United Agents Head of Comedy, Kitty Laing, is stepping down after reposting about the conflict in Israel. She is one of many in Hollywood who have taken to social media to comment on the conflict in Israel after the Hamas Attacks on October 7.
“Following the statements made earlier this week, it has been agreed that Kitty Laing will step away from her leadership roles as Head of Comedy and as a member of the Executive Committee of United Agents, effective immediately,” a spokesman for United Agents said. “Kitty will continue to work with her clients and the team at United Agents.”
The agent, especially prominent in British comedy, reactivated her deleted X account, formerly Twitter, to post an apology for reposts that emerged earlier this week before re-deleting her account. Lee Kern highlighted her posts in an X thread. The reposts included language about “settler paramilitaries” and “fake beheaded babies,” referencing an unverified claim that Hamas had beheaded 40 Israeli children.
Laing also deleted her Instagram after using her account to call UK’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer a “total moral coward” for invoking Israel’s “right to defend” itself on his LBC radio show.
Laing has apologized and stated, “With hindsight I realize how naïve I have been and that much of the information on social media surrounding the conflict is unsubstantiated and hurtful.”
She is not the only agent who has recently stepped down over posts. CAA’s Co-Head of Motion Pictures, Maha Dakhil, recently resigned from the agency’s internal board after posting on Instagram, “You’re currently learning who supports genocide.”
Hollywood has seen several calls for action in the conflict in Israel. On Tuesday, The Writers Guild of America West apologized for the harm caused to its members for not releasing a statement after October 7.
The guild released a statement which said in part, “In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks, we did not issue a public statement, not because we were not horrified by the atrocities, but because it felt outside the purview of a US labor union representing writers to comment on it. This was and is a difficult balance to strike.”
It continued, “We did not, for example, make a comment after Russia invaded Ukraine, nor on terrorist attacks in Somalia, Pakistan or elsewhere. It can be an imprecise science for a labor union to pick and choose where it weighs in on both domestic and world affairs… All of us in Guild leadership are horrified by the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7. The murder of so many innocent people in Israel is an abomination. We deeply mourn the deaths of innocent Palestinians ensnared in the violence in Gaza. We feel for all our members who have been affected, directly and indirectly. We hope that wisdom prevails in the region – and for the safety of all innocent people caught in the escalating violence.”
The WGA’s membership has been split in their responses to the conflict. Actors, writers, and others have signed multiple open letters of support since early October.
Seven hundred Hollywood figures signed an open letter thanking President Joe Biden for his leadership and stating, “We all want the same thing: Freedom for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace. Freedom from the brutal violence spread by Hamas. And most urgently, in this moment, freedom for the hostages. We urge everyone to not rest until all hostages are released. No hostage can be left behind.”
The signers included Amy Schumer, Chris Pine, Chris Rock, Jon Hamm, Jordan Peele, Madonna, Taika Waititi, Will Ferrell, Tyler Perry and many others.
A second group of signers have called for Biden to urge a cease-fire.
This letter states, “We ask that, as President of the United States, you and the US Congress call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.” This letter was signed by America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Hari Nef, Ilana Glazer, Jon Stewart, Mandy Patinkin, Oscar Isaac, Quinta Brunson, Ramy Youssef, Ryan Coogler, Susan Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, Wanda Sykes and others.
Notably, Bradley Cooper signed both letters.
Outside of signing on to letters, many celebrities have voiced their opinions and support on social media. Kylie Jenner shared in an Instagram story a post from StandWithUs with the caption, “Now and always, we stand with the people of Israel.”
Gigi Hadid also took to Instagram to post about the conflict, stating as part of a longer post, “I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation, it’s a responsibility I hold daily. I also feel a responsibility to my Jewish friends to make it clear, as I have before: While I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person.”
While individual celebrities have shared their opinions, larger organizations have also taken a stance. SAG-AFTRA released a statement on October 13 saying, “SAG-AFTRA deplores and condemns the horrific acts of aggression against the Israeli people on October 7. The attack was a fundamental violation of human rights and dignity. There is no justification for the murder and kidnapping of civilians. We mourn the loss of life and urge the safe return of those who are missing and held hostage. We stand united against hatred and violence and pray for peace.”
Disney also donated $2 million in aid to Israel Humanitarian relief, including $1 million to Magen David Adom on October 12. Other companies such as Skydance and Comcast
CMCSA
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