Chapter 11: Who Ya Gonna Call? – Ghostbusters Backlash and Personal Violations

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Leslie Jones opens with a press-junket moment: a foreign journalist gives her five minutes to prove the all-female Ghostbusters is worth watching. The movie, released July 11, 2016, had already sparked vicious online hate. Leslie, as the only Black lead, absorbed the worst of it—racist slurs, death threats, and classist attacks about her character being an MTA worker. Eight days after the premiere she temporarily took down her Twitter account after multiple hacking attempts. Jack Dorsey, then Twitter’s CEO, intervened personally to monitor her account. Leslie notes that the abuse was not just racist but classist, and she calls out Jason Reitman for his “hand the movie back to the fans” comment.

The chapter also details a catfishing incident. Leslie had been talking to a man on Match.com; he eventually demanded $20,000 (later raised to $35,000) to keep her nudes private. The FBI got involved, and Leslie was asked to keep the catfisher on the phone. She lost her temper, jeopardizing the trace. The FBI then had her email the nude photos to them. The next morning, TMZ told her the photos, her passport, and ID were all online. Her publicist Lauren Roseman got the material down in fifteen minutes, but the damage was done. Leslie refuses to see herself as a victim. She fired a lawyer who suggested she play the victim. Instead, she took back her power: at the 2016 Emmys, she did a bit about the leak, refusing to cut the line “I just wanted to feel beautiful.” She also performed an SNL Update sketch owning the hack. Trevor Noah called her his hero. By the end, Leslie feels she has a new coat of armor.

Key Events

Press junket confrontation: a journalist demands justification for the all-female Ghostbusters.
Leslie faces torrent of online racist and misogynistic abuse before and after the film’s release.
She temporarily deactivates Twitter on July 18, 2016; Jack Dorsey reaches out.
Kate McKinnon visits her that night for comfort and wine.
Jason Reitman’s “hand the movie back to the fans” comment on Bill Burr’s podcast.
Leslie recalls being offered $67,000 for Ghostbusters, eventually negotiating to $150,000; she is paid far less than Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig.
She bonds with Kate McKinnon and the Boston crew; many improvised scenes are cut from the final film due to cost.
Catfishing on Match.com: a man scams her, demands $35,000, and threatens to leak nudes.
FBI investigation: Leslie tries to keep the catfisher on phone but loses temper; later the FBI asks her to email nudes.
Nudes, passport, and ID are hacked and posted online; TMZ calls her.
Lauren Roseman takes down the material in fifteen minutes.
Leslie fires a lawyer who advises her to play the victim.
Emmys 2016: Leslie performs a bit about the leak, refuses to remove the line about wanting to feel beautiful.
SNL Update sketch: Leslie owns the hack, stating she keeps her porn in a folder labeled “PORN.”
Trevor Noah praises her for taking back her power.

Character Development

Leslie Jones demonstrates resilience and refusal to be victimized. She acknowledges hurt—she cried over the coordinated bullying—but immediately turns to action: taking down Twitter, working with authorities, and ultimately using comedy to reclaim the narrative. Her experience with Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig on set teaches her to advocate for her shots and negotiate her worth. The catfishing and subsequent leak force her to confront the vulnerability of online intimacy, but she refuses to let shame define her. She fires a lawyer who suggests victimhood, insisting she is not a victim. The chapter ends with a defiant Leslie, armored and ready for future battles.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Online abuse as weapon: Leslie’s experience shows how anonymity enables racism, misogyny, and classism at scale.
Power of ownership: By making jokes about the nude leak, Leslie turns private violation into a public act of defiance. She explicitly rejects victimhood.
Classism in Hollywood: Leslie notes the assumption that an MTA worker is beneath the role of Ghostbuster, and she is paid far less than her white co-stars.
Solidarity among women: Kate McKinnon supports her personally; Melissa and Kristen teach her professional advocacy.
Technology as double-edged sword: Twitter amplifies hate, but also gives Leslie a platform to fight back; the FBI’s request to email nudes ironically enables the hack.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in the memoir. It moves from Leslie’s rise at SNL to her confrontation with systemic bigotry and personal violation. It shows how a major career milestone—landing a Ghostbusters lead—became a crucible. The chapter also critiques the entertainment industry’s gender and racial pay gaps and the way “fan” culture can disguise hostility. Leslie’s response—refusing to be shamed, using comedy to reclaim authority—becomes a model for resilience that will inform the rest of the book.

Study Questions

Why does Leslie refuse to see herself as a victim after the nude leak, and how does that refusal shape her public response?
Answer: Leslie believes she sent the photos consensually; the crime is the hacking, not her behavior. By rejecting victimhood, she neutralizes the intended shame and turns the incident into material for her comedy, as seen in the Emmys bit and SNL Update.
What does the “hand the movie back to the fans” comment reveal about the industry’s treatment of the 2016 Ghostbusters?
Answer: The comment, made by Jason Reitman, implies the all-female film was not a legitimate continuation. It validates the online trolls who opposed the remake on sexist and racist grounds. Leslie sees it as a dick move that erased the cast’s work.
How does the catfishing incident connect to the themes of technology and vulnerability in this chapter?
Answer: The catfishing exploits Leslie’s desire for genuine connection, and the subsequent leak shows how easily digital trust can be weaponized. Leslie’s power comes from refusing to let the violation define her; she instead uses the same technology—comedy on TV—to reclaim control.