A journalist who was about to become editor of Teen Vogue has announced she will no longer be taking the role – after a backlash over homophobic and anti-Asian tweets she wrote in 2011.
In a statement, Alexi McCammond said: “I became a journalist to help lift up the stories and voices of our most vulnerable communities.
“As a young woman of colour, that’s part of the reason I was so excited to lead the Teen Vogue in its next chapter.
“My past tweets have overshadowed the work I’ve done to highlight the people and issues I care about – issues that Teen Vogue have worked tirelessly to share with the world – and so Conde 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.”
More than 20 Teen Vogue staff members had posted a statement last week – confirming they had written to management in support of readers who had been alarmed by the now-deleted tweets.
They noted that Ms McCammond’s appointment came at a time of “historically high anti-Asian violence and amid the ongoing struggles of the LGBTQ community”.
A Conde Nast executive said that Ms McCammond had disclosed the tweets during the hiring process, but that the company had been “dedicated to making her successful in the role”.
Last week, a major advertiser – the popular skincare and cosmetics retailer Ulta Beauty – announced it had paused ad spending with Teen Vogue.
Ms McCammond’s tweets had first emerged in 2019, and at the time she said she was “deeply sorry” – adding that the posts “do not reflect my views or who I am today”.