Several celebrities used the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards red carpet on Sunday to call for an end to the violence in Gaza.
Among them were Spanish actor Javier Bardem and Meg Stalter, who came to the awards wearing their pro-Palestinian message for global leaders.
Bardem wore a red Artists4Ceasefire pin and a keffiyeh, a traditional Middle Eastern headdress worn by men, to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Highlights
- At the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, Javier Bardem and Meg Stalter prominently displayed pro-Palestinian messages advocating for a Gaza ceasefire.
- Meg Stalter emphasized the importance of using celebrity platforms to speak out for peace, carrying a bag labeled “Ceasefire!” on the red carpet.
- Over 4,000 filmmakers pledged a boycott of Israeli film institutions, led by Film Workers for Palestine, supported by stars including Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo.
Many actors called for an end to violence in Gaza at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards
Image credits: Michael Buckner/Getty Images
“How many hundreds of thousands of dead children need to suffer for people to wake up?” Bardem told USA Today on the red carpet.
He also aligned with the International Association of Genocide Scholars to call for sanctions and a commercial and diplomatic blockade on Israel.
Bardem told reporters he would not work with any company that “justifies or supports the genocide” in Gaza.
“That’s as simple as that. We shouldn't be able to do that, in this industry or any industry,” he told Variety.
“The world has changed, and what we are witnessing is a genocide on a daily basis. This has to stop,” he added.
Stalter went on the red carpet wearing a Palestinian pin and carrying a bag with the words “Ceasefire!” written on a piece of paper and stuck on the bag.
Image credits: Michael Buckner/Getty Images
“It's important with a platform to speak out. It's the most important thing in the world to have peace,” she said.
“I can’t not say something, and I feel like it’s more important than anything about my look, whether I’m in a big gown or jeans. It’s really important to speak out about those things that are really horrifying.”
Other actors also displayed the red pins. Ruth Negga, Aimee Lou Wood, Chris Perfetti, and director Lucia Aniello were among the stars showing their support for Palestine.
Meg Stalter, Javier Bardem, and Hannah Einbinder were among those calling for a ceasefire
The event came shortly after more than 4,000 filmmakers signed a pledge led by Film Workers for Palestine to boycott Israeli film institutions.
It was signed by actors, including Emma Stone, Joshua Oppenheimer, Olivia Colman, and Mark Ruffalo.
Screenwriter David Farr, who is among the signatories, said in a statement, “As the descendant of Holocaust survivors, I am distressed and enraged by the actions of the Israeli state, which has for decades enforced an apartheid system on the Palestinian people whose land they have taken, and which is now perpetuating genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.”
Paramount was the first major studio to condemn the boycott.
“We do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers. Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace,” Paramount said, according to Reuters. “We need more engagement and communication — not less.”
Film Workers for Palestine responded, accusing Paramount of “intentionally misrepresenting the pledge in an attempt to silence our colleagues in the film industry.”
“Should Israeli film institutions wish to continue working with pledge signatories, their choice is clear: end complicity in Israel's genocide and apartheid, and endorse the full rights of the Palestinian people under international law,” Film Workers for Palestine wrote in a statement shared on social media.
Paramount has recently faced scrutiny after paying U.S. President Donald Trump a $16 million settlement related to the editing of a past CBS interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris.
Paramount condemned a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions
Image credits: The Late Show/CBS
It has also been criticized for canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a program frequently critical of Trump.
While CBS described the settlement as a “purely financial decision,” some have speculated that the move may be connected to Paramount’s $8.4 billion merger with Skydance, a production company linked to Trump-friendly billionaire Larry Ellison.
During the awards ceremony, Hacks star Hannah Einbinder also spoke out in support of Palestinians. After winning the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, she included a message in her acceptance speech, saying, “Go birds, fuck ICE, and free Palestine.”
Einbinder’s speech exceeded the usual 45-second limit, affecting a $100,000 donation by host Nate Bargatze to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which was tied to speech length. A portion of the donation was deducted for every second an acceptance speech exceeded 45 seconds, according to the conditions of the donation.
Einbinder promised to cover the difference herself.