Hannah Einbinder Sparks Controversy with 'Free Palestine' Emmys Speech
Actress and comedian Hannah Einbinder's Emmy win for her role in Hacks was followed by a politically charged acceptance speech that included calls to "Free Palestine." Einbinder, who is Jewish, stated that her remarks were intended to distinguish between her faith and the State of Israel.
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Hannah Einbinder, the Jewish actress and comedian known for her breakout role in the HBO Max series "Hacks," made headlines at the 2025 Emmy Awards with a politically charged acceptance speech that included calls to "Free Palestine" and criticism of U.S. immigration policies.
Einbinder is the daughter of original "Saturday Night Live" cast member Laraine Newman and comedy writer Chad Einbinder. She studied broadcast journalism before pursuing a career in stand-up comedy and acting, quickly establishing herself as a sought-after talent. Her role as Ava Daniels opposite Jean Smart in "Hacks" earned her nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards, culminating in her win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series yesterday. Einbinder has also built a following on social media, with over 220,000 Instagram followers for her humorous, self-deprecating posts.
But there was nothing funny about what she said during her acceptance speech at the Emmys, when she closed with: "I just wanna say, go birds, f--- ICE, and Free Palestine." The "go birds" reference appears to nod to her support for the Philadelphia Eagles, while "f--- ICE" targeted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The "Free Palestine" remark drew immediate attention, amplified by her wearing a pin in support of Palestinians. This red pin actually symbolizes Jewish blood which was spilled when two IDF soldiers got lost in Ramallah and were lynched in a horrific way in October 2000.
In post-show comments, Einbinder elaborated on her statement, emphasizing her Jewish identity: "I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the State of Israel, because our religion and our culture is such an important and long standing institution that is really separate to this sort of ethno-nationalist state." She added that the war in Gaza has become personal, as she has friends working as doctors in the enclave to aid refugees displaced by the conflict.
Einbinder's speech received praise from outlets like the Quds News Network, often accused of ties to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which shared a censored version of her remarks, blurring her bare shoulders, before deleting the post. However, it faced backlash from some in the Jewish community, with Israeli writer Hen Mazzig criticizing it for fueling anti-Israel sentiments and failing to address hostages in Gaza. Palestinian advocate Ihab Hassan also mocked Quds News for the censorship.
Einbinder recently joined over 4,500 entertainment industry figures in the Film Workers for Palestine pledge, committing not to collaborate with Israeli film institutions. The speech echoes similar statements from other Emmy attendees, including Javier Bardem.
The saddest thing about the whole debacle is that Einbinder clearly hasn't been reading history textbooks, or she would have realized that Hitler would have come for her, too and it wouldn't have mattered what she thought or felt about Gaza or Jews or anything. It wouldn't have mattered if she were a talented actress, either. Also, we Jews have more than enough self-hating members, we really do not need any more. And lastly, when Hamas starts praising you, you know you have done something ridiculously stupid or evil or both.