Susan Sarandon Dropped by Hollywood Agency After Controversial Comments About Jewish Americans

Susan Sarandon, an Academy Award-winning actress, was dropped as a client of the United Talent Agency, a major Hollywood agency better known as UTA. Sarandon was dropped following her controversial comments that American Jews are getting a “taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim.” 

While speaking at a pro-Palestine rally in New York City on Nov. 17, Sarandon called for protesters to listen and have conversations with Jewish Americans, saying that many don’t feel safe due to the rise in antisemitism since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack. 

“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,” Sarandon said.

The comments received intense backlash, notably from Muslim American writer and education activist Asra Nomani, who wrote a lengthy post on X about her own experience and the experience of her parents who were able to live a life of freedom and opportunity in the United States that they would never have had in a Muslim country. 

“This is a ‘taste’ of life for a Muslim family in America. 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,” she wrote. “You will come back to America and kiss the land beneath your feet.”

In the past month and a half, the United States has seen a significant rise in antisemitism, particularly on college campuses, following the attack against Israel. Many A-list actors, TV showrunners and producers have criticized Hollywood’s higher-ups for hesitating to comment on the matter, despite hopping on other political issues. 

“I honestly don’t know what they’re afraid of. Losing, I don’t know, followers? I mean, it’s just insane to me,” “The Morning Show” star Julianna Margulies told Variety. “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.”