Milo Yiannopoulos - STONEY BROKE

Milo and money. They never did enjoy a happy existence together: even before he left for the USA, Yiannopoulos had parted company with the Telegraph, leaving the paper with a five-figure tab to pick up after an aborted tech awards venture. The first incarnation of his online magazine The Kernel sank when he was unable to pay its debts (the sums involved were well into five figures, and legal action ensued). But he was not downhearted.

The Kernel resurfaced in Berlin, but with someone else in charge of the money. And then came the magical transformation: Yiannopoulos went to the USA, where he enjoyed an increasingly expensive lifestyle, which meant someone else was paying for it. He had been plucked from the scrapheap of spent nonentities by none other than Steve Bannon. He was placed in a position of responsibility at Breitbart.

But sadly, Yiannopoulos became a little too confident, and after news broke that he had been effectively endorsing paedophilia, the slippery slope beckoned. His book deal was cancelled. The money - which came courtesy of the Mercers - was cut off. He was shunned by those who had moved on to the next fame-chaser. But he kept spending.

Then came the opportunity to tour Australia, in partnership with the equally washed-up right-wing shock merchant Ann Coulter. But this has now been cancelled, because Yiannopoulos “demanded funds outside his contract”. Legal action has been commenced in order to recover the money already paid to him, and a series of documents has been released as part of that process. This reveals that he is broke.

One bill alone - that from Meister Seelig and Fein, for his legal action against publishers Simon and Shuster over the book they declined to publish, is for over $153,000. It has been outstanding for more than a year. A letter from MS&F to Yiannopoulos reveals that his company Milo Inc is now insolvent. And there are significant other debts.

Yiannopoulos helpfully summarised these, presumably to show the Australian promoters why he merited the payment of $40,000 upfront, in addition to almost $7,000 for his flights (one suspects The Great Man won’t have been prepared to slum it in Coach).

He owes $47,500 on his credit card alone. Payments to writers - those who worked for The Kernel will remember that - make up another $12,000 or so. Royalty payments come in at a further $140,000. There are other legal bills. In total, Yiannopoulos’ personal debt mountain has almost scaled the $500,000 mark. Thus the reward for a Z-list grifter.

Nor will there be many prepared to sympathise with him, not after well-documented instances of his trying to have some critics sacked from their jobs, and ordering up vindictive hatchet jobs on others. He told the Australian promoters that his situation “isn’t catastrophic. Not worth bankruptcy, certainly”, but now he isn’t getting any money from that gig, and they are pursuing legal action to recover funds from him, it might just be.

Five and a half years ago, this blog put The Curse Of Zelo on Milo Yiannopoulos. It gives me significant pleasure to see that it has now taken out the SOB. Bye bye Milo.

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