Mia Khalifa, the former adult film actress turned social media sensation, recently found herself amidst a whirlwind of controversy following her tweets in support of Palestinians, which did not sit well with many observers online.

Khalifa’s day took a turn for the worse as reactions to her tweet from yesterday continued to pour in, culminating in a widespread backlash.

Khalifa’s contentious tweet, viewed over 20 million times within 48 hours, read:

“If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid, and history will show that in time.”

The tweet was interpreted by many as her expressing unequivocal support for Hamas during its unexpected assault on Israel, even suggesting that members of the group should document their offensive.

The former adult star, who had previously labeled Israel an apartheid state, drew sharp criticism for a series of tweets following Saturday’s unexpected attack, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 800 Israeli lives. Khalifa faced further criticism for her comment on a photo of Hamas members, referring to it as a “Renaissance painting,” and for her advice on filming techniques to “freedom fighters in Palestine.”

Adding fuel to the fire, Khalifa called out celebrity Kylie Jenner for a now-deleted pro-Israel post on Instagram. In a biting comment, she urged journalists to question Jenner about Middle Eastern geopolitical tensions, implicitly challenging Jenner’s understanding and stance on the issue.

In the days following her controversial tweets, Khalifa shared various posts defending her stance on the conflict to her substantial following of 5 million. One repost from influencer Kelbin likened the attacks to “what oppressed fighting the oppressor looks like.”

However, public opinion was quick to spotlight what many saw as Khalifa’s hypocrisy. Critics pointed to the treatment of Palestinian refugees in her home country, Lebanon (from which she is banned), arguing that it has been so poor over the years that many refugees have sought shelter elsewhere. Commentators also noted that, aside from Jordan, Arab states have been reluctant to accept Palestinians as anything other than temporary refugees.

With the backlash intensifying, Khalifa found her past, including her brief yet infamous stint in the adult industry in 2014 and her claim of receiving death threats from ISIS over a hijab-wearing scene, being dragged into the spotlight. Critics argue that Khalifa’s support for a group that would likely condemn her past actions is paradoxical.

In the wake of the ongoing controversy, Playboy made a decisive move, announcing in a statement that they are severing ties with Khalifa. This action underlines the significant impact of Khalifa’s tweets, demonstrating how a few characters on social media can reverberate through a person’s life and career. The Playboy message reads as follows:

Photo Credit: Playboy

Dear Creator Community,

We are writing today to let you know of our decision to terminate Playboy’s relationship with Mia Khalifa, including deleting Mia’s Playboy channel on our creator platform. Over the past few days, Mia has made disgusting and reprehensible comments celebrating Hamas’ attacks on Israel and the murder of innocent men, women and children. At Playboy, we encourage free expression and constructive political debate, but we have a zero tolerance policy for hate speech. We expect Mia to understand that her words and actions have consequences. We included the letter we shared with Mia below.

Thank you, The Playboy Team

____
Mia,

Playboy has always been a champion of free speech. We have fought in the courts for the rights of all people to speak free from any governmental interference. For seventy years we have highlighted different viewpoints in the pages of our magazine, on our websites, in the symposia that we’ve hosted, and from the thought-leaders, creators and artists who we’ve platformed on our various forms of media.

We also have no place in our company nor on our platforms for speech that is hateful and dehumanizing. Your recent statements celebrating Hamas’ attacks on innocent men, women and children in Israel, including rape, mutilation, killing and torture, are disgusting and reprehensible. Consequently, we are hereby permanently terminating you from the Playboy creator platform and ending all other business dealings we may have with you.

We want to be very clear: we respect your right to free speech. We also expect that you understand that how you use your speech has consequences. Today, we are calling you out on your hate-mongering and severing all ties with you. We will also be letting our creator community know of our decision.

With a heavy heart for the victims, Playboy

Mia Khalifa’s tweets supporting Palestinians have ignited a firestorm of criticism and debate on social media. The responses, steeped in the complexities of Middle Eastern politics and the personal history of the individuals involved, highlight the polarizing nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the risks celebrities take when they choose to wade into contentious political waters. With partnerships ending and public opinion divided, how this episode will unfold further for Khalifa remains to be seen.

• You can follow Mia Khalifa on Twitter (X) at @miakhalifa.
• You can follow Playboy on Twitter (X) at @playboy.