Teen Vogue editor-in-chief resigns over vile racist and homophobic tweets
Teen Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, Alexi McCammond, speaks at Politicon 2018 (Michael S. Schwartz/Getty)
Teen Vogue‘s new editor-in-chief Alexi McCammond announced Thursday (18 March) that she has resigned after her “racist, homophobic” tweets were unearthed.
When storied publishing house Condé Nast announced Axios political journalist McCammond had been tapped to lead the online magazine last month, backlash immediately brewed.
More than 20 Teen Vogue staffers protested against the hire, pointing towards a slew of since-deleted tweets from McCammond that she had posted in college a decade ago. Major advertisers, deeply alarmed, paused ad spending.
Now, just a week before she was set to start the role, McCammond announced she has resigned. Condé Nast said in an internal email obtained by The New York Times that the decision to do so was mutual.
“After speaking with Alexi this morning, we agreed that it was best to part ways, so as to not overshadow the important work happening at Teen Vogue,” chief people officer Stan Duncan wrote.
Alexi McCammond: ‘I should not have tweeted what I did’
Ahead of her 24 March start date, McCammond publicly confirmed she is stepping down in a Twitter statement.
“I became a journalist to help lift up the stories and voices of our most vulnerable communities,” she wrote.
Hey there: I’ve decided to part ways with Condé Nast. Here is my statement about why – pic.twitter.com/YmnHVtZSce
— Alexi McCammond (@alexi) March 18, 2021
“My past tweets have overshadowed the work I’ve done to highlight the people and issues I care – issues that Teen Vogue have worked tirelessly to share with the world – and so Condé Nast and I have decided to part ways.”
The 27-year-old added: “I should not have tweeted what I did and I have taken full responsibility for that.
“I look at my work and growth in the years since, and have redoubled my commitment to growing in the years to come as both a person and a professional.”
In recent years, Teen Vogue has pivoted from fashion magazine to also a cutting political platform, covering everything from how Donald Trump “gaslit America” to an in-depth profile on Karl Marx.
So when news of Alexi McCammond’s hire went public, a revolt quickly ignited in Teen Vogue. It was a clash of values, they described, as staffers stressed how her appointment came at a time of “historically high anti-Asian violence and amid the ongoing struggles of the LGBT+ community”.
They said they had made a complaint to company leaders over her hiring.
Screen captures of McCammond’s tweets, dated 2011, showed her make offensive comments about Asian people as well as use homophobic slurs. She deleted them in 2019.
Condé Nast executives, including Vogue global editorial director Anna Wintour, had vetted McCammon during the hiring process. They said she had acknowledged her tweets during interviews but the company moved to “dedicate to making her successful in the role”.
Alexi McCammond had apologised for her tweets in a previous social media statement after her appointment, describing the remarks as “offensive [and] idiotic”.
