Chelsea Handler pushes back against comedian Salma Hindy's claim that her support for Palestine led to her removal as tour opener. The Chelsea Handler Disputes Comedian’s Claim Of Firing Over Palestine Support first appeared on The Blast

A dispute has erupted between Chelsea Handler and comedian Salma Hindy over the latter’s alleged firing as an opener on Handler’s tour. Hindy claimed she was let go after expressing support for Palestine, while Handler has denied the allegation and offered a different account of what happened.

The two comedians have shared contrasting versions of what happened, with Hindy saying Handler accused her of libel.

Salma Hindy Claims Chelsea Handler Fired Her After Discussing Palestine

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Canadian-Egyptian comedian Salma Hindy shared the demise of her relationship with Chelsea Handler in an Instagram post on September 16. She shared her story after Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following his pro-Palestine remarks onstage.

According to Hindy, she was hired as an opener for Handler’s tour in 2022, and she had a “very warm, loving, sisterly relationship” with the comedian. Sometime in 2023, Hindy said she asked Handler if they could discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after Amy Schumer and Sarah Silverman posted “disgustingly racist dehumanizing posts toward Palestinians.”

Hindy claims Handler did not respond to her messages, and she was removed from three tour dates the day after. She still worked with Handler in December 2023, and while discussing the conflict during dinner, Handler allegedly “insisted on defending the Israeli government.”

The comedian also shared a post on Instagram supporting Palestine and claims Handler canceled two of her shows, and her manager later told her that Handler wanted her gone “because of the Palestine thing.”

Chelsea Handler Claps Back At The Comedian

Handler responded to Hindy’s post and disputed her account of what happened. “You quit opening for me, and I have emails from your agents. Your agent is full of it. I would never fire someone for disagreeing with me politically on this issue,” she wrote, per Deadline.

On Instagram Stories, Handler posted screenshots of communications with Hindy. In one message, dated January 2024, Hindy said she won’t be able to perform, writing, “something has now come up and I won’t be able to do the remaining four shows anymore.”

In another screenshot, dated October 2023, Handler reached out to Hindy and asked if she could open for her on nine dates.

A 2022 email also showed Handler agreeing to reimburse Hindy for rescheduled flights. “I have plenty more but I’ll leave it here,” Handler wrote on the post, tagging Hindy.

Salma Hindy Responds To The Comedian’s Proof

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Hindy took to Instagram Stories and addressed the screenshots Handler posted. She noted that the reimbursement email Handler shared was dated 2022, when she was referring to an incident in 2024. While she confirmed that she was reimbursed for a return flight, her other plane tickets and hotel stays were not paid.

Hindy said she decided to drop from the remaining dates because her manager believed she was being “pushed out” because of her pro-Palestine stance. “These were not direct written statements from Chelsea, but they were the contest in which I withdrew,” she clarified, per TMZ.

Now, Hindy claims Handler told her she contacted her lawyers due to her “libelous” statements.

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Critics Called Out Chelsea Handler’s Inconsistency

Handler is known for being vocal, but critics say she has been inconsistent in her views. In 2018, Handler criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X, writing that his government would “effectively turn Gaza and the Left Bank into starvation camps or mental asylums.”

After the October 7, 2023, attacks, however, Handler appeared in a video with Israeli activist and actress Noa Tishby and spoke about the “misinformation” about the Jewish state. In the video, Handler said she and Tishby are “pro-Palestinian and anti-Hamas, and it’s okay to question Israel’s policies and still be pro-Israel.”

Handler maintains that she advocates for the human rights of Palestinians while also supporting Israel’s right to defend itself.

Chelsea Handler Supports Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo, who has a long history of advocating for Palestinian human rights, is facing controversy in Hollywood over Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The actor called out Paramount CEO David Ellison and his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, over their support for the Israeli military efforts in Gaza. Ruffalo has been accused of using “antisemitic tropes” as a result, per The Blast.

In an episode of the “I’ve Had It” podcast in March, Handler expressed support for the pro-Palestine actor, saying, “I don’t think Mark Ruffalo is antisemitic. I think he’s standing up for something he believes in, and I admire that. I support him,” she said.

The Chelsea Handler Disputes Comedian’s Claim Of Firing Over Palestine Support first appeared on The Blast