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‘Snow White’ Producer’s Son Says Rachel Zegler’s ‘Free Palestine’ Post Contributed to Film’s Poor Box Office Showing
Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot present the award for Best Visual Effects during the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
The son of “Snow White” producer Marc Platt scolded the film’s lead star Rachel Zegler on social media, claiming that her decision to tweet “Free Palestine” contributed to the Disney film’s poor performance at the box office during its opening weekend.
Jonah Platt – a Jewish actor, activist, and podcast host – is also the brother of actor Ben Platt. Jonah made comments criticizing the Golden Globe-winning actress, 23, last week in a since-deleted comment on an Instagram post for his podcast “Being Jewish.” He was replying to an Instagram user who asked Jonah in the comments about a Variety report that claimed Marc “flew to New York to speak directly with” Zegler following backlash over her “Free Palestine” post on X.
“You really want to do this? Yeah, my dad, the producer of enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20 year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for,” Jonah wrote in the comment, as seen in screenshots shared online.
He added that “this is called adult responsibility and accountability,” and claimed that Zegler’s “actions clearly hurt the film’s box office.”
Zegler uploaded the “Free Palestine” post in August 2024, three days after the trailer for “Snow White” debuted. The comment, which remains on her page, was criticized by not only pro-Israel supporters but also fans of Zegler’s “Snow White” costar, Israeli actress Gal Gadot, 39. Gadot is a former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, a vocal supporter of her home country, and the eighth generation to be born in Israel on her father’s side.
The new “Snow White” is Disney’s live-action remake of 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the company’s first animated feature film. Released on March 21, “Snow White” stars Zegler as the title character and Gadot as the Evil Queen. The Marc Webb-directed film made $43 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend, which is well below the film’s budget of more than $250 million, according to the Associated Press. Through this past Sunday, the film has made $66.8 million domestically and $143.1 million globally. “Snow White” is reportedly one of the worst-performing live-action Disney remakes and the film has garnered one of the lowest user ratings on the website IMDb.
In his Instagram comment, Platt continued to lambast Zegler, saying “Free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want in your private employment without repercussions.” He claimed that “tens of thousands of people” worked on the “Snow White” film, and he believes Zegler “hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew and blue-collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful. Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.”
Controversy surrounding Zegler and Gadot’s relationship has followed “Snow White” ever since Zegler’s “Free Palestine” post last year. The costars have been on completely separate press tours for the film – doing talk show appearances and other interviews alone, instead of together – and Zegler did not attend Gadot’s recent Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. The director and producer of “Snow White” both attended the ceremony.
Zegler and Gadot presented together at the Academy Awards on March 2, but according to Variety, Zegler afterwards called Gadot “a professional pageant queen” in an Instagram reply. Sources said that the remark is “considered a dismissive way to describe a fellow actress.”
The “Snow White” premiere in Los Angeles on March 15 was scaled back and media outlets were not allowed to attend the red carpet to interview the costars. Disney instead opted for photographers and a house crew in order to avoid having Zegler and Gadot answer questions on the spot. Meanwhile, the film’s premiere in the United Kingdom was canceled.
The post ‘Snow White’ Producer’s Son Says Rachel Zegler’s ‘Free Palestine’ Post Contributed to Film’s Poor Box Office Showing first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
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Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
The post Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.