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Many celebrities have spoken out on the war between Israel and Hamas in recent weeks, offering support for both sides of the conflict—and receiving fierce backlash as a result.
However, even those choosing to remain neutral are sparking uproar online. The latest example is singer and actress Selena Gomez, whose social-media post on the topic didn't sit well with some users. Along with the 31-year-old's statement, claims that Rare Beauty's CEO Scott Friedman is a "Zionist" have led to calls for a boycott of her cosmetics line. Newsweek has reached out to Selena Gomez and Rare Beauty for comment via email.
Hamas led a surprise militant attack on Israel on October 7, with Israel then launching heavy airstrikes on Gaza. As of November 3, at least 1,400 people had been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported, while over 9,000 people had been killed in the Gaza Strip.
On October 30, Gomez shared a statement to her Instagram Stories, saying that she had chosen to take a break from social media, as the coverage of the conflict was affecting her mental health.
"I'm sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag," Gomez wrote.
"I just can't stand by innocent people [getting] hurt. That's what makes me sick. I wish I could change the world, but a post won't," she added.
Several followers took issue with Gomez saying that a post won't "change the world," as she has 430 million followers on Instagram and 66.6 million subscribers on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.
In response to the fallout, the Only Murders in the Building star shared another post to her Stories that read: "I'm taking a break and deleting my Instagram. I'm done. I do not support any of what's going on."
However, pro-Palestinian social-media users are calling for a boycott of Rare Beauty because of its CEO Scott Friedman's alleged pro-Israel sentiments. Newsweek has as yet not verified these claims via his representatives.
Posting to X, user @surburbanzlut shared a screenshot of Friedman's follow list on Instagram before it went private. It includes the pro-Israel accounts @idf (Israel Defense Forces), @ajewishresistance (Jewish Resistance), and @aipac (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).
"THE CEO OF RARE BEAUTY IS A ZIONIST WHO IS FOLLOWING IDF AND IS PRO ISREAL‼️‼️ if yall gonna stay true to the boycott actism, boycott rare beauty," they wrote alongside the images.
"BOYCOTT RARE BEAUTY," agreed @paigejaneda. "Not only has Selena produced a horrible statement of ignorance, but the CEO is a Zionist."
"Yeah y'all can go ahead and boycott Rare Beauty," posted maya. "The CEO is an avid support of the IDF and miss mama doesn't think a post could change anything so."
"Never buying Rare beauty again!" commented Sana.
Rare Beauty isn't the only cosmetics line to face cancelation due to the Israel-Hamas conflict. There were similar boycott calls for Huda Beauty last month, after founder Huda Kattan said she didn't want "blood money" from Israeli customers on Instagram.
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About the writer
Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more