George Takei Is Losing Money Like Crazy

What did George Takei expect to happen? He basically admitted to being a total perv. The only difference? When he was a perv, it wasn’t about power. Plus he did it in the comfort of his own home– NEVER at work.

See? There’s a difference. 

Plus, he’s just used to playing the part of a “naughty gay grandpa,” so stop taking everything so seriously. Gosh. Russian bots are just trying to take him down. Don’t fall for it!

There. You’re all caught up.

As it turns out, Takei’s lame excuses are making everyone else feel a little bit “skittish.”

George Takei’s Facebook empire is crumbling amid sexual harassment allegations https://t.co/vYZzbRd85g Mic, which published this story, paid Takei ~$10,000 each time he shared one of its articles pic.twitter.com/UaAms5JErf

— David Uberti (@DavidUberti) November 15, 2017

In other words, Mic was paying Takei more for sharing the articles than they were paying the individuals who wrote them. Crazy! (I’m not necessarily saying that as a negative thing. It’s business. I get it. It is kinda mind-blowing, though.)

https://t.co/8RPDdNF3Tn how many people have been laid off so a media company could afford, oh, FIVE more Takei posts, I wonder?

— Emily Gaudette (@emilygmonster) November 15, 2017

ummm if true this means Mic was paying George Takei more to share my content annually than it was paying me to write it https://t.co/OgybToyzzm

— ‘so-called’ ‘internet’ ‘troll’ (@thetomzone) November 15, 2017

to be clear, my impression is no one was paying Takei directly, and this isn’t a complaint about my compensation there per se. but I was probably posted on Takei’s page enough times for this math to work out

— ‘so-called’ ‘internet’ ‘troll’ (@thetomzone) November 15, 2017

publishers have all kinds of costs that easily exceed a yearly salary (how much does a news van cost?) but the economics of Takei’s FB empire are just mind boggling to me

— ‘so-called’ ‘internet’ ‘troll’ (@thetomzone) November 15, 2017

the transparency here is cool though, great write-up by @kelseymsutton

— ‘so-called’ ‘internet’ ‘troll’ (@thetomzone) November 15, 2017

Mic isn’t the only publisher running away from Takei. Slate is out. Futurism is out. Refinery29 is out. Upworthy is out.

In light of the recent allegations about @GeorgeTakei, we will no longer partner with networks that use celebrities, including George Takei, to promote our content. The recent stories regarding multiple industries leave us deeply disappointed that so many men abuse their power.

— Upworthy (@Upworthy) November 14, 2017

It’s about time society hears the voices of their victims.

— Upworthy (@Upworthy) November 14, 2017

Publishers that rely on social media as a distribution tool might pay to have their articles and videos shared by well-known figures or Facebook pages that have large, loyal followings. Publishers usually make arrangements with companies that coordinate across so-called “influencer networks” to get content shared.

Slate, which works with an influencer network that includes Takei, on Friday requested that its articles no longer appear on his social media pages, Bill Carey, Slate’s director of strategy and audience development, said.

“In light of the allegations, we asked for Takei to be excluded from pages our stories can run on,” Carey said in a statement to Mic on Monday night.

Mic similarly uses influencer networks to share certain videos and articles, and it has also requested that its content no longer be shared on Takei’s Facebook page. That suspension was effective as of Monday afternoon, according to Rameez Tase, Mic’s vice president of audience and analytics.

The science news site Futurism has also ended its relationship with Takei’s social media channels, Futurism editor-in-chief Jolene Creighton said.

“Futurism holds itself and all its partners to the highest ethical standards, and we were unsettled to learn about the recent allegations against George Takei,” Creighton said Tuesday. “We are no longer pursuing a relationship with him or his distribution channels.”

After Mic reached out to ask about Upworthy and GOOD’s use of Takei’s Facebook page to promote their content, the sites, which are part of the same company, announced Tuesday they would no longer have their content promoted on Takei’s Facebook page.

A spokesperson for Refinery29 confirmed to Mic Tuesday night that the publication had suspended its practice of promoting its content on Takei’s Facebook page in light of the allegations.

Daaaaaaaaaaang. He’s losing a ton of money and influence. I have a feeling this is just the beginning.

h/t Twitchy