UK Edition
Milo Yiannopoulos attacks Lena Dunham, Leslie Jones and Amy Schumer during controversial TV appearance
Milo Yiannopoulos, the British journalist whose inflammatory comments on feminists, Muslims and Black Lives Matter activists have seen him rise to the status of near-figurehead among America's "alt-right" movement, lashed out at a number of targets during his appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday evening.
Singling out outspoken TV star Lena Dunham as emblematic of America's "insane" liberals, Yiannopoulos described the Democrats as "the party of Lena Dunham," adding: “These people are mental, hideous people, and the more that America sees of Lena Dunham, the fewer votes that the Democratic Party is going to get.”
When questioned by host Bill Maher about the incident in July last year in which he was banned from Twitter for life for his role in the online abuse of Leslie Jones over her role in the new Ghostbusters film, he reiterated some of his earlier comments claiming Ms Jones is “barely literate," adding: “I said that she looked a dude, which she does."
Female comedians seemed to be a favoured target for the Breitbart editor, who also lashed out at Sarah Silverman and Amy Schumer, saying they used to be funny “before they contracted feminism."
The clip below contains language some viewers may find offensive
Mr Yiannopoulos' appearance on the show had sparked controversy long before broadcast. Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of The Intercept, who was also due to appear as a guest, announced he was withdrawing in protest at Yiannopoulos having been booked.
Mr Scahill wrote on Twitter: "Yiannopoulos is many bridges too far. He has ample venues to spew his hateful diatribes. There is no value in 'debating' him.
"Appearing on Real Time will provide Yiannopoulos with a large, important platform to openly advocate for his racist, anti-immigrant campaign."
Mr Maher defended the booking saying: “If Mr. Yiannopoulos is indeed the monster Scahill claims — and he might be — nothing could serve the liberal cause better than having him exposed on Friday night.”
During on Friday evening, Mr Maher addressed his liberal audience, saying “Stop taking the bait! The fact that they all freaked out about this little, impish, British f**? You f*****g schoolgirls. You schoolgirls. Right?”