Leslie Jones responds to ‘Ghostbusters’ backlash on Twitter: ‘It’s not a race thang’

Twitter is claiming the new Ghostbusters remake is racist, but Leslie Jones says the Internet should chill out on this one...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Twitter is claiming the new Ghostbusters remake is racist, but Leslie Jones says the Internet should chill out on this one.

When the trailer for the all-female Ghostbusters reboot dropped, many were upset at the portrayal of Leslie Jones’ character, Patty Tolan. After all, the other three women (all white) are scientists, but Patty is a wise-cracking street-smart MTA worker, and that seems to play into a few too many stereotypes.

It’s almost like a repeat of history, with the original Ghostbusters film seeing its own share of racial problems. Ernie Hudson, from the original movie, had expressed frustration with the fact that the final script did not give his character enough to do, and now, his successor seems to be sidelined.

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“Patty’s a bigger part,” Director Paul Feig told the New Yorker, seeming to alleviate concerns over a repeat performance from the first movie of the main black character being left behind. “I definitely wanted four equal team members.”

But Leslie Jones doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal.

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“He made it completely equal,” Jones said in the same article. “It was like a superhero team, where each one has her own skill but can’t use it without the others.”

She also wrote a response on Twitter saying, “ITS NOT A MAN, WOMAN, RACE, CLASS THANG!! ITS A GHOSTBUSTER THANG!! AND AS FAR AS IM CONCERNED WE ALL GHOSTBUSTERS!! STAND TALL!!

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Ghostbusters hits theaters nationwide July 15 and stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth.

 

 

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