More Artists Get Canceled for Extreme Pro-Palestinian Views | Christian Toto
Celebrities know all too well that saying the wrong thing can have dramatic consequences.
Or, in the case of Roseanne Barr, tweeting the wrong thing.
Cancel Culture made that possible, of course. If a celebrity offends the wrong group or doesn’t genuflect hard enough for the "right" group, it can be hazardous to their careers.
There’s a new component to that threat, one that caught fire following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. Celebrities are facing cancellation for speaking out on behalf of the Palestinian people.
The wrinkle?
The rhetoric has to be extreme. Think, "Israel is committing genocide" extreme. Or worse.
Susan Sarandon found that out the hard way.
The "Bull Durham" star got bounced by her agency after a callous comparison made at a pro-Palestinian rally. The prestigious talent agency UTA consciously uncoupled from Sarandon following a Nov. 17 speech before an anti-Israel crowd.
"There are a lot of people that are afraid, that are afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence," Sarandon said.
The comments came after a wave of antisemitic attacks on Jewish Americans on college campuses and elsewhere.
That public appearance also featured the slogan, "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," which Sarandon reportedly chanted.
DOHA, QATAR - JANUARY 29: A man holds a Palestinian flag at tribune ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 match between Qatar and Palestine at Al Bayt Stadium in Doha, Qatar on January 29, 2024. (Photo by Ayman Yaqoob/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Rising star Melissa Barrera also got scorched for her rabid pro-Palestinian views [3]. The "Scream" alum lost her gig in the seventh film in the saga after she accused Israel of committing "genocide" against Palestinians. The starlet also shared an antisemitic trope that Jewish people control the media.
Now, it’s Roger Waters’ turn.
The Pink Floyd legend similarly got punished for his extreme views. The only question, given the incendiary nature of Waters’ anti-Israel rhetoric, is why it didn’t happen sooner.
The rocker has been accused of antisemitic language and actions for long before the Oct. 7 attacks. Now, his music label is cutting ties with the 80-year-old icon over his comments suggesting the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks were both justified and overblown.
Musician/performance artist Laurie Anderson flirted with mainstream success in the early 1980s, courtesy of her song "O Superman." She recently snagged, and lost, a visiting professor’s position at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany for her pro-Palestinian comments.
These comments, though, are more than two years old. She had signed an open letter in 2021 supporting the Palestinian cause.
"Israel is the colonizing power. Palestine is colonized. This is not a conflict: this is apartheid."
It’s likely more artists will face similar cancellations. Israeli’s war against Gaza continues, and even the stars who felt the sting of cancellation remain unrepentant.
Barrera didn’t back down after her "Scream" firing. Sarandon’s X account brims with fiery anti-Israel/Pro-Palestinian propaganda.
Free speech matters, in or outside the artistic ecosystem. It’s still complicated to process artists who potentially dehumanize a group of people like these artists’ critics allege.
The irony remains thick.
The creative community rarely stands up for free speech. When "Mandalorian" standout Gina Carano got fired from the Disney+ show in 2021 for comments absurdly deemed antisemitic, few Hollywood stars had her back.
Not even her co-stars.
The same held true for Barr, whose ugly Tweet didn’t represent her views and previously went out of her way to hire minority writers on her ABC sitcom, according to Norm Macdonald.
And conservatives routinely hide their political views for fear of professional repercussions. They used to meet in secret under the banner "Friends of Abe," letting themselves network and commiserate with like-minded souls.
To borrow Sarandon’s verbiage, Pro-Palestinian artists are getting a taste of what it’s like to be conservative in Hollywood.