The war in Gaza has taken center stage at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, as many celebrities displayed support for the Palestinian people and spoke out against Israeli crimes.
Hollywood stars used the Emmy Awards ceremony on Sunday as a platform to express solidarity with Gaza, either through their appearances or in speeches condemning Israel’s brutal war in the Gaza Strip and highlighting the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people.
Rejecting Israeli ‘Genocide’
The Spanish actor Javier Bardem, nominated Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series for the show “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” walked the Red Carpet donning a Palestinian keffiyeh, strongly denouncing the Israeli “genocide” in Gaza and calling for a strong action against Israel.
Speaking to Variety magazine, Bardem said: “Here I am today, denouncing the genocide in Gaza.” He also referred to the International Association of Genocide Scholars’ declaration that the Israeli crimes in Gaza amount to genocide. “That’s why we ask for a commercial and diplomatic blockade and also sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide. Free Palestine,” he said.
Boycotting Israeli Film Industry
Ahead of the Emmy Awards, around 4,000 actors, producers, filmmakers and other film industry professionals signed a pledge to not work with Israeli film institutions that are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” The pledge – organized by The Film Workers for Palestine – clarified that examples of complicity include “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.”
The signatories of the pledge vowed “not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions—including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies—that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
Signatories include several Hollywood actors, such as Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Riz Ahmed, Javier Bardem, Cynthia Nixon, Julie Christie, Ilana Glazer, Rebecca Hall, Aimee Lou Wood among others. Furthermore, they include filmmakers such as Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Asif Kapadia, Boots Riley and Joshua Oppenheimer.
Supporting the Oppressed
In response, Paramount – a leading entertainment producer – condemned the boycott call. “We do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers. Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace,” it said in a statement on Friday.
In the light of this, Bardem – who signed the pledge – dismissed Paramount claims, saying that the pledge signatories “do not target any individuals based on identity.” Rather, they target “film companies and institutions that are complicit and are white-washing or justifying the genocide and its apartheid regime,” he explained.
“We stand with those who are helping and being supportive of the oppressed people,” the Spanish actor said, adding: “I cannot work with someone that justifies or supports the genocide. That’s as simple as that. We shouldn’t be able to do that, in this industry or any other industry.”
A Call for Ceasefire
Many celebrities at the Emmy Awards 2025 wore red “Artists4Ceasefire” pins, including Javier Bardem, Megan Stalter, Hannah Einbinder, Aimee Lou Wood, Natasha Rothwell, Ruth Negga, and Chris Perfetti.
The pins call for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire, the return of all hostages, and the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza,” according to the Guardian.
In addition to wearing the pin, “Hacks” star Megan Stalter held a bag carrying a sign reading “Ceasefire!” as she walked the Red Carpet.
“It’s important with a platform to speak out. It’s the most important thing in the world to have peace. I can’t not say something, and I feel like it’s more important than anything about my look, whether I’m in a big gown or jeans. It’s really important to speak out about those things that are really horrifying,” Stalter told USA Today.
‘Free Palestine’
Wearing a red “Artists4Ceasefire” pin, actor Hannah Einbinder, the winner of the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for “Hacks,” voiced support for Palestine. She concluded her acceptance speech by criticizing the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) and chanting “Free Palestine.”
Hannah Einbinder says "Go Birds, F— ICE and Free Palestine" after winning an #Emmy for #Hacks pic.twitter.com/OydhQLzdya
— Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2025
After her speech, Einbinder explained to media why she supports Palestine. “I have friends in Gaza who are working as frontline workers, as doctors, right now in the north of Gaza, to provide care for pregnant women, and [working] for schoolchildren to create schools in the refugee camps. It’s an issue that’s really close to my heart for many reasons. I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel,” she said.
Moreover, Einbinder – a signatory to the boycott pledge – praised the boycott movement. “Boycotting is an effective tool to create pressure on the powers that be to meet the moment. The Film Workers for Palestine boycott does not boycott individuals; it only boycotts institutions that are directly complicit in the genocide … I think it’s an important measure, so I was happy to be a part of it,” she noted.
