New Yorker Festival rescinds Steve Bannon invitation after multiple celebrities drop out in protest

Multiple actors and celebrities announced on Monday that they would be dropping out of this year's New Yorker Festival over its decision to invite former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon to be its headline speaker -- and thus forced the festival to rescind Bannon's invitation.

In inviting Bannon to talk at the festival next month, New Yorker editor David Remnick insisted that he would challenge Bannon by asking him "difficult questions and engaging in a serious and even combative conversation."

However, several high-profile guests -- including director Judd Apatow, actor Jim Carey, comedian John Mulaney, and comedian Patton Oswalt -- said that they would not appear at the festival if it meant sharing a billing with Bannon.

"If Steve Bannon is at the New Yorker festival I am out," Apatow wrote on Twitter. "I will not take part in an event that normalizes hate. I hope the New Yorker will do the right thing and cancel the Steve Bannon event. Maybe they should read their own reporting about his ideology."

"Bannon? And me? On the same program?" asked Carey. "Could never happen."

In the wake of the backlash, CNN's Brian Stelter posted a statement from Remnick in which he announced that Bannon was no longer invited to the festival.

"I've changed my mind," Remnick said. "There is a better way to do this."