Major Hollywood Agency Dumps Academy Award Winner Over Her Anti-Israel Remarks
Actress Susan Sarandon has been dropped by United Talent Agency (UTA), a major Hollywood agency, following her controversial remarks on the Israel-Hamas war during her appearance at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City on Nov. 17.
While speaking at the event, Sarandon told the demonstrators to have conversations with Jewish Americans, who don't feel safe due to the rise of antisemitism following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, according to Variety.
"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," the Academy Award winner said.
Sarandon's comments drew immediate backlash online. The news of the actress' representatives firing her also went viral.
Actress Susan Sarandon has been dropped by her agency, UTA- one of Hollywood's biggest agencies, after her shocking antisemitic comments at a pro-Palestinian rally.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) November 22, 2023
She drew outrage for saying Jews were finally "getting a taste of how it feels to be Muslim in America". pic.twitter.com/9wGtZe7LMg
Muslim American journalist Asra Nomani responded to Sarandon in a lengthy post on the social media platform X. She told the actress about the life of freedom and opportunity her parents had in America rather than what their lives would have been like in a Muslim country.
She also gave Sarandon an actual "taste" of "what it feels like to be a Muslim" in America.
"First, your backstory: At an anti-Israel protest in NYC, you just said, '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,'" Nomani wrote.
After detailing several of her parents' and her own positive experiences of opportunities they were given in the U.S., she closed with, "Please don't minimize the experience of Jewish Americans by sanitizing the hell that it is for Muslims living in Muslim countries and vilifying America for the life — and freedoms — she offers Muslims like my family. Go, live like a Muslim woman in a Muslim country."
"You will come back to America and kiss the land beneath your feet," Nomani concluded.
Hi there @SusanSarandon, this is my mom, my dad and me on the rail trail in Morgantown, West by God Virginia. Let me tell you what it means to be Muslim in America.
— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) November 20, 2023
First, your backstory: At an anti-Israel protest in NYC, you just said, "There are a lot of people that are… pic.twitter.com/zAyUjpTxkY
As of Wednesday, Nomani's post has received more than 4.4 million views and has been shared by several conservative influencers, including actor James Woods.
"Here is a powerful post by an American who happens to be Muslim. She loathes oppression of ALL people, as do I. It's the extremists everywhere who sow misery and death. Asra's sentiments of love for America are sentiments I (and my friends, both Jewish and Muslim) share," he wrote.
Author Aviva Klompas, the former head of speechwriting at Israel's Mission to the United Nations, also wrote in a post on X:
"When Susan Sarandon said that Jews 'are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country' she was saying that American Jews have it coming - that we don't deserve to live free from harassment and assault."
As CBN News has reported, the U.S. has seen a sharp rise in antisemitism since the Oct. 7 brutal massacre of Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists, especially on college and university campuses around the country.
Hollywood's liberal elite have also been criticized by well-known actors, and television and movie producers for remaining silent on the escalating problem of antisemitism, despite constantly speaking out on other political issues.
Actress Julianna Margulies told Variety she doesn't know what they're afraid of – "Losing, I don't know, followers? I mean, it's just insane to me," she said.
"Listen, the last thing I thought in my life was that I'd be the one actress speaking out for Jews. But I'm proud to be here, and I hope I inspire other people to come out and talk and use their voice and use their platform to draw attention to this," Margulies added.
As CBN's Faithwire reported earlier this month, "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot — an Israeli national — used her influence in Tinseltown to organize a screening of IDF footage of Hamas atrocities for a curated group of Hollywood elites.
Gadot has been unabashed in her defense of Israel, using her social media to broadcast her support for the Holy Land.
"I stand with Israel," she wrote at the start of Hamas' invasion of the Jewish state. "You should, too. The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!"
In the weeks since the 38-year-old celebrity has used her Instagram feed to raise awareness about the Jewish hostages kidnapped by terrorists and held in Gaza.
CBN News Senior International Correspondent George Thomas recently spoke about his experience near Tel Aviv, where he and two dozen other international journalists sat through a similar screening of IDF footage of Hamas' deadly violence against Israelis.
The video, he said, showed "body cam footage from first responders as well as eyewitness videos from the various scenes across the region during the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre."
"{It showed} video of men, women, and children being burned alive," Thomas said. "Homes set ablaze. Men and women hacked to death. Children shot at point-blank. Men and women, fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters shot at point-blank range. People dragged out of their cars and shot."
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