While the 'Trainwreck' actress clarifies her remarks on the Middle East conflict, the 'Hunger Games' actress praises her friend for standing up for causes she believes in despite 'immense fire.'
- May 2, 2024
AceShowbiz - Jennifer Lawrence has caught heat for showing her alliance with Amy Schumer, who has raised a controversy with her comments on the Palestine-Israel war. The Academy Award-winning actress has been slammed online after defending her friend for standing up for causes she believes in despite backlash.
The Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games film series voiced her support for the comedian in an interview with Variety. "Amy's choice to use her voice to speak for justice puts her under immense fire," the 33-year-old said. "I wouldn't say she navigates it so much as she throws her middle fingers up and walks away from negative comments like a gas station fire in a Michael Bay movie."
Jennifer has since come under fire, with many chastising her for supporting Amy who has been accused of being a Zionist and condoning genocide in Gaza. Seemingly not surprised, one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "white people will play fictional roles of resistance fighters against oppressive regimes and then shake hands with the same evil people who uphold said regimes … tale as old as time. And f**k Jennifer Lawrence!"
A second critic said, "one thing about painfully unfunny girls is that they're gonna stick by each other." Another one penned, " 'speaking for justice' is apparently when racist white people support a military that is killing children and stealing homes with seemingly zero repercussions. Dumba** forgot she was in the hunger games movies." Disappointed, someone else chimed in, "This is why I gotta stop having faith in white celebrities. Dammit Jennifer."
In the wake of Hamas' October 7 attack on a music festival, Amy spoke of her support for Israel. Less than a month later, she posted on Instagram that she was "sad to have lost so many friends these last few weeks."
However, she added that she felt "powerful and free knowing I stand for the truth and will fight for it always." She was persistent in her initial comment as saying, "I'm a proud Jewish woman and have every right to be. Head high. Spirits high. Love to my fellow brothers and sisters."
Speaking to Variety in the new interview that was published on Wednesday, May 1, she lamented being scrutinized for standing with Israel. She recalled an instance in March in which she was verbally abused while she was in Brooklyn near the subway. She was working on an upcoming film titled "Kinda Pregnant" when a passerby yelled at her, "F**k you, Amy Schumer! You're a Zionist! You love genocide!"
"It didn't even raise my heart rate," the 42-year-old actress said of the incident on the set. "I didn't cry. Nothing."
She admitted that she cannot hold herself back from making remarks that could generate controversy and backlash against her. "A lot of people can help it, but I've never been able to," she told the outlet. "But I also want to be helpful. Do you know what I mean?"
The "Life & Beth" star went on claiming that the society is more focused on scrutinizing "Jewish people" in the current public discourse than Hamas. "The focus is so razor-sharp on Jewish people but not on Hamas," she said. "It's very strange."
Amy went on suggesting people to educate themselves, "So I'd recommend people read a book - Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth by Noa Tishby. Or anything - Jewish people wrote everything down."
"It's gotten to this place where you can't speak up for other Jews without people feeling like it's a slight to the conditions in Gaza," she said, before adding, "I don't agree with anything that Netanyahu is doing, and neither do the Israelis I know. Of course what's going on in Gaza is sickening, horrifying and unthinkable. And, I don't think it's OK to hate anyone because they were born Jewish."
The article noted that Amy clarified her stance on the conflict after a 20-something woman approached her to say, "Thank you for everything you're doing for Israel" The Brooklyn woman added, "I follow you on social media. I used to live in Israel and ... thank you. We support you."
