Comedian Salma Hindy has launched fiery accusations against Chelsea Handler, saying Handler fired her because of her support for Palestine amid the war in Gaza.
Hindy, a Canadian-Egyptian comedian, said it took her “nearly three years to find the courage to speak publicly” about the deterioration of her professional relationship with Handler. She opened for Handler’s comedic tours multiple times beginning in 2022 and had spent time with Handler in a personal capacity.
But then the relationship took a turn. In a three-minute video on Instagram, Hindy alleged that she initially asked Handler to speak out against the genocide in Gaza in 2023 after Handler’s friends, Sarah Silverman and Amy Schumer, posted “some disgustingly racist, dehumanizing posts against Palestinians.”
Hindy said Handler never responded, but that she was immediately dropped from three out of the 12 scheduled shows in Handler’s tour. The pair continued to work together sporadically. But in 2024, again, Hindy claimed Handler canceled two shows “at the last minute” without informing Hindy.
“I was at the hotel room, waiting to go down to the venue,” she recalled. Hindy alleged that Handler’s team bought her a flight ticket to New York but “refused to reimburse” her for other expenses she had already incurred, including the inbound flight and the hotel.
The comedian continued to outline a back-and-forth with Handler. Ultimately, she concluded, “My manager... told me that Chelsea Handler is trying to get rid of me because of the Palestine thing but she doesn’t want to say it so that she doesn’t incriminate herself.”
Hindy said she was “financially devastated” at the time and was “terrified” about speaking out about the situation.
She has now decided to break her silence in the wake of rapper Macklemore being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour due to his pro-Palestine stance. Macklemore has been praised for maintaining his stance, while a broader conversation is underway about freedom of speech, control over artists, and the consequences of speaking in support of Palestine.
“To every artist who is afraid to speak about what happened to them: I hope you find the safety, support, and courage to tell your story when you are ready,” wrote Hindy in her caption.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Handler’s representatives for comment.
Handler has already responded to Hindy’s allegations via social media by posting screenshots of their interactions. In one message exchange, Hindy texted Handler to say she “won’t be able to do the remaining four shows” in January 2024. Handler also posted an email in which her management asked Hindy’s management for her availability in 2023. Finally, she shared an email about reimbursing Hindy for expenses incurred in 2022, with Handler signing off on it.
The 51-year-old comedian tagged Hindy, writing, “I have plenty more, but I’ll leave it here.”
According to Hindy, however, Handler’s screenshots do not disprove her allegations. In a statement, Hindy said she was referring to two canceled shows in January 2024, while Handler revealed exchanges from January 2022.
Hindy said Handler privately told her she had contacted her lawyers and considers Hindy’s account “libelous.”
Handler directly commented on Hindy’s post, which has racked up 1.4 million views, writing, “Ah, that’s actually not what happened. You quit opening for me, and I have the emails from your agents. Your agent is full of it. I would never fire someone for disagreeing with me politically on this issue.”
Handler has been outspoken about Palestine and Israel throughout her career, but her exact stance has come under scrutiny.
In 2018, the A-list comedian criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X, writing that his government will “effectively turn Gaza and the Left Bank into starvation camps or mental asylums, if not already, and bomb Iran into submission.”
Years later, after the Gaza War began in 2023, Handler posted a lengthy statement in which she said Hamas has “the sole intention of destroying Jews.” She said Palestinians should not be conflated with Hamas and added that she is for “human rights and denouncing terror and for the world to end this violence.” She later appeared alongside pro-Israel advocate Noa Tishby in an Instagram video, saying, “progressives should love Israel.”
In 2024, pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted one of Handler’s shows, and the comedian asked for them to be removed. “Let’s move on, it’s too annoying,” she said after asking security to “get them out.”
Just this week, Handler came out in support of actor Mark Ruffalo, who has been smeared for maintaining his pro-Palestine stance.
“I don’t think Mark Ruffalo is antisemitic,” Handler said on the I’ve Had It podcast. “I think he’s standing up for something he believes in, and I admire that.” She added, “I support him.”
