The New Yorker Magazine Drops Steve Bannon from Its Festival After Backlash

The New Yorker magazine has resent invitations that now exclude US President Donald Trump’s fired chief strategist from the list, but promise to interview him in the future in a more “traditional journalistic setting.”

Bannon had been announced to participate in the New Yorker's 19th festival Film Festival, between October 5-7, and would have been interviewed by the magazine's editor-in-chief David Remnick. In a note published on Monday on Twitter, however, Remnick stated: “I've thought this through and talked to colleagues—and I've reconsidered. I've changed my mind.”

Bannon was scheduled to participate at the festival but the choice was met with strident criticism, including from celebrity guests Jim Carrey, Judd Apatow and Patton Oswalt, who said that they would not attend the festival if Bannon were to attend.

"If Steve Bannon is at the New Yorker festival I am out, I will not take part in an event that normalizes hate," director and comedian Apatow tweeted after Bannon’s scheduled interview was announced.

Remnick published a letter on the New Yorker's Twitter page, explaining his change of heart noting, however, that the idea of interviewing Bannon wasn’t cancelled, but would be “in a more traditional journalistic setting.”

"Our writers have interviewed Steve Bannon for The New Yorker before, and if the opportunity presents itself I'll interview him in a more traditionally journalistic setting as we first discussed, and not on stage," he wrote. Remnick also wrote that he didn’t want "well-meaning readers and staff members to think that I’ve ignored their concerns.”

Bannon assisted in running Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and was a chief White House strategist until August 2017 when he was fired by the president. Bannon has continued to appear on TV shows and news media in the US and Europe, offering his commentary.