LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Ava DuVernay attends The Broad museum's inaugural celebration September 18, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
“Selma” director Ava DuVernay showed support for Leslie Jones on Twitter Saturday morning, telling the comedian that trolls are unconsciously boasting about her greatness on the heels of Jones being a victim of a cyber attack.
“Dear @Lesdoggg. Your trolls unwittingly ‘brag about your greatness.’ And no dispute, you are great. Stay up, sis. xo,” DuVernay wrote with a link to an article titled, “Why Haters Hate: Kierkegaard Explains the Psychology of Bullying and Online Trolling in 1847.”
On Wednesday, an unidentified hacker commandeered Jones’ Tumblr, posting personal photos from her iCloud account, which included several nude shots as well as pictures of her passport and driver’s license.
Jones’ phone number and the password to her Twitter account were also displayed. DuVernay is a staunch supporter of civil rights and viewed as an extremely positive role model for minorities in Hollywood.
Dear @Lesdoggg. Your trolls unwittingly "brag about your greatness." And no dispute, you are great. Stay up, sis. xo https://t.co/gJJpPzCQzh
The hacker replaced the top of Jones’ website with the image of an exchange from last month between Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and the WikiLeaks’ Twitter account over the fallout from online abuse toward the “Ghostbusters” actress on the social media platform.
The social media platform banned Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos for “inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others” for a series of Tweets against Jones. WikiLeaks called action taken by Twitter on Jones’ behalf “cyber feudalism” and argued that the actress had been similarly provocative toward other users.
Jones had posted examples of racist and misogynist abuse she had received on the platform, including tweets by Yiannopoulos.
Leslie Jones: A Timeline of Her Rise to Celebrity
The hacking of "Ghostbusters" star Leslie Jones was a cruel low point in a career that has lately been all about successes. But Jones wasn't an overnight success. Here's a look at her career.
Funniest Person at Colorado State When Jones was 19, a friend entered her into a "Funniest Person on Campus" contest -- and she won. According to People, Jones left school to pursue comedy after winning.
Stand-Up Career In 1987, Jones had her first professional gig. She opened up for Jamie Foxx -- and bombed.
"Problem Child" In 2010, Jones released her first stand-up DVD. The hour-long show, which was taped in front of a live audience, received a 77 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
No Black Comedians on "SNL" In 2013, SNL cast member, Kenan Thompson, said that the show didn't have any black women in the cast because in auditions they couldn't "find ones that are ready." Jones fired back: "There’s motherf—in’ three bitches I can call right now, goddammit, that will fill that spot."
"Saturday Night Live" In 2014, Jones joined the show. When she first auditioned in 2013, she was initially selected to be a writer.
"Top Five" Jones had a small part in Chris Rock's "Top Five," in which a few comedians hurl insults at each other. “That was the best scene in the movie, and Leslie was the best part of it,” Rock told the New Yorker.
"Ghostbusters" Jones starred in the all-female remake of the classic 1984 film. The announcement of the comedy was met with sexist comments criticizing the film for casting all women.
Milo Yiannopoulos Review A review by Breitbart's Milo Yiannopoulos criticized Jones' character for having “flat-as-a-pancake black stylings.” He was later banned from Twitter.
Twitter Attacks After the review, Twitter users began attacking the comedian with racist tweets. “OK, I have been called Apes, sent pics of their asses, even got a pic with semen on my face. I’m tryin to figure out what human means. I’m out,” wrote Jones.
Twitter Exit Following the slew of racist attacks, the comedian decided to leave the social media platform on July 18.
Twitter Comeback On July 21, Jones returned to Twitter.
Olympic Twitter Correspondant Jones' Twitter commentary landed her in Rio. NBC invited her to join their Olympics team and help cover the games.
Hacked This week, hackers took over the comedian's personal Tumblr website and posted nude photos, images of her passport and ID as well as her phone number and password to her Twitter account.
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How the “SNL” and “Ghostbusters” actress became a star
The hacking of "Ghostbusters" star Leslie Jones was a cruel low point in a career that has lately been all about successes. But Jones wasn't an overnight success. Here's a look at her career.
