Kimmel Is Out, But Intifada Is Still In: Hollywood’s Hypocrisy on Political Violence

Jimmy Kimmel was fired by ABC for his comments on the air about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The celebration of Kirk’s death from segments of our society reveals a disturbing rot in our social fabric, an unraveling of the basic moral fibers that hold our society together.  Jimmy Kimmel should not have made light of or in any way attempted to rationalize the murder of Charlie Kirk.  Hollywood’s condemnation of Kimmel, however, is deeply hypocritical.

For two years celebrities have been calling to “globalize the intifada.” The term “intifada” refers specifically to two Palestinian uprisings — one in the 1980s and the other in the early 2000s — that were defined by violent acts of terrorism in Israel, such as bus bombings, attacks on pizza parlors, and the killing of innocent civilians.  These acts were explicitly political.  They were often committed under the guidance or encouragement of the PLO and were intended to exert pressure on the Israeli government to change official political policies.

When celebrities shout to “Free Palestine from the River to the Sea,” they are not calling for a negotiated two-state solution: they are invoking an Arabic slogan whose literal and original translation calls for Palestine to be Arab.  The cheer isn’t just a catchy rhyme — it is calling for the violent eradication of the State of Israel.

When celebrities shout to “Free Palestine from the River to the Sea,” they are not calling for a negotiated two-state solution: they are invoking an Arabic slogan whose literal and original translation calls for Palestine to be Arab.

Hollywood loves to brand itself as a bastion of free expression, tolerance, and justice. But when it comes to antisemitism, the industry reveals a glaring double standard.  There have been virtually no career or public opinion consequences to the myriad Hollywood stars who have used their platforms to spread anti-Israel and anti-Jewish disinformation.

Just after the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, Susan Sarandon spoke at a rally and said that American Jews were “getting a taste of what it feels like to be Muslim in this country.”  Sarandon was suggesting that American Jews somehow deserved violence.  She was briefly dropped by her agency, but was signed by another within months.  She faced no career blowback.  There was no exile from Hollywood’s elite parties.

Mark Ruffalo has been claiming that Israel is committing a “genocide” since 2021, well before the current Israel/Hamas war.  Ruffalo’s repetition of Hamas talking points is not just factually inaccurate — it paints Jews as war criminals and human rights abusers.  Ruffalo was rewarded for his comments with a starring role in the Avengers series.  He is painted in Hollywood as a “human rights activist.”

Just last week, at this year’s Emmys awards, actor Javier Bardem wore a keffiyeh on the red carpet and raised his hand in a fist of defiance declaring that he cannot “work with someone who justifies genocide in Gaza.” His statements were an endorsement to blacklist and boycott Israeli or “Zionist” artists.  Bardem was not fired or cancelled.

Statements like “globalize the intifada” collapse an immensely complex conflict into a jingle. They flatten centuries of Jewish history and trauma.  They paint Israel, and by proxy all Jews, as the singular villain.  Accusing Israel of “genocide” is not just hyperbolic, it is incendiary.

Jimmy Kimmel referred to the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk as a “MAGA extremist.” Now Kimmel is fired.  Charlie Kirk was an ardently Zionist Christian, but he was not a Jew.  When speech in Hollywood endangers Jews, frames Jews as genocidal, and excuses terrorism against Jews, then somehow it is not political incitement, it is just celebrities speaking “their truth.”

Antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed in the United States since October 7, 2023. Jewish students have been assaulted on campuses, Jewish-owned businesses vandalized, and Jewish neighborhoods targeted by protests that veer into intimidation.  Speeches from celebrities glorifying intifada help legitimize Jew-hatred around the world and give cover to extremism.

Free expression is essential in a democracy.  No one should call for the censorship of ideas.  But there must be accountability when speech crosses into incitement of political violence.  This accountability must be applied evenly.  If calling a murderer “MAGA’” is a fireable offense, then surely calling for global condemnation and ostracization of Jews deserves equal scrutiny.

The question isn’t whether Jimmy Kimmel deserved to lose his platform. The question is why has Hollywood looked away for the last two years when celebrities call for political violence against Jews.

Julie Marazouk is an attorney, author, and the founder and principal of Marzouk Evolve Advocacy Consulting