Staff Reports
Actress Julianna Margulies sparked controversy this week with her bold comments on the black community and their attitudes towards Jews. Margulies, known for her roles in ER and The Good Wife, didn’t hold back during an episode of The Back Room with Andy Ostroy podcast. She delved into the Israel-Hamas conflict and lamented the lack of support from the black community towards Jews.
Wish I could say that Julianna Margulies' racist rant against Black people is an outlier. But as I've said before, I've heard this same sentiment from supposedly liberal circles.
Solidarity w/ Black people is transactional. We are supposed to be grateful charity recipients.
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) November 30, 2023
Margulies, an outspoken advocate for various social causes, expressed deep disappointment in the black community’s perceived lack of solidarity with the Jewish population. She highlighted her past support for Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ rights, emphasizing the historical support of Jews for these causes. According to her, the black community’s failure to reciprocate this support suggests that they have been influenced by misinformation and prejudice, leading them to “hate Jews.”
In a bold move, Margulies called for the banning of TikTok, attributing the rise in antisemitism to the platform. She also took aim at those who label Israelis as “colonists,” urging them to leave the United States if they held such beliefs, pointing out the historical claims of Native Americans to the land.
Unsurprisingly, Margulies’ comments ignited a fiery backlash, with critics branding her as racist and intolerant. Prominent figures, such as Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah and Saturday Night Live comedian Joel Kim Booster, condemned her statements as a form of racism and condemned her views on social media.
Essentially, Julianna Margulies stirred up a hornet’s nest with her controversial opinions, igniting heated debates about race, politics, and historical allegiances. Love her or hate her, Margulies has certainly made her voice heard, and the fallout from her words will undoubtedly continue to reverberate in the public sphere.
