Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Martin Shkreli suspended from Twitter after harassing Teen Vogue journalist

Twitter confirmed the temporary suspension on Sunday afternoon

Justin Carissimo
New York
Sunday 08 January 2017 15:55 EST
Martin Shkreli leaves after invoking his Fifth Amendment rights during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Capitol Hill February 4, 2016 in Washington, DC.
Martin Shkreli leaves after invoking his Fifth Amendment rights during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Capitol Hill February 4, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Martin Shkreli was suspended from Twitter on Sunday after repeatedly sending messages to Teen Vogue’s weekend editor Lauren Duca in an unsuccessful attempt to date her.

After sending unreciprocated direct messages to Duca last week, Shkreli changed his Twitter bio on Sunday to read: “also i have a small crush on @laurenduca (hope she doesn’t find out).” He also changed his Twitter header to a collage featuring images of Duca and changed his default image to a photo of Duca sitting with her husband — with his face Photoshopped onto the husband's body.

Duca and her followers reached out to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey questioning why he was allowed to openly harass her on the social network. Shkreli responded directly to her tweet, saying, “dont [sic] disrespect the sovereignty of my love for you. your [sic] being unfair.”

At one point, he claimed to have purchased the domain "marrymelauren.com."

In separate tweets, he attempted to defend the collage by saying it was made by fans because Duca is famous. “My fans send me this stuff. I don’t make it," he claimed. "I do admire Lauren though. If she doesn’t like it she can DM me or block me.”

After word of his suspension, Duca seemed pleased with Twitter’s decision. “He’s an entitled creep and absolutely deserves to have his account suspended,” she told BuzzFeed News, “perhaps indefinitely.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in