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Dan Aykroyd Defends Leslie Jones, Says ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot Has More Laughs Than The Original

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 02:54 PST, Jul 25, 2016

Dan Aykroyd, one of the original Ghostbusters, has recently spoken out in defense of Ghostbusters reboot star Leslie Jones. According to Entertainment Weekly, Dan Aykroyd defended Leslie Jones against internet trolls who made racist remarks and sexist insults directed at her.

Aykroyd praised Jones as a great writer and an amazing comedian who overcame more than her share of hardship on her way to a successful show business career. He also denounced the online haters who have continually harassed Jones and left her feeling like she is living a personal hell.

Dan Aykroyd spoke on the haters of Leslie, referring to them as “insignificant gnats” and “losers” who can’t even afford the Wi-Fi they’re using to post the insults.

“I would say you’re looking at obese white men between 50 and 60 who are active [Ku Klux] Klan members or members of the Aryan Nation, and there are millions of them.”

Aykroyd, a Canadian local, drew a connection between Jones’ attackers and supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Dan Aykroyd spoke on the connection between Jones’ attackers and Trump’s supporters, saying that even Trump’s supporters aren’t as racist as the trolls who attacked the Ghostbusters star online.

“I don’t think that Trump and [running mate Mike] Pence are as racist as the people who attacked Leslie Jones, I really don’t.”

In his opinion, Donald Trump is purposefully making racist remarks to garner the vote of white racists.

“There’s a lot of white racist hatred out there that’s going to channel into support for the Republican ticket — maybe in the false belief that these people share their views… Trump may be saying some things to go that way to get some votes.”

Dan Aykroyd has always spoken fondly about the possibility of returning to the Ghostbusters franchise. According to Bustle, the actor makes a cameo appearance in the Ghostbusters reboot, and fans are going to love his role.

Dan Aykroyd, who played Dr. Raymond Stantz in the original, also co-wrote the script with Harold Ramis and produced the film. Fans were curious as to what Aykroyd’s opinion would be on the all-female reboot. But as it turned out, he was delighted when he heard the news that the Ghostbusters legacy was to be passed on to a team of magnificent leading ladies. The supportive statement by Aykroyd led the fans to believe that he may be involved with the reboot in some way, and hopefully a way that would put him on-screen.

As the first member of the original cast to be confirmed to return for the new film, Dan Aykroyd has been the most vocal supporter of the Ghostbusters reboot. He even accidentally revealed his cameo on Twitter through a tweet he posted in July last year. He deleted the tweet shortly after he realized his mistake, but not before many of his followers read what he had written.

In the tweet, he said that he was on the set of the reboot and expressed his admiration for the new leading ladies.

Unfortunately, fans will not get to see Dan Aykroyd wearing his old Ghostbuster uniform. Just like the rest of the original cast, Aykroyd will only appear in a cameo role, one that is completely different from his original role. The details surrounding Aykroyd’s Ghostbusters cameo have not have been confirmed by the stars themselves, but his cameo was included in a U.K. television spot for the film and in a sizzle reel played during CinemaCon in April.

Aykroyd’s cameo role was revealed to be that of a cab driver, and he appears in a scene with Kristen Wiig’s Erin Gilbert in which he turns and says: “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts,” a clear throwback to the beloved Ghostbusters theme.

Luckily for the new director and the cast of the new film, the Ghostbusters reboot has been given an enthusiastic stamp of approval from Aykroyd. In May, he took to Facebook to endorse the reboot, stating that the new film has more laughs and scares than the first two films.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

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