Teen Vogue staffers openly slam their new editor-in-chief for ‘past racist and homophobic tweets’

Teen Vogue staff have publicly slammed their new editor-in-chief over resurfaced tweets mocking Asian and gay people.

Alexi McCammond, the former Axios political reporter who was also at the center of a scandal last month when her boyfriend TJ Ducklo was forced to resign from the White House for threatening a Politico journalist for reporting on their relationship, was announced as the new editor on Friday aged just 27.

But in a public statement shared on Twitter on Monday, around 20 Teen Vogue staff criticized the appointment over tweets written by McCammond in 2011 when she was aged 17 and 18.

Teen Vogue staff have publicly slammed their new editor-in-chief Alexi McCammond (pictured) over resurfaced tweets mocking Asian and gay people

Among the posts which have been widely shared online were ‘Googling how to not wake up with swollen Asian eyes’.

Another deleted post read: ‘Give me a 2/10 on my chem problem, cross out all of my work and don’t explain what i did wrong…thanks a lot stupid asian T.A. you’re great.’ 

McCammond also used ‘gay’ and ‘homo’ as insults online and questioned why an article about baseball umpire Dale Scott coming out as gay was ‘newsworthy’.

Diana Tsui, editor at The Infatuation, shared a number of the tweets on Instagram this weekend, prompting actress Olivia Munn to reply: ‘What the actual f***.’ 

Tsui wrote: ‘I’m tired of big media organizations pretending to give a damn about diversity and inclusion. 

Among the posts which have been widely shared online were 'Googling how to not wake up with swollen Asian eyes'

Among the posts which have been widely shared online were ‘Googling how to not wake up with swollen Asian eyes’

Around 20 Teen Vogue staff criticized the appointment over tweets written by McCammond in 2011 when she was aged 17 and 18

Around 20 Teen Vogue staff criticized the appointment over tweets written by McCammond in 2011 when she was aged 17 and 18

‘And this especially is a slap in the face given what’s happened to Asian Americans in the past year.’

Teen Vogue’s politics editor Lucy Diavolo also shared a statement online slamming the appointment.

She posted: ‘As more than 20 members of the staff of Teen Vogue, we’ve built our outlet’s reputation as a voice for justice and change—we take immense pride in our work and in creating an inclusive environment. 

‘That’s why we have written a letter to management at Condé Nast about the recent hire of Alexi McCammond as our new editor-in-chief in light of her past racist and homophobic tweets. 

‘We’ve heard the concerns of our readers, and we stand with you. In a moment of historically high anti-Asian violence and amid the on-going struggles of the LGBTQ community, we as the staff of Teen Vogue fully reject those sentiments. 

Teen Vogue's politics editor Lucy Diavolo also shared a statement online slamming the appointment

Teen Vogue’s politics editor Lucy Diavolo also shared a statement online slamming the appointment

The former Axios political reporter was also at the center of a scandal last month when her boyfriend TJ Ducklo (pictured) was forced to resign from the White House for threatening a Politico journalist for reporting on their relationship

The former Axios political reporter was also at the center of a scandal last month when her boyfriend TJ Ducklo (pictured) was forced to resign from the White House for threatening a Politico journalist for reporting on their relationship

‘We are hopeful that an internal conversation will prove fruitful in maintaining the integrity granted to us by our audience.’

After the statement was posted, McCammond locked her Twitter account as a number of high-profile right-wing accounts started to attack her.

In addition to the public statement, Teen Vogue staff also expressed concerns privately to Condé Nast’s CEO Roger Lynch and global chief content officer Anna Wintour, according to The Daily Beast.

A Condé Nast spokesman said: ‘Alexi McCammond was appointed editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue because of the values, inclusivity and depth she has displayed through her journalism. 

‘Throughout her career she has dedicated herself to being a champion for marginalized voices. Two years ago she took responsibility for her social media history and apologized.’

After the statement was posted, McCammond locked her Twitter account as a number of high-profile right-wing accounts started to attack her

After the statement was posted, McCammond locked her Twitter account as a number of high-profile right-wing accounts started to attack her

This referenced an incident in 2019 when McCammond also made headlines when she accused former NBA star Charles Barkley of saying to her: ‘I don’t hit women but if I did I would hit you.’ 

He was speaking off the record and later apologized for his comments, but it led to his fans digging through McCammond’s old tweets in a bid to discredit her.

She said at the time: ‘Today I was reminded of some past insensitive tweets, and I am deeply sorry to anyone I offended. I have since deleted those tweets as they do not reflect my views or who I am today.’

She also sent a staff-wide note on Monday to her new colleagues in which she offered her sincere apologies for the ‘offensive, idiotic tweets’. 

Some at Teen Vogue have also reportedly expressed concern at McCammond’s lack of experience, with many existing editors at the magazine believing they are more qualified for the job.  

She won praise for her coverage of the Trump White House at Axios and in 2019 was named the emerging journalist of the year by the National Association of Black Journalists.