Jian Ghomeshi is attempting a comeback, and people are not pleased
Last year, after Jian Ghomeshi avoided being convicted of sexual assault in two separate trials, it wasn’t clear what the ex-CBC host would do next. This morning, after 11 months of silence, he resurfaced on Twitter, where he posted a link to what appears to be a comeback attempt: the first episode in a series of online videos. Within minutes of Ghomeshi’s tweet, it was obvious that the internet is not ready to forgive him for his alleged transgressions. Here’s what people were saying.
First of all, it has to be said that even negative attention is still attention:
I would never have heard of Ghomeshi's new project this morning if you guys weren't tweeting about it. Just sayin.
— Neque ? Curat (@timothycomeau) April 10, 2017
A few people are wondering why Ghomeshi didn’t lean in to his newfound status as an enemy of womankind, considering the fact that there are entire internet subcultures devoted to lionizing anti-feminist men:
If Ghomeshi would be willing to play up the MRA angle he could probably make more $$ on Patreon or Youtube right now than he ever did at CBC
— Ryan Melanson (@RyanFredM) April 10, 2017
I'm actually surprised Ghomeshi isn't working with Ezra Levant on his new project, I was sure his reinvention would include an MRA pivot
— Jesse Hawken (@jessehawken) April 10, 2017
But maybe Ghomeshi doesn’t want to make friends with Gamergaters and fedora-wearing “men’s rights” activists. Maybe he just wants things to be like they were before:
Maybe social justice wasn't the most natural topic for Ghomeshi's comeback video…
— Michael Bolen (@MichaelBolen) April 10, 2017
But his image problem may be insurmountable:
@nicolesimone "if you've ever threatened a woman on twitter, then THIS, friends, is the show for you"
— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) April 10, 2017
Yup, it’s fair to say that the sexual assault accusations are still pretty fresh in people’s memories:
@JianGhomeshi Does this project entail you jumping off the earth so high that you literally land in the sun and every bit of your being is incinerated?
— Veldon Coburn (@VeldonCoburn) April 10, 2017
Prepare yourself for an onslaught of Ghomeshi news, as every media outlet in town scrambles for an interview:
@JianGhomeshi hi, just sent you an email – was hoping you'd have time for a quick interview about this.
— Manisha Krishnan (@ManishaKrishnan) April 10, 2017
Also, an onslaught of sick Moxy Früvous burns:
@JianGhomeshi Shouldn't you be off eating humble pie somewhere?
— Dave Crosbie (@beardvoices) April 10, 2017
But perhaps simplicity is best:
@JianGhomeshi pic.twitter.com/rDZPfSHhDx
— Joe (@jjfantauzzi) April 10, 2017