Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Creator Of 'The Wire' Has Been Banned On Twitter—And Fans Are Livid

The Creator Of 'The Wire' Has Been Banned On Twitter—And Fans Are Livid
Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

David Simon, producer of the hit HBO show The Wire, had his Twitter privileges revoked on Friday after the social media giant classified strongly-worded tweets suggesting people should suffer horrible deaths as a violation of their terms of use.


"You may not make specific threats of violence or wish for the serious physical harm, death, or disease of an individual or group of people," Twitter's policy states. Two of his tweets in particular may have prompted Twitter to suspend his account.

In one, Simon told a user with whom he had been arguing over the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children form their parents that he should "die of a slow moving venereal rash that settles in your dying throat."

In another, Simon told a user to "die of boils."

Simon was a close friend of Chef Anthony Bourdain, who took his own life in France last Thursday night. On his website, Simon issued a statement addressing the ban and how he plans on using Twitter in the future, should he be permitted to do so.

"I have been banned from Twitter, and as I am at this moment indifferent to removing the tweets they insist are violative of their rules, it is unclear when I will return to that framework," Simon wrote. "So I'm hoping that if I post anything remotely meaningful about Tony, others will do me the favor of linking it beyond this digital cul de sac."

Simon also challenged Twitter's enforcement of its policy, due to the overwhelming number of vitriolic tweets that pop up every day.

"Suffice to say that while you can arrive on Twitter and disseminate the untethered and anti-human opinion that mothers who have their children kidnapped and held incommunicado from them at the American border are criminals — and both mother and child deserve that fate — or that 14-year-old boys who survive the Holocaust are guilty of betraying fellow Jews when there is no evidence of such, you CANNOT wish that the people who traffic in such vile shit should crawl off and die of a fulminant venereal rash," he wrote. "Slander is cool, brutality is acceptable. But the hyperbolic and comic hope that a just god might smite the slanderer or brutalizer with a deadly skin disorder is somehow beyond the pale."

Simon then sent a message to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey relating to the boils tweet.

"As far as I'm concerned, your standards in this instance are exactly indicative of why social media — and Twitter specifically — is complicit in transforming our national agora into a haven for lies, disinformation and the politics of totalitarian extremity," Simon wrote. "The real profanity and disease on the internet is untouched, while you police decorum."

Many Twitter users agreed with Simon's assessment and came to his defense, calling on Dorsey to reinstate Simon's Twitter privileges.

There was a consistent sentiment that Twitter seems to have no problem with hate speech, yet they banned Simon after he attempted to fight back.

One example was Roseanne Barr's racist tweet toward Valerie Jarrett, whom Barr compared to an ape. Barr has not been banned from Twitter despite the obvious hate speech that is racism.

Another person targeted President Donald Trump in his list of users who abuse Twitter, due to Trump's often fiery language, not the least of which includes threatening nuclear war with North Korea.

Yet white nationalists and conspiracy theorists have free rein.

Twitter "is literally the worst thing to ever happen to civil discourse," one user said.

CSI star Marg Helgenberger wrote that of all people, Simon should be considered an asset, since he "lacerates those who spew reprehensible hate speech, bigotry, bat sh*t crazy conspiracy theories, & destructive lies."

More from Trending

Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Newsom Channels Trump In All-Caps Vow To Redistrict California After Trump 'Missed' Deadline

The latest in the ongoing feud between MAGA Republican President Donald Trump and California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom involves a bit of imitation—but it definitely wasn't the sincerest form of flattery.

Newsom has been actively locking horns with Trump and his fellow governor, MAGA Republican Greg Abbott of Texas.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teen influencer stranded in Antarctica

A globe-trotting teen pilot and social media star has agreed to make a hefty donation to avoid standing trial after an unscheduled Antarctic detour landed him in hot water with Chilean authorities.

Ethan Guo, a 19-year-old Chinese American with a Guinness World Record in his sights, found himself grounded—literally—when he landed his Cessna 182Q on Chile’s King George Island earlier this summer without permission.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Aubrey Anderson-Emmons
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images

'Modern Family' Star Opens Up About Her Decision To Change Her Name For Career Pivot

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons is creating buzz again, this time with the announcement of her new name: Frances Anderson.

The former Modern Family actress, who effectively ended her acting career at the age of 12 when the show ended, went viral during Pride Month when she shared with the world that she was bisexual, with a little help from her "I'm gay!" clip from the show.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nicholas Hoult attends the "Superman" Fan Event at Cineworld Leicester Square on July 02, 2025 in London, England.
Samir Hussein/WireImage for Getty Images

Fans Shocked by Hoult's Handsome Confession

Superman fans were shooketh after seeing a resurfaced interview of Nicholas Hoult explaining why he doesn’t feel like “a beautiful person.”

Hoult, who has been a movie franchise darling from Mad Max to X-Men, is used to admirers complimenting his looks. I mean, even as the bald, scheming villain Lex Luthor, people were still out here blushing like Gilded Age debutantes trying to land a railroad tycoon.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce
Gotham/GC Images

Travis Kelce Explains Why He Thinks Taylor Swift Works Harder On Tour Than He Does Playing Football

Continuing his reign as Taylor Swift's most supportive boyfriend ever, NFL star Travis Kelce spoke candidly and at length with GQ in a recent interview.

In the interview, Kelce warmed to the subject of how in awe he is of Swift every day.

Keep ReadingShow less