As it’s nearly impossible to be unaware of the war between Israel and Hamas given the ease with which cell phones constantly update the media, celebrities are compelled to publicly release statements of support or be deemed careless. Living in an age during which failing to be politically correct or inactive is an act cancel culture seizes upon, celebrities opt to become moral leaders, informing social media followers of injustice and sometimes forwarding political agendas. As celebrities are prompted to choose a side, Hollywood has become divided and social media is the forum in which it takes place.

Melissa Barrera, the Scream franchise star, was fired from the seventh installment by the production company Spyglass Media on Tuesday, November 21, for publicly showing support for Palestine that was perceived as antisemitic. Barrera, one of the 200+ celebrities that signed a petition for a ceasefire that was sent to President Joe Biden, has reshared posts on her Instagram that consider Israel’s actions as a “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” of the Palestinian people and condemn western media for accepting the killing of Palestinians as a defense mechanism against Hamas, writing that Israel “continue[s] killing innocent Palestinians, mothers, and children under the pretense of destroying Hamas.” These are just some examples of the many posts she has made that Spyglass Media concluded were incentive enough for her firing. There is no confirmed post that Spyglass referred to, but their statement in regards to Barrera reads, “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.” The next day, Melissa Barrera released a statement on Instagram explaining that she doesn’t condone hate or prejudice against any person but wishes for diplomatic coexistence, writing, “I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me.” This was seen as unfair to some people as other celebrities have spread misinformation of the conflict online and voiced strong opinions without serious consequences.

On October 4,  Jamie Lee Curtis publicly posted support for Israel’s declaration of war against Hamas; one post in particular was a photo of children looking up fearfully with the caption “TERROR FROM THE SKIES” along with an Israel flag emoji. This post was soon deleted when the photo was proven to be of Palestinian children taken at a school in the northern Gaza strip. Curtis made a statement to HuffPost, redirecting her concern, saying, “It’s an awful situation for all the innocent people in the line of fire.” Similarly, Justin Bieber reshared and quickly deleted a post that read “Praying for Israel” with a picture of a damaged building in Gaza that he believed to be Israel in the background. With no explanation, Bieber reposted the same message but corrected the post so that it had no image in the background. Amy Schumer has posted some controversial pro-Israel posts, including a political carton of pro-Palestinian protestors holding up signs, with one in particular saying “Gazans rape Jewish girls only in self defense” which was immediately met with backlash for generalizing Gazans instead of focusing on Hamas. Schumer also shared a decades-old video of Martin Luther King condemning anti-semitism while preaching in support of Israel. In response, Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, clarified that though she and her father are against anti-semitism, he also believed racism and militarism to be evil; therefore, she is certain her father would “call for Israel’s bombing of Palestinians to cease.” Out of all the celebrities with controversial posts on this topic, Melissa Barrera was most compared to actor Noah Schnapp, whose comments have been seen as Islamophobic.

Noah Schnapp, Stranger Things star, first stirred controversy on October 11 when he made a pro-Israel statement on Instagram, writing, “You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism,” although he mentioned that he believes that Hamas doesn’t represent the Palestinian people. However, on November 13, he once again faced backlash when he was seen in a video showing him laughing and filming his friends holding up stickers that said, “Hamas is Isis” and “Zionism is sexy.” This divided social media, as some didn’t see his actions as different from Melissa Barrera’s and called for him to be removed from the upcoming season of Stranger Things. Despite the controversy, Netflix has yet to release a statement, and he is still expected to star in the show. 

As celebrities are people they are also brands, who need to tread very carefully when involving themselves in social justice issues as they can quickly lose deals with companies. Also, risk the loyalty of fans who have been negatively affected or hurt from their inconsiderate or perceived offensive comments. With the rise of social media it is expected for celebrities to become political activists since their statements or posts can reach millions of eyes in a matter of seconds. Consequently, cancel culture follows, analyzing their motives and holding them accountable for their actions, asking the question how far is too far?