Alexi McCammond has resigned as editor in chief of Teen Vogue, after racist tweets she posted as a teenager resurfaced.
McCammond, a former political reporter for Axios and a contributor at MSNBC and NBC News, was slated to start her new role at Teen Vogue on Wednesday. However, the announcement of her appointment by the magazine's publisher, Condé Nast, sparked outrage from the publication's staffers and readers as well as some celebrities because of anti-Asian tweets she posted as a University of Chicago student a decade ago.
Outrage Over McCammond's Tweets
In the tweets posted in 2011, she said after returning from a party as a 17-year-old college freshman that she was googling to find out how to avoid waking up with "Asian eyes." In another, she complained about a "stupid Asian" teaching assistant who gave have her a 2 out of 10 on a chemistry assignment. In another, she complained about being beaten out by an Asian student.
These tweets first surfaced in 2019 whenMcCammond was working at Axios. She apologized for the posts at the time. The tweets resurfaced in the wake of her appointment and immediately prompted backlash.
A group of more than 20 Teen Vogue staffers sent a letter to Condé Nast, chief content officer Anna Wintour and CEO Roger Lynch on March 8 expressing concerns over McCammond's hiring. Actress Olivia Munn, who has been vocal about the recent wave of anti-Asian attacks across the country, also tweeted her support for the staff members. Moreover, two of the magazine's biggest advertisers, Ulta Beauty and Burt's Bees, suspended their campaigns after the reporter was hired.
McCammond Issues Apology
Although McCammond posted a series of apologies in the wake of the backlash, she took to Twitter to post a lengthy note detailing why she was resigning from her position.
"I became a journalist to help lift up the stories and voices of our most vulnerable communities. As a young woman of color, that's part of the reason I was so excited to lead the Teen Vogue team in their next chapter," McCammond tweeted. "My past tweets have overshadowed the work I've done to highlight the people and issues that I care about — issues that Teen Vogue has worked tirelessly to share with the world — and so Condé Nast and I have decided to part ways."
"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 as a professional," McCammond continued.
