LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hollywood star Tom Cruise expressed his support for his agent Maha Dakhil following her removal from leadership positions at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the talent agency, due to her reposting of Instagram Stories in favor of Palestine.
According to Variety, Dakhil lost her position as co-chief of the motion pictures department, but she was still permitted to work as an agent since her client, Cruise, informed CAA that he supported her.
Tom Cruise apparently 'made it known' he was fully supporting Maha Dakhil
Celebrities are still being penalized for sharing their personal views on the Middle East situation; Melissa Barrera lost her movie job, and Susan Sarandon's agency fired her.
Maha Dakhil, a prominent Hollywood agent, received criticism for sharing Instagram posts pertaining to the continuing dispute, but Cruise's backing and involvement allowed her to continue as an agent.
Dakhil reportedly got herself into a stir after posting several images on Instagram about the continuing crisis in the Middle East, one of which said, "What’s more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening."
According to reports, Cruise "made it known" that he was backing his agent and, on November 15, he met with Dakhil in her CAA office as a "rare step" to further express his support.
Dakhil was permitted to stay on as an agent, but sources claimed that the incident led to a significant rift among the staff, with some threatening to quit due to how she was treated and others growing "disillusioned" that the agent had not been sacked.
According to reports, CAA severed connections with several people at the same time due to "incendiary anti-Israeli social media posts," including two clients and a staff member.
Hollywood is grappling with the raw emotions sparked by the explosion of violence in the Middle East, and similar incidents of firings, finger-pointing, and feelings of betrayal are occurring everywhere.
Dakhil said in a statement to Variety: "I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram story, which used hurtful language. Like so many of us, I have been reeling with heartbreak. I pride myself on being on the side of humanity and peace."
"I'm so grateful to Jewish friends and colleagues who pointed out the implications and further educated me. I immediately took the repost down. I’m sorry for the pain I have caused," as per MovieWeb.
Netizens hail Tom Cruise for backing Maha Dakhil over pro-Palestine posts
Following the virality of Cruise supporting his CAA agent, social media users took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their support for the 'Top Gun' actor.
One X user hailed the actor and said, "Tom Cruise is an exception in the world of cinema," while adding a following comment, "He knows how to earn respect."
Another user echoed a similar sentiment and said, "Glad tom is using his influence in support of maha. more A-listers need to do the same and stop hollywood from censoring celebrities who are pro-palestine!"
"That's really great to hear! It's so important to show support for friends and colleagues," typed another fan.
Another one praised and wrote, "How amazing that make you Tom cruise respect God Bless you you show that you’re human too who can feel the pain off innocent people…"
"I have been a fan of Tom Cruise since childhood and I'm glad that I am a fan of the right person," exclaimed another Cruise fan.
Another one added, "When Tom Cruise, notorious scientologist Tom Cruise is the most reasonable voice in the room, you have to take a step back."
An increasing number of people enraged by lack of solidarity and anti-Israel rhetoric
Even though over 240 hostages are still being held by Hamas, an increasing number of people, from elites to common individuals, are outraged by the animosity toward Israel and the lack of solidarity.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, told Variety: "There’s just no excuse for not condemning Hamas and demanding the release of the hostages. Hollywood was quick to declare Black Lives Matter, as they should, and Time’s Up, as they should, and myriad other important causes."
"There’s plenty of room for criticism of Israel or to voice concerns about the ongoing war in Gaza, but that doesn’t provide celebrities and industry reps with an open license to wage unfair accusations against Israel, such as accusing it of ‘apartheid’ or ‘genocide’ or, worse, to celebrate the actions of Hamas terrorists."
