Tara Strong fired: Boxtown voice actress claims being fired cause she is Jewish amid Hamas Israel conflict as show creators say she was let go over ‘racist’ rhetoric.
And it continues. A cartoon voice actress has claimed being fired on account of posts she made drawing attention to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and for being ‘Jewish.’
Tara Strong claims being fired from independent animated series ‘Boxtown’ following posts she shared on social media following the October 7 assault by Hamas that left over 1200 Israeli civilians dead.
Posted the long time voice over actress who is Jewish by origin: ‘If you are PRO suffering, r—, murder of ANY innocent people, today I will block you. We should all be praying for peace. To end ALL wars, near and far. To end the suffering of ALL innocent civilians everywhere regardless of political affiliation.’
Islamophobic?
The day after the attack, Tara tweeted a message from the American Jewish Committee that claimed people ‘only excuse terror when it targets Israel.’ She added, ‘Because everyone hates Jews.’
While going on to add, ‘This is only the beginning. They were smart to start with a country people love to hate.’ She even equated Hamas with Islam, much to the horror of others, and wrote on October 10, ‘Islam is a real, clear, and present danger.’ Adding, ‘Islamaphobia has been debunked vehemently.’
Two days later, the Boxtown Twitter account announced Tara was being recast. Wrote the series: ‘Hello all! Just wanted to offer a quick update on Boxtown. We will be recasting the role of Bill (previously played by Tara Strong). We’ll have more info soon on open auditions.’
Tara Strong claims she was fired for being Jewish. Posted the voice actor, ‘Fired for being Jewish. Glad I helped you get your kickstarter money. Please lose my email address and pray for my family in Israel and in Gaza.’
Divisive responses to Israel-Hamas conflict
However, people involved with Boxtown disputed these claims. Spencer Rothball, co-writer of the Boxtown pilot, said that not only is he Jewish, but ‘the other main character is voiced by a Jewish person (Alex Hirsch).’ Regarding Tara’s accusation of being let go because she’s Jewish, Spencer said, ‘Yeah I mean I had nothing to do with her apparently being recast, but this is an absurd claim to make.’
Critics condemned Strong for calling all Muslims terrorists, with the voice actress insisting she hadn’t, posting: ‘I didn’t, I said #Hamas please learn the difference’.
Stong went on to criticize those individuals who called her ‘Islamophobic,’ writing, ‘I’m speaking about the terrorist org HAMAS. We should all be against them.’
On Monday, ‘Boxtown’s’ account addressed the decision to cut Strong in a statement on social media.
‘This decision was due to a trend among Tara’s recent online activity, including posts that promote controversial messages regarding the peoples of Palestine currently being affected by the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis,’ the statement read, in part.
‘We believe that our public platform gives us a duty to be careful when it comes to hateful messages and misinformation online. This extends to our cast and crew. This was not a difficult decision.’
‘Our hearts are with the Palestinian and Israeli children and families being affected by the ongoing conflict. People should be able to live freely without being threatened by constant abuse and terror. We are hoping for the best,’ the post concluded.
Strong’s firing comes amid ongoing divisive responses to the Middle East feud, with a NYC Palestinian doctor being fired earlier this week over perceived anti-semitic comments in which she cheered on Hamas’ actions.
