Actress Debra Messing said in a new interview that anti-Israel activists’ silence on Iran is “the boldest example of hypocrisy.”
“The fact that the pro-Palestinian people are silent about that is the boldest example of hypocrisy,” Messing said on the “Being Jewish with Jonah Platt” podcast Tuesday.
Messing, who is politically progressive, made the remarks as she discussed her advocacy following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and her decision to speak out publicly on Israel and broader Middle East issues.
She framed her comments around what she sees as a lack of consistency from anti-Israel activists that have been specifically vocal against the country.
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“I have to speak out,” Messing said, explaining her decision to weigh in publicly on geopolitical issues.
She pointed specifically to Iran, raising concerns about what she described as a lack of attention from activists.
“What’s happening in Iran?” Messing asked. “It’s actually thrilling to see, because we’ve all known that it was a fraud.”
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“And now they have proved it with their silence,” she said.
Her remarks came as part of a broader reflection on how her advocacy has shifted since Oct. 7, which she described as a turning point.
“There’s absolutely no option. We have to get out there and defend Israel, defend the Israeli people,” Messing said.
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She said she initially approached social media as a space to educate and reform.
“I wanted to put out information about Israel, about our history… about Hamas, about the IRGC,” she said. “It became very clear very quickly that that was impossible.”
Messing also described the personal toll of the backlash she had received online.
“As soon as I started defending Israel and being a proud Jew… the kind of comments that I get, they are so deranged and hurtful and painful,” Messing said.
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“My first instinct is always to defend myself and to clarify my position,” she said.
The actress also reflected on her upbringing, recalling that she often felt unsafe expressing her Jewish identity as a child and concealed it in school.
“I learned to not talk about being Jewish,” she said. “I’ve never felt safe in my entire life until now.”
