Thomas Gebremedhin, a vice president at Doubleday Books, faced backlash for an Instagram post mocking Wesley LePatner's murder. The post unfairly blamed her for the housing crisis and included a disrespectful phrase. Users condemned the misinformation about LePatner's earnings and the tone-deaf nature of Gebremedhin's remarks, which circulated widely on social media. Many criticized the publishing industry culture, calling for Gebremedhin's firing. In response to the uproar, Gebremedhin issued an apology for sharing the tweet without fully reading it and regretted the hurt caused by his actions.
"Her sole job was making sure housing is expensive and that we all rent for the rest of our lives," read the original post portraying LePatner - a Jewish mom of two - as the face of unaffordable housing.
Social media users were quick to point out that LePatner did not earn "$9,000 a minute," and condemned the post, which was first made in response to Blackstone's official memorial tweet.
The tone-deaf repost stunned many in the publishing world, where Gebremedhin moves in elite literary circles.
In a statement to The Post, Gebremedhin apologized. "I sincerely apologize for reposting a tweet that attempted to justify the killing of a Blackstone executive - I shared it without fully reading.
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