Hollywood Drops Artists Over Pro-Palestine Comments

Hollywood artists have been facing backlash from the agencies and production companies for supporting Palestine. Actresses Susan Sarandon, Melissa Barrera, and talent manager Maha Dakhil are some of the names.

Sarandon was dropped by United Talent Agency (UTA), a Hollywood talent agency, due to her participation in pro-Palestine rallies and comments at an event in New York. The Oscar-winning actress expressed her strong opposition against anti-Semitism and

Islamophobia and said criticizing Israel “should not be considered as anti-Semitic.”

The Oscar-winning actress attended several pro-Palestine rallies and faced criticism for saying at a November 17 rally in New York City, “There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.

Production company Spyglass fired Melissa Barrera from the cast of “Scream VII” because of their “zero tolerance for anti-Semitism and hate-speech according to a statement released by the company. Apparently, Barrera labeled Israel as a “colonized” land on her Instagram and pointed out how they (Israel) control their media.

Meanwhile, one of the top talent managers at CAA, Maha Dakhil, had to privatize her Instagram account due to the backlash she faced following her pro-Palestine posts. Reportedly, Dakhil apologized for her actions.

The industry has seen diverse perspectives on the Israel-Palestine conflict. While some are speaking for Israel, a notable faction of the actors wrote to US President Joe Biden on October 20, urging a ceasefire in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict that keeps claiming thousands of innocent lives.

Tags: Hollywood Palestine