The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks
Jar Jar Binks became one of the most polarizing figures in cinematic history when he made his debut in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 1999. He was even named "the most annoying movie character of all time" by Complex Magazine. After the release, Ahmed Best, the man who played Jar Jar, was hit with the full force of the backlash — and it nearly destroyed him. The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks is a six-part journey through the early internet to understand how one of the first-ever online hate campaigns began, and to right what we got so wrong about Jar Jar the first time around.
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About the host
Dylan Marron
Dylan Marron is an award-winning writer and producer. He is the host of two TED Audio Collective podcasts: The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks and Conversations with People Who Hate Me, the latter of which saw him call up and connect with authors of negative internet comments. His book of the same name was released in 2022 by Atria, a division of Simon & Schuster, and was hailed by The Associated Press as "a fascinating meditation on human connection and on finding common ground with people you never thought possible." He recently wrote on the third season of Ted Lasso.
