Bret Easton Ellis

For the television adaptation of The Shards, Ellis wrote the first episodes in a version initially developed for HBO. After Ryan Murphy/FX took over the project, press reports stated that he had been excluded from the creative process following a power struggle and had distanced himself from the result. The series remained officially based on his novel.

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In White, Ellis collected and developed his criticisms of digital culture, political correctness, reactions to homophobic insults, cultural activism and anti-Trump politics. The book prompted renewed criticism portraying him as reactionary, narcissistic or a professional provocateur.

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Australia classified American Psycho as restricted from 1991, imposing limitations on sale and display. In 2015, South Australian police intervened at a bookshop offering a new edition that was not wrapped in accordance with restrictions applicable to adult-only copies.

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Ellis sparked several Twitter controversies, notably with a joke linking Glee to HIV and remarks suggesting that Matt Bomer was “too gay” to play a heterosexual role. GLAAD criticised these comments and withdrew a proposed invitation to its Media Awards. Ellis subsequently criticised the “gatekeepers” of politically correct homosexuality.

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Attribution

Personally implicated

Ellis claimed on Twitter that Kathryn Bigelow would be considered only a “mildly interesting” director if she were a man, and that she was overrated because she was a very attractive woman. The comment prompted strong reactions, and Ellis subsequently apologised, acknowledging that the criticism was justified.

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Personally implicated

After Simon & Schuster dropped the book, Vintage/Random House acquired American Psycho and published it in 1991. The Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women called for a boycott of Random House, supported by several female writers, denouncing misogynistic violence that might normalise brutality against women.

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Although the manuscript had been accepted, catalogued and extensively prepared for publication, Simon & Schuster decided in November 1990 not to publish American Psycho. The novel was already the subject of a critical campaign over its extremely graphic depictions of violence, particularly sexual violence against women. Ellis denounced a form of censorship and refused to tone down the passages.

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Ellis's first novel, Less Than Zero, enjoyed rapid success while causing fierce controversy over its detached portrayal of drugs, sexuality, violence and moral indifference among privileged Los Angeles teenagers. This reception established Ellis's lasting reputation as a provocative writer.

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