Amy Schumer’s latest comedy special, The Leather Special, debuted on Netflix earlier this month to mostly positive reviews from critics, but it’s since been targeted with a barrage of 1-star ratings and negative reviews, some of which appear to be from a targeted online campaign from the alt-right.
Early reports on the negative reviews and 1-star ratings attributed them to misogyny; Schumer is divisive among comedy fans and has been accused more than once of stealing jokes. But some quick digging from Splitsider revealed that many of the low ratings came as a result of an online push to spam her special with low ratings. Some of that came from r/The_Donald, an alt-right and pro-Donald Trump subreddit, which asked subscribers to rate the special with 1-star so that the overall score would drop. While ratings would likely not have a direct effect on whether Netflix gives Schumer more specials in the future, it could potentially discourage potential viewers who use the ratings to gauge whether something is worth watching.
“‘Amy Schumer: The Leather Special’ is on Netflix,” one post read. “You know what to do, folks.”
The Leather Special currently stands with a 1-star rating and more than 2,100 reviews, many of them negative.
The barrage of negative reviews and ratings is a familiar tactic. The push made the Ghostbusters reboot trailer the most-disliked video in YouTube history and it was used on Schumer after the release of her memoir The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo. The latter debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Schumer addressed the negative ratings in an Instagram post on Thursday and pointed out that the trolls who organized the push against her ratings have done this with everything she’s put out, but she’s still determined to use her voice.
“It makes me feel so powerful and dangerous and brave,” she wrote. “It reminds me what I’m saying is effective and bring[s] more interest to my work and their obsession with me keeps me going.”
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H/T Fox News