Milo Yiannopoulos retired from his position as a senior editor at Breitbart News in February 2017 due to a major controversy stemming from comments he made that appeared to condone pedophilia. His resignation was prompted by a social media backlash after videos surfaced of him discussing relationships between younger boys and older men, which led to lost book deals, canceled speaking engagements, and pressure from his conservative allies. At a press conference, Yiannopoulos clarified that he did not support child abuse and said his comments were a misguided attempt to cope with his own history as a child sexual abuse victim. However, the controversy made him a business liability to Breitbart, pushing him to resign voluntarily or under pressure. He later stated he planned to start a new media venture but stepped away from his Breitbart role immediately.
Additionally, in May 2024, he stepped down from a role as chief of staff at Kanye West's Yeezy Apparel due to moral and religious objections to the brand's reported move into adult entertainment, showing another instance of stepping away from prominent roles.
