Susan Sarandon Apologizes For Controversial Comment At Pro-Palestine Rally After Getting Dropped By Talent Agency: “A Terrible Mistake”

Susan Sarandon has addressed the controversial comment she made at a pro-Palestinian rally that got her dropped from her talent agency.

Last month, Sarandon attended the rally in New York City in hopes of highlighting “the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza and call for a ceasefire,” per a statement she made on Instagram over the weekend. While she “had not planned to speak,” she was “invited to take the stage and say a few words.”

During her speech, Sarandon suggested that Jewish people who are afraid of the rise of antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war are “getting a taste of what it is like to be Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.”

Less than two weeks after the Oscar-winner garnered online backlash and got dropped as a client from United Talent Agency, she has apologized for her words.

“This phrasing was a terrible mistake, as it implies that until recently Jews have been strangers to persecution, when the opposite is true,” she wrote on social media. “As we all know, from centuries of oppression and genocide in Europe, to the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, PA, Jews have long been familiar with discrimination and religious violence, which continues to this day.”

She continued, “I deeply regret diminishing this reality and hurting people with this comment. It was my intent to show solidarity in the struggle against bigotry of all kinds, and I am sorry I failed to do so.”

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The Thelma & Louise star promised to continue her “commitment to peace, truth, justice, and compassion for all people,” before concluding, “I hope that we can meet with love and willingness to engage in dialogue, especially with those with whom we disagree.”

Sarandon isn’t the only actor to face repercussions for speaking out amid the ongoing war. Last month, Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream VII over her pro-Palestine comments, in which she reportedly compared the treatment of civilians in Gaza to a “concentration camp.”

“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,” a spokesperson for the film’s production company said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.