Taylor Lorenz walks back ‘harassment’ allegation against Drudge editor
Taylor Lorenz, the controversial Washington Post technology columnist, walked back claims that she was “relentlessly” harassed by an editor at the Drudge Report.
Lorenz on Monday tweeted that a Drudge Report staffer kept contacting her and vowed that he would destroy her career.
“After calling and texting me relentlessly for the past couple of weeks, the Drudge Report editor just called my personal cell phone number, yelled at me when I asked him to leave me alone and said he would ‘blast my name all over Drudge Report until it ruins my career,'” Lorenz tweeted.
But Drudge Report founder Matt Drudge later told CNN that he “never contacted her, nor has anyone associated with Drudge Report.” He demanded that Lorenz issue a correction.
Lorenz later deleted the tweet and posted a clarification.
“For anyone who saw my post abt this man claiming to be from Drudge calling me non stop, good news: I heard from Matt Drudge & this man has zero power over Drudge!” Lorenz said.
“He’s claiming to be an editor all over the internet but he’s not. Sorry to disappoint everyone saying Drudge is based.”
Lorenz later told CNN that her initial tweet was a “joke” and she thought it was “hilarious” that people believe her career could have been endangered by the Drudge Report.
“I am happy to correct the record that I have no drama with Drudge Report,” Lorenz said.
A Washington Post spokesperson told CNN: “Taylor was repeatedly contacted by someone who claimed to be a Drudge editor. As soon as she learned the person had no connection to the Drudge Report, she deleted the original tweet and wrote a tweet apologizing for her comment …”
Lorenz has been a lightning rod for controversy after a recent article that exposed the identity of the woman behind the influential Twitter account “Libs of TikTok.”
The operator of the Twitter account, whose videos are frequently cited and shared by powerful Republicans and conservatives in media, accused Lorenz of “doxxing” her.
Last month, Lorenz appeared on an MSNBC segment and accused her critics of “harassing” her online, leading to “severe PTSD” as well as suicidal thoughts.
Lorenz was further criticized following the airing of the MSNBC segment, and she responded by attacking the network, saying it “f—ed up.”
Last year, Lorenz incorrectly accused venture capitalist Marc Andreessen of using the “R-word” — “retard” — during a private conversation on the voice meetup app Clubhouse.
Journalists including Glenn Greenwald and Fox News host Tucker Carlson pounced on Lorenz over the error. Lorenz has since blamed Greenwald and Carlson for much of the online harassment she has received.
