the
UK Independence Party
The UK Independence Party (UKIP, ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of parliament (both through defect ...
in June 2018. A former supporter of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, and a person who was compared to
Ann Coulter, he has been referred to as the "face of a political movement", but he says his real concerns are "pop culture and free speech".
In December 2020, Yiannopoulos denounced Trump, saying that "Trump's
SCOTUS
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on questions ...
appointments were pointless. We defended a selfish clown for nothing", and that he would dedicate "the rest of my life to the destruction of the
Republican Party".
Islam
Yiannopoulos is a frequent critic of
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
and has said the "
fear of Islam is entirely rational". He has blamed Islam, not just extremist groups and terrorists, for violence against women and homosexuals. Yiannopoulos said "I'm not talking about Islamists. I'm not talking about terrorists. I'm not talking about radical Islam. I'm talking about mainstream Muslim culture".
Following the June 2016
Orlando nightclub shooting
On , 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States before Orlando Police officers fatally shot him after a three-hour standoff.
I ...
, he claimed that all of Islam, not simply a small group of radicals, was responsible for mistreating women and homosexuals. After Yiannopoulos was nominated to become to be the rector of the
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
, Milo said he would protect LGBT students by shutting down the
Muslim Students Association
The Muslim Students Association, or Muslim Student Union, of the U.S. and Canada, also known as MSA National, is a religious organization dedicated to establishing and maintaining Islamic societies on college campuses in Canada and the United Sta ...
. Shortly after the
Manchester Arena bombing
The Manchester Arena bombing, or Manchester Arena attack, was an Islamic terrorism in Europe, Islamic terrorist suicide bombing of Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, on 22 May 2017, following Dangerous Woman Tour, a concert by the Americ ...
, Yiannopoulos strongly criticised singer
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
, characterising her as pro-Islam and saying, "Sadly, Ariana Grande is too stupid to wise up and warn her European fans about the real threats to their freedom and their lives. She will remain ferociously pro-immigrant, pro-Islam and anti-America. Makes you wonder whether they bombed to attack her or in solidarity".
He has been described as a
counter-jihad
Counter-jihad (also known as the counter-jihad movement) is a self-titled Islamophobia, anti-Muslim political movement loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, demonstrators, and other activists across the Western world. Proponents are ...
ist, and spoke alongside notable members of the movement such as
Pamela Geller and
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders (born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives. Wilders is best known for his right-wing p ...
at the
Gays for Trump "Wake Up!" party in the aftermath of the Orlando attack.
Yiannopoulos described social attitudes of Western Muslims as "horribly regressive". He has attempted to distinguish his opposition to Muslim immigration into the West from racism. After the 2019
Christchurch mosque shootings, Yiannopoulos said that he condemned the violence but wrote on Facebook that attacks like that happen "because the establishment panders to and mollycoddles extremist leftism and barbaric, alien religious cultures". He was criticised for this description and banned from making a forthcoming speaking tour in Australia in 2019.
Women and feminism
Yiannopoulos is a frequent critic of
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
and "dumpy lesbians". He has frequently written articles that have been criticised as
misogynistic
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...
. In a ''Breitbart'' article titled "Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy", he asserts that the
combined oral contraceptive pill
The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be Oral administration, taken orally by women. It is the oral form of combi ...
causes women to become
hysterical,
sexually promiscuous and
obese
Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when ...
. He declared his birthday "World Patriarchy Day". In 2016, Yiannopoulos published a ''Breitbart'' article entitled "Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism Or Cancer?"
He describes feminists as "easy to wind up", is critical of the idea of a
gender pay gap
The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are Employment, employed. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct measurements of the pay gap: non ...
and claims that feminism has become "a mean, vindictive, sociopathic, man-hating movement".
Yiannopoulos favours banning women from military combat units.
In January 2018, Yiannopoulos reported a fictitious news story, written by a spoof news site, as being true. The article claimed that an English High Court had ruled that the
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
was legally obliged to offer
cervical smear tests to men. Unaware the story was satirical in nature, Yiannopoulos argued that the story exemplified the thinking of those living in "feminist clown world". Before reading out the article verbatim, Yiannopoulos insisted that he had researched the story and promised that "this is real, I haven't just made this up".
Homosexuality
In October 2017, he married his husband in Hawaii. That same month, he came out against the
Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey
The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey was a national survey by the Australian Government designed to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. The survey was held via the Australia Post, postal service between 12 Septe ...
, arguing it would violate religious freedom.
In 2017, Yiannopoulos reiterated his belief that
homosexuality is a sin and denounced those (including
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
) who sought to change
Church dogma on the issue. "You don't see me disputing the Church's teachings on homosexuality ... I wouldn't dream of demanding that the Church throw away her hard truths just to lie to me in hopes I'll feel better about myself", he said. In August 2019, Yiannopoulos was grand marshal for a
straight pride parade in Boston, organised by a group called
Super Happy Fun America. The parade was ostensibly to celebrate
heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or ...
.
In March 2021, Yiannopoulos declared to the ''
LifeSiteNews'' website that he was an
ex-gay
The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that encourage people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires and to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual re ...
and would begin advocating on behalf of improving the public image of
gay conversion therapy
Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have bee ...
.
In June 2021, Yiannopoulos announced that he was fundraising for a gay conversion therapy centre in Florida.
Yiannopoulos Privilege Grant
In January 2016, Yiannopoulos set up his Privilege Grant for white men to balance scholarships for women and minorities. He participated in an online
telethon
A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause.
Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...
to raise money for the grant and in August 2016, reported that approximately $100,000 had been received in donations and a further $250,000 had been pledged.
In August 2016, it was revealed that over a quarter of a million dollars had gone missing from the Yiannopoulos Privilege Grant. Yiannopoulos apologised for mismanaging the grant and denied that he had spent the money. In March 2018, Yiannopoulos confirmed that the fund had been closed down.
Debt
In December 2018, his former Australian tour promoters, Australian Events Management, showed that Yiannopoulos had accrued more than $2 million in unpaid debt: $1.6 million to his own company, $400,000 to the
Mercer Family Foundation, $153,215 to his former lawyers, $76,574 to former collaborator and ''Breitbart'' writer Allum Bokhari, and $20,000 to the luxury brand
Cartier.
Kanye West campaign
In 2022, Yiannopoulos briefly worked with rapper
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
on his
2024 presidential election campaign.
Yiannopoulos claimed that he arranged the well-publicised November 2022 dinner between Trump, West and far-right commentator
Nick Fuentes
Nicholas Joseph Fuentes (born August 18, 1998) is an American Far-right politics, far-rightMultiple sources:
*
*
*
*
* Pundit, political pundit, activist, and Online streamer, live streamer who promotes White supremacy, white supremacist, Hom ...
to "make Trump's life miserable". "I also wanted to send a message to Trump that he has systematically repeatedly neglected, ignored, abused the people who love him the most, the people who put him in office, and that kind of behavior comes back to bite you in the end,” he said.
In March 2023, Yiannopoulos published material on his Telegram channel about
Stop the Steal
After Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, Republican nominee and then-incumbent president Donald Trump pursued an unprecedented effort to overturn the election, with support from his campaign, ...
founder
Ali Alexander, who had also worked on the Kanye West campaign. Yiannopoulos alleged that Alexander had been propositioning teenage boys for sex and soliciting sexually-explicit photographs and videos from them. In May 2023, Yiannopoulos was rehired by West to run his campaign.
Books
*
*
* ''How to Be Poor''. 2019.
* ''How to Be Straight''. 2019.
* ''Middle Rages: Why the Battle for Medieval Studies Matters to America''. 2019.
* ''The Trial of Roger Stone''. 2020.
Forewords
* ''SJWs Always Lie—Taking Down the Thought Police''. 2015. Castalia Press.
* ''Forbidden Thoughts''. 2017. Subversive Press.
* ''No Campus for White Men: The Transformation of Higher Education into Hateful Indoctrination''. 2017. WND Books.
* ''Jordanetics: A Journey into the Mind of Humanity's Greatest Thinker''. 2018. Castelia Press.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yiannopoulos, Milo
1984 births
Living people
21st-century British writers
21st-century pseudonymous writers
21st-century Roman Catholics
21st-century British autobiographers
Alt-right writers
Alumni of the University of Manchester
Alumni of Wolfson College, Cambridge
Breitbart News people
British chief executives
British columnists
British male journalists
British mass media company founders
British people of Greek descent
British people of Irish descent
British people of Jewish descent
British poets
British political writers
British Roman Catholic writers
British technology journalists
Conservatism in the United Kingdom
Conservative Party (UK) people
Conversion therapy
British counter-jihad activists
British critics of atheism
British gay writers
English people of Greek descent
English people of Irish descent
English people of Jewish descent
British free speech activists
Far-right politics in the United Kingdom
Gamergate (harassment campaign)
Internet trolls
LGBTQ conservatism
Male critics of feminism
People educated at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys
People from Chatham, Kent
People self-identified as ex-gay
Roman Catholic activists
Twitter controversies
UK Independence Party people
Far-right politics and social media