Barstool Sports Blogger Francis Ellis Fired After Insensitive Post About Murdered Student MacKenzie Lueck
He really came across like a d*ck.
Instagram Francis Ellis is a blogger, podcast host, and comedian. He is also out of work. Ellis was fired from the website Barstool Sports after writing an insanely insensitive slut-shaming post about Mackenzie Lueck, the University of Utah student who was murdered. Ellis wrote the post on June 28 and deleted it when police announced that Lueck had been brutally murdered. Ellis, 30, also co-hosts Barstool's morning drive time Sirius XM show. He titled his post: College Student MacKenzie Lueck, Fan of Call Her Daddy and Proud Sugar Baby, Still Missing; Sorority Sister Hopeful Due to Her Recent Instagram Activity."
The post detailed the disappearance of Lueck before going totally tasteless. Ellis admitted that he scoured Lueck's Instagram account in search of unflattering material. He wrote: “As it turns out, the young lady frequents sugar daddy dating websites including SeekingArrangement.com. This must be her (secondary account) because 222 followers is pretty weak for anyone in a sorority." Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy said Ellis' post was an "absolutely insane move to talk about this subject, try to make any sort of light about it." Who is Francis Ellis?
1. He assumed she was fine
When it was announced that Lueck had been murdered, Ellis issued a public apology on his social media channels. He attempted to explain his behavior by saying he thought Lueck was safe. Ellis read an article People had published three days earlier on June 25th. In the article, the magazine stated that "no foul play was suspected." Ellis also saw a New York Post story reporting that there had been recent activity on her social media, so he concluded that MacKenzie was fine.
2. He purposely dug for info that would paint her in a bad light
Ellis went looking specifically for salacious posts that would paint Lueck in a bad light. He mentioned that she was a fan of "Call Her Daddy," a podcast from Barstool Sports that features two women with raunchy show titles/subjects such as "Condom Poker," "Why They Won't F*ck You," and "Welcome to Slut Camp." The fact that MacKenzie liked this podcast led him to write the story. He issued an apology after it was revealed that the student had been brutally murdered.
3. Where was his editor?
The editor-in-chief of Barstool Sports, Keith Markovich tweeted that Ellis had free reign to post blogs without editorial review. He noted that he currently edits and approves the work of sixteen bloggers for Barstool Sports. The website currently has 65 bloggers. That seems...inadequate. Nonetheless, Markovich went on Barstool's SiriusXM show and discussed Ellis' termination. He said that Ellis was "notoriously unhappy" with his edits and that he had butted heads with him before, so he was given permission to post without any editorial oversight.
4. He went to Harvard
Francis Ellis is from Freeport, Maine and graduated from Yarmouth High School where he was captain of the lacrosse team his senior year. He was a U.S. Lacrosse All American, a three-time all state selection and a two time all state selection in soccer. He went to Harvard and graduated in 2011 with a degree in political science and government and a minor in English. He is fluent in French and a concert pianist. He also played lacrosse at Harvard.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.