Standard News

Hide Advertisement
  • Business
  • Culture
  • News
  • Technology
  • Trending
Site logo
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Twitter scores Leslie Jones a Rio role after overcoming abuse

By Reuters 2 min read
File photo of cast member Jones poses at the premiere of the film "Ghostbusters" in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Ghostbusters” actress Leslie Jones almost quit Twitter last month after receiving online abuse, but the comedian had the last laugh on Monday as her humorous Olympics tweets landed her an invite from NBC to cover the sporting event.

Comcast Corp-owned NBC Sports said Jones, a cast member on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” will be in Rio de Janeiro by Friday and will cover live Olympics sports, meet the athletes and “spread her passion for sports and the Olympics.”

Advertisement

Jones, one of the leads in last month’s “Ghostbusters” movie, spent the weekend tweeting reactions, responses and words of support to Team USA in events such as gymnastics, swimming and tennis to more than 400,000 followers.

“Got to say I’m so proud there is two black girls in the crew to rep for USA!!,” Jones, who is black, tweeted on Sunday with a video of Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas from the U.S. gymnastics team.

Her tweets included video of her lively – and at times raucous – reactions to watching Team USA’s performance, cheering them on. She caught the attention of NBC Olympics executive producer Jim Bell, who tweeted at Jones asking “You’re officially invited to Rio. Want to come?”

“We’re thrilled to have Leslie come to the Olympics,” Bell said in a statement. “She’s a member of the family, and her passion for the Olympics is remarkable.”

Jones announced Monday that she was heading to Rio in a tweet saying “RIO BOUND BABY USA! USA!!” with a 10-second video showing her wearing NBC’s Rio Olympics cap and waving a U.S. flag.

The comedian almost quit Twitter last month after receiving a barrage of sexist and racist abuse and harassment from a number of users.

Twitter Inc interjected and permanently suspended numerous users accounts for harassment and said it will redouble efforts to quickly thwart abusive behavior and block repeat offenders from the social media site.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bill Rigby)

tagreuters.com2016binary_LYNXNPEC771RO-VIEWIMAGE

Advertisement - Continue reading below

Researchers Think They’ve Solved a Stonehenge mystery
Trending
Danielle 1 min read

Researchers Think They’ve Solved a Stonehenge mystery

Judge orders State Department to review 14,900 Clinton emails
News
Reuters 4 min read

Judge orders State Department to review 14,900 Clinton emails

Ninth Fort Hood soldier killed in Texas floods identified
News
Reuters 1 min read

Ninth Fort Hood soldier killed in Texas floods identified

U.S. FDA issues emergency use authorization for Zika test: Roche
News
Reuters 2 min read

U.S. FDA issues emergency use authorization for Zika test: Roche

Singer Prince died of accidental painkiller overdose: medical examiner
News
Reuters 2 min read

Singer Prince died of accidental painkiller overdose: medical examiner

Missouri governor vetoes bill to abolish concealed weapon permits
News
Reuters 2 min read

Missouri governor vetoes bill to abolish concealed weapon permits

Mateen altered looks, researched anti-psychotic drugs before attack
News
Reuters 3 min read

Mateen altered looks, researched anti-psychotic drugs before attack

District of Columbia approves $15/hour minimum wage
News
Reuters 2 min read

District of Columbia approves $15/hour minimum wage

New York hedge fund manager Valvani’s death ruled suicide
News
Reuters 1 min read

New York hedge fund manager Valvani’s death ruled suicide

Sanders says Americans are ‘disgusted and saddened’ by Orlando massacre
News
Reuters 1 min read

Sanders says Americans are ‘disgusted and saddened’ by Orlando massacre

load more Loading posts...

sidebar

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

sidebar-alt

  • About Us
  • Imprint
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy