Armond White expelled from New York Film Critics Circle after allegedly heckling Steve McQueen

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Film critic Armond White has been expelled from the New York Film Critics Circle after allegedly heckling “12 Years a Slave” director Steve McQueen at the group’s annual awards banquet.

The critics convened Monday and voted the CityArts critic out of the group. Entertainment Weekly’s Owen Gleiberman, a member of the group, confirmed in an online post White’s expelling.

White reportedly yelled expletives at McQueen when he accepted the award for best director at last week’s New York Film Critics Awards. He was quoted as loudly calling McQueen an “embarrassing doorman and garbage man.”

White disputed that account and in an email to the Associated Press last week, calling the charges a “barrage of lies.” Known for his contrarian reviews, White lambasted “12 Years a Slave” as “torture porn.”