Michael Rapaport claims he's having trouble finding acting jobs over his Israel advocacy
Pro-Israel comedian and actor Michael Rapaport claimed on Monday that he's had a difficult time finding acting jobs due to his outspoken support for Israel.
Despite reportedly missing out on Hollywood opportunities due to his pro-Israel advocacy, Rapaport said that he has "not the slightest bit of regret" in an interview with i24 News.
When asked if he's ever received threats for his unabashed support for Israel, Rapaport said he's "always gotten threats," but a new concern has arisen for him.
"I feel like I've always gotten threats—whether it was stuff about politics, I've always gotten threats on social media, those don't concern me. I've had comedy shows protested, that doesn't concern me. There's been… how do I say it, there's been… some issues in terms of getting jobs as an actor," Rapaport claimed.
Despite the recent hardships his advocacy has brought to his career, Rapaport said he felt "there was no choice."
"However, I don't have the slightest bit of regret. I don't. There was no choice. 'Well, if you do this, this is going to happen' or 'If you do this, this won't happen.' Being supportive of Jews, being supportive of Israel, being supportive of our people, was not a choice. It is very natural and organic to me," he said.
Rapaport also revealed that there are many people that he works with in "show business" that he's lost respect for during this time of political contention over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"There's so many people that I have lost respect for and there's so many people that present themselves as empathetic. There's so many people that present as sympathetic, as worldly, as compassionate… They're completely full of s---," he said.
Rapaport became especially outspoken in his support for Israel and the Jewish people after the attacks on Oct. 7, but it was the tearing down of hostage posters in New York City that most inspired him to speak out.
"The thing that I see the most, that resonated with me the most, is the ripping down of the posters. And I know that doesn't hurt anybody, but it hurts my soul," Rapaport said, adding that the tearing down of the Bibas family posters was especially "shocking."
Shiri Bibas and her young sons, Kfir, 10 months old, and Ariel, four years old, were taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. Israeli authorities later confirmed they were killed while in captivity by the Palestinian terrorist group.
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