Susan Sarandon dropped by talent agency for comments on Hamas/Israle conflict
Susan Sarandon has been dropped by her agency over her pro-Palestine stance. (Getty Images)
Susan Sarandon has been dropped by talent agency UTA after speaking at a pro-Palestine rally over the weekend.
The Oscar-winning actress, known for her roles in timeless classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Thelma & Louise, and Little Women, has been vocal in her support of Palestine by attending a number of rallies and reposting social media posts demanding a ceasefire.
Deadline has now confirmed that Sarandon has been dropped by her agency, UTA, as a result.
Video footage of Sarandon’s speeches at pro-Palestine marches has seen her call for a ceasefire and encourage people to educate themselves on the Palestine-Israel conflict.
A clip taken of Sarandon from over the weekend heard her urge activists to “be strong, be patient, be clear, and stand with anybody who has the courage to speak out.
“We can see how much people care and that it is at the forefront of their minds and we can’t let it leave the forefront of their minds.”
Concluding her speech, the actress wished protesters a happy Thanksgiving and asked them to go into the holiday season holding “Palestine in your heart. Pray for the people of Palestine. Their love and their resilience is unbelievable. Thank you to the Jewish community who has come out to have our backs.”
The bisexual actress’s comments have mostly been well-received online, though opposers have criticised Sarandon for a statement she made at an earlier rally, in which she said: “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.”
Since the Hamas attack on 7 October, which saw 1,200 Israeli’s killed, the UN’s humanitarian office reports that at least 11,078 have been killed in Palestine – though Palestinian health officials have lost the ability to keep count because of the collapse of their health system. It is believed that children represent nearly half of all casualties.
Susan Sarandon is just the latest voice in the entertainment industry to face consequences for her pro-Palestine stance and calls for a ceasefire.
In October, Maha Dakhil resigned from CAA talent agency’s internal board after making pro-Palestine comments on social media.
Dakhil, who represents stars like Tom Cruise and Madonna, still works with her clients and colleagues at CAA despite her board resignation and has apologised for reposting a “Free Palestine” message to her Instagram Story.
After her resignation, CAA issued a statement to confirm that it “stands with the people of Israel, the Jewish community, and all innocent victims in the face of horrific acts of terrorism.”
More recently, production company Spyglass has confirmed that actress Melissa Barrera has been fired from Scream VII due to her pro-Palestine comments.
Barrera, who starred in the horror franchise revival alongside Jenna Ortega, had made a number of posts to Instagram that condemned the genocide in Gaza and called for a ceasefire.
In a statement issued to Variety, Spyglass suggested that Barrera’s comments had bordered on “antisemitism.”
The statement read: “Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
