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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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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.