Latest news with #NeverIsNow
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
David Schwimmer Slams Hollywood Friends For 'Unacceptable' Antisemitism Silence
"Friends" star is taking a stand against antisemitism and calling out Hollywood stars for their silence. The 58-year-old actor, best known for his role as Ross Geller on the iconic sitcom, addressed the issue during a powerful speech at the Anti-Defamation League's Never Is Now conference on Tuesday. David Schwimmer urged fellow celebrities, particularly those who have built their careers by embracing their Jewish identity or portraying Jewish characters on screen, to publicly condemn rising antisemitic sentiments. His message was clear: silence is not an option. "Plenty of people I respect, even some of my heroes in entertainment, music and sports, have chosen to keep a low profile and sit this one out, including some whose careers have been made by leaning into their Jewish identity, and others who have won acclaim for playing Jews onscreen," he began. "Some of them are doing a lot behind the scenes, privately and in their own way, but so many have chosen not to say anything publicly at all." Schwimmer added, "And if I can say something directly to them: I really wish you would. I wish you would stand up. I wish you would speak out, because your voice would be so meaningful to your fans who love you, to your community members who need you, to folks who can use just a little solidarity right now." But he didn't stop there. "No one's asking you to solve the conflict of the Middle East," the actor continued. "Just say that you stand with your Jewish friends, colleagues, and neighbors against hatred and what's happening on our college campuses and in our schools and to Jewish-owned businesses is totally unacceptable." Actress also delivered a powerful message at the Anti-Defamation League's Never is Now conference, where she received the prestigious International Leadership Award. The "Wonder Woman" star took the stage to passionately address the surge in antisemitism and called for the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza. During her 12-minute acceptance speech, Gadot emphasized her pride in being an eighth-generation Jewish Israeli, drawing loud applause from the audience. "With every hostage release we hear new testimonies of the horrors they've been through. Every minute for them is hell. Their lives are in danger and we need them home," Gadot declared, her voice resonating with urgency. Addressing the rise in global antisemitism, Gadot did not mince words. "None of us can ignore the explosion of Jew hatred around the world anymore. We have had enough of Jew hatred we will confront anti-Semitism," she added. "We will call it out, but we will never let it not only defeat us but define us because our love is stronger than their hate." Following her appearance, Gadot took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message with her 133.6 million followers. She reflected on the significance of standing up against hate and emphasized the resilience of the Jewish community. "October 7 was a wake-up call, but it also reminded us of our resilience and unbreakable bond," the Israel Defense Forces veteran, who boasts 133.6M social media followers, wrote. "We must continue to educate, share our stories, and stand up against hate — because love will always be stronger." Schwimmer also recently called on to take action against , now known as Ye, following the rapper's latest antisemitic outbursts on the social media platform X. The 58-year-old actor took to Instagram over the weekend, criticizing Musk for allowing West to maintain a platform despite his repeated history of hate speech. The actor's powerful message came in response to Ye's most recent controversial post, in which he stated, 'I don't like or trust no Jewish person, and this is completely sober with no Hennessy.' In his post, Schwimmer did not hold back, stating: 'We can't stop a deranged bigot from spewing hate-filled, ignorant bile… but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr. Musk. Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X. That's twice as many people than the number of Jews in existence. His sick hate speech results in REAL LIFE violence against Jews. I don't know what's worse, the fact that he identifies as a Nazi (which implies he wants to exterminate ALL marginalized communities including his own) or the fact that there is not sufficient OUTRAGE to remove and ban him from all social media at this point. Silence is complicity." The actor's plea follows Kanye's controversial post, in which he stated, "I don't like or trust no Jewish person, and this is completely sober with no Hennessy."
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
David Schwimmer Urges Hollywood's Jewish Leaders to ‘Stand Up' Against Antisemitism
David Schwimmer called on fellow Jewish members of Hollywood to make more of an effort when it comes to speaking out against antisemitism. Appearing as part of the Anti-Defamation League's annual Never Is Now conference in New York City, the Friends actor noted that although 'speaking out often comes at a cost' it doesn't serve the community to be silent. 'My career has given me an incredible platform, a chance to talk about the issues that matter to me, and on a good day, a chance to be heard over the noise that drowns too many people out,' Schwimmer said. 'I believe with that privilege comes a responsibility to use my voice in moments like this, at a time of danger, bigotry and violence.' More from Rolling Stone Kanye West's Talent Agency Drops Him After Antisemitic, Pro-Diddy Remarks David Schwimmer Blasts Elon Musk for Allowing Kanye West's 'Ignorant Bile' on X The Anti-Defamation League Is Finally Sick of Elon Musk's Nazi Jokes He continued, 'Like so many others, I've been attacked and threatened by people I've never met. I've been abandoned by people I thought were friends and by organizations I thought were allies, but I've also found amazing moments of meaning and solidarity, and I want to remind you that there are so many good people out there who have our backs, incredible allies that we can we will get through this together, that our spirit is unbreakable, our joy is irrepressible.' Schwimmer, who recently spoke up about Kanye West's constant antisemitic rants on X, affirmed, 'I get that speaking out is hard. Plenty of people I respect, even some of my heroes in entertainment, music and sports, have chosen to keep a low profile and sit this one out, including some whose careers have been made by leaning into their Jewish identity, and others who have won acclaim for playing Jews onscreen. Some of them are doing a lot behind the scenes, privately and in their own way, but so many have chosen not to say anything publicly at all. And if I can say something directly to them: I really wish you would.' He added, 'I wish you would stand up. I wish you would speak out, because your voice would be so meaningful to your fans who love you, to your community members who need you, to folks who can use just a little solidarity right now. No one's asking you to solve the conflict of the Middle East. Just say that you stand with your Jewish friends, colleagues, and neighbors against hatred and what's happening on our college campuses and in our schools and to Jewish-owned businesses is totally unacceptable.' Schwimmer was on hand at the Never Is Now conference to present the inaugural ADL Heroes Against Hate award. The actor previously appeared at the annual conference in 2022. This year's event featured a keynote address from Gal Gadot. Last month, Schwimmer blasted Elon Musk on Saturday for allowing West to use X to make 'hate filled' antisemitic (along with more racist and misogynistic) statements. In an Instagram post, Schwimmer addressed the DOGE leader directly. 'This is so 2022. We can't stop a deranged bigot from spewing hate filled, ignorant bile… but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr. Musk,' he wrote. 'I don't know what's worse, the fact that he identifies as a Nazi (which implies he wants to exterminate ALL marginalized communities including his own), or the fact that there is not sufficient OUTRAGE to remove and ban him from all social media at this point,' Schwimmer continued, before closing with: 'Silence is complicity.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
David Schwimmer Asks Jewish Hollywood Leaders to Speak Up Against Antisemitism: 'Stand Up'
David Schwimmer on Tuesday called on his fellow Jewish members of Hollywood to stand up against antisemitism. Schwimmer made the comments during the Anti-Defamation League's annual Never Is Now conference in New York. Schwimmer has been vocal on the subject of antisemitism, previously asking Elon Musk to ban Kanye West from X (formerly Twitter) over his antisemitic tirades and actions. More from The Hollywood Reporter Why Are Jewish Celebrities in Hollywood So Afraid to Talk About Antisemitism? (Opinion) Rachel Zegler's 'Snow White' Tracking for $53M Box Office Opening Oscars: Harrison Ford, Zoe Saldaña, Samuel L. Jackson Join List of Presenters 'My career has given me an incredible platform, a chance to talk about the issues that matter to me, and on a good day, a chance to be heard over the noise that drowns too many people out,' Schwimmer said. 'I believe with that privilege comes a responsibility to use my voice in moments like this, at a time of danger, bigotry and violence.' Schwimmer went on to acknowledge that 'speaking out often comes at a cost' and that 'like so many others, I've been attacked and threatened by people I've never met. I've been abandoned by people I thought were friends and by organizations I thought were allies, but I've also found amazing moments of meaning and solidarity, and I want to remind you that there are so many good people out there who have our backs, incredible allies that we can we will get through this together, that our spirit is unbreakable, our joy is irrepressible.' He continued, 'I get that speaking out is hard. Plenty of people I respect, even some of my heroes in entertainment, music and sports, have chosen to keep a low profile and sit this one out, including some whose careers have been made by leaning into their Jewish identity, and others who have won acclaim for playing Jews on screen. Some of them are doing a lot behind the scenes, privately and in their own way, but so many have chosen not to say anything publicly at all. And if I can say something directly to them:I really wish you would.' Schwimmer's call to action was met with cheers from the crowd, and he continued over the noise: 'I wish you would stand up. I wish you would speak out, because your voice would be so meaningful to your fans who love you, to your community members who need you, to folks who can use just a little solidarity right now.' In reference to the Israel-Hamas war, Schwimmer said, 'No one's asking you to solve the conflict of the Middle East. Just say that you stand with your Jewish friends, colleagues and neighbors against hatredand what's happening on our college campuses and in our schools and to Jewish-owned businesses is totally unacceptable.' He then referenced Elie Wiesel's quote, 'The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference,' adding, 'What is indifference? It's inaction. It's silence. Sometimes in moments of danger, it could feel like our only option is to stay quiet, to avoid drawing attention to ourselves, to hide. But here's the truth, now is not the time to disappear. Now is the time to show up, to reach out, to connect with one another, to find strength in our community and to raise up our voices together. Why don't we do that?' Schwimmer concluded his speech by noting that Tuesday's conference would honor 'a group of people who are using their voices, their reach and their connections to share messages of hope and solidarity that spread around the world.' The ADL's Never Is Now conference was hosted by Hen Mazzig, and ran March 3 and 4. Gal Gadot also delivered a keynote speech. She told the crowd, 'Most of us will never have experienced a worse time for antisemitism in our lifetimes, but we should feel safer knowing that the ADL has our backs.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2024: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo and More
